- What Do You See in Church –

[Abednego+2]

Psalms 95:6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

Psalms 100:4 Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise! Be thankful unto Him, and bless His name.
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Jim Smith went to church on Sunday morning. He heard the organist miss a note during the prelude, and he winced. He saw a teenager talking when everybody was supposed to bow in prayer. He felt like the usher was watching to see what he put in the offering plate and it made him boil. He caught the preacher making a slip of the tongue five times in the sermon by actual count. As he slipped out through the side door during the closing hymn, he uttered to himself, “Never again! What a bunch of clods and hypocrites!”

Ron Jones went to church on Sunday morning. He heard the organist play an arrangement of “A Mighty Fortress” and he was thrilled to the majesty of it. He heard a young girl take a moment in the service to speak her simple moving message of the difference her faith makes in her life. He was glad to see that his church was sharing in a special offering for the hungry children in Nigeria. He especially appreciated the sermon that Sunday, it answered a question that had bothered him for a long time. He thought as he walked out the doors of the church, “How can a man come here and not feel the presence of God?”
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Closing thoughts:

In his book “Folk Psalms of Faith”, Pastor Ray Stedman says he wishes that all churchgoers could stand in the pulpit on a Sunday morning and watch the faces in the congregation during the sermon. Although most people seem to give the minister their attention, many have their minds elsewhere. Stedman writes, “It would be fascinating at the end of a service to know where everybody had been!” My friend, to receive the greatest benefit from a church service, we must prepare our hearts and become active participants.

We must become wholeheartedly involved in singing the hymns, silently praying as the pastor leads the congregation in prayer, and worshiping from the heart as the choir sings. Finally, we need to discipline ourselves to listen intently with a receptive heart to the teaching of God’s Word. We must develop a hunger for truth that quiets our spirits, inspires worship, evokes praise to God, and moves us to serve Him. It’s easy to blame the pastor if we leave the service feeling empty and discouraged (as Jim Smith did). But he’s just one participant; we must do our part. Those who get the most out of worship are those who put the most into it (as Ron Jones did).
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The application:

Both men went to the same church on the same Sunday morning. Each found what he was looking for. What were you looking for this past Sunday morning? And what will you be looking for this coming Sunday?
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At the heart of worship is worship from the heart.

[Kingfisher]

Great message in that post!

For members of the Body of Christ it's important that we come with a heart of service. Looking for opportunities where God is working and we can join Him with the gifts He's given.

Looking to serve and not to be served!

Too many come looking for what they can "get" from a service.

Idle hands are the Devils play toy

[Buckshot]

That really is good! I could not tell you how many people have visited the church and complain about another that they visited and did not get anything out of it. Seems they normally don’t come back to visit after I ask them what they brought to the service 🤔

[Abednego+2]

I agree with what both of you said regarding the devotional. We need to ask God to prepare our heart and mind so the Lord can speak to us through the singing of hymns and what the Pastor's sermon has for each person in attendance. Each person comes with many needs and the Lord knows the heart of a person and what their needs are.   Simply, you must come with the right attitude and a heart that is receptive to the message that is presented. We must come to church with a heart full of praise and thanksgiving for how God has met our needs in ways that we would never had imagined. People in general complain to much and sadly many believers in Christ are in that category. As a believer in Jesus Christ we need more encouragers than we do complainers.

Thanks for your comments. I trust you both will be blessed and encouraged this coming week by our Lord and stay safe. In His mighty service - Abednego+2