As I sit here the day after the Super Bowl, I’m relatively unaffected by anything that happened in last night’s game. I had no particular interest in either team that played, and any hope for a competitive game of football between two good teams was quickly extinguished as it became a blowout from the very start. So, although I watched a large portion of the game, this Monday, I am experiencing neither the joy of seeing my favourite team crush the opposition, nor the heart-breaking disappointment of seeing my favourite team fizzle out and play the worst game of their season. In short, I am indifferent to the game, and its results had no affect on me.
On the other hand, I have a good many friends who are elated that their team won, and are celebrating with friends and family on this “victory Monday.” I also know of others who are greatly disappointed at the performance of their team and are left to wonder how the game could have gone so wrong when the season was so good.
One game — three very different emotions and responses.
What is it that makes the difference in these emotional responses? How can multiple people watch the same game and yet one comes away indifferent and another with the joyful high of victory or the crushing low of defeat? The answer is simple.
Investment.
The ones who are indifferent had invested nothing in the game. They simply observed without any particular participation or involvement. They had no skin in the game, therefore they came away unaffected.
However, the ones celebrating (and even the ones experiencing disappointment) were fully invested in their team and the game. They wore their team colours and followed every play, cheering each yard gained, and groaning at each mistake. They came away different, affected by the game because of what they put into it.
The same is true spiritually.
Although the Super Bowl will not be played again for another year, this same scenario will continue to play out in many people’s lives week after week, month after month, year after year. Only, unlike the Super Bowl, this carries eternal significance.
Every week, many Christians will attend a local church, and each week they will leave one of two ways — indifferent or changed. What determines the outcome will be the level of their investment. Just as a sporting event’s affect on you is determined by your level of investment in the team or game, so the affect that the fellowship with God’s people and sitting under the preaching of God’s Word has on your life is determined by how much you invest into it. In other words, you get out of it what you put into it!
As a pastor, I see too many people week after week walk out of services indifferent and unaffected — and it is often because there is a lack of investment in and engagement with the ministry of that local church. Consequently, these are often the same people who either leave because they’re “not getting fed” or they just gradually stop attending and eventually quit church altogether.
God’s Word makes it clear that He expects Christians to not just be a part of a local church, but to be invested in it. Consider the well-known exhortation from the book of Hebrews:
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.Hebrews 10:25
We understand the first part of the verse as a command to not forsake the assembling together as believers within the context of the local church. However, both the preceding verse (verse 24) and the rest of this verse place that command in the broader truth of investing in others within the local church. Consider the greater context:
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.Hebrews 10:24-25
“It is interesting to note that the emphasis here is not on what a believer gets from the assembly, but rather on what he can contribute to the assembly.” 1
God places a high priority on church attendance, not because of what you get out of it, but because of what your contribution to the local assembly is important. God expects His children to be invested in the local church assembly by exhorting and encouraging others.
Lest it be misconstrued, I am not saying that church attendance is not important to our personal spiritual growth. God specifically states that He gave pastors “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:” (Ephesians 4:12). Church attendance is vital for our spiritual growth as individuals, but I would also propose that our spiritual growth will be directly proportional to our level of investment in the local church. Just as a sports fanatic leaves each game affected by his team’s wins and losses, an invested Christian will leave each service affected and changed as a result of having been in the ministry of the local church.
Based on this principle, let me suggest a few ways that you can be invested in the ministry of your local church:
- Prepare for the Services Ahead of Time
- Practical things such as getting your clothes ready the night before, or looking at the weather to see if there is an impending snowstorm that will require more time in the morning for snow clearing (a major issue in northern climates) will help you arrive at church in a timely manner and in the right frame of mind.
- Spiritually, prepare your heart before you enter the service. If you take time and ask the Lord to work in your heart and teach you something through the ministry of the church that day, He will!
- Bring a Physical Bible
- While all of us have a Bible app on our phones or tablets, there is something tangible about opening a Bible and turning to a passage that helps you focus and remove distractions. Not to mention it is always encouraging to the preacher to hear and see people turning pages and following along in the Word of God.
- Take Notes
- You will be surprised at how much more you retain when you take notes on the message. You don’t have to get everything that the preacher says, but write down the Scripture references and the main points. Jot down something that sticks out to you that is said. Not only does it give you something to look back on for future study, but it keeps you focus during the message as well.
- Arrive Early and Stay Late
- By doing this, you give yourself opportunities to connect with others, to fellowship and encourage each other in the Lord. Sliding in at the last minute and leaving as soon as the last “amen” is said not only robs you of receiving the blessings of being ministered to by the body of Christ, but you also rob others of the ministering that God wants to do through you.
- Look for Opportunities to Minister to Others
- This one ties in with the previous point, but if you don’t look for opportunities, you won’t see them. Go out of your way to talk to others. A kind word and a friendly face is always welcome, and you never know just how God will use you in the life of another brother or sister in Christ.
There are many things that we can easily invest our energies, time, and resources into, but often we waste those investments on things that have no eternal value. What we invest in, shows where our true loves and values lie.
For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.Matthew 6:21
So how is your investment in your local church?
How do you leave your church each Sunday?
Indifferent?
Or changed?
Your level of investment determines your level of return.
- Warren W. Wiersbe, Be Confident, BE Series Commentary, 136. ↩︎
