#TheaterVsChurch

You stand in line and when you get to the ticket booth, you buy your ticket and proceed to get some popcorn and maybe a drink and then continue on to find a good seat. You sit back and munch on the popcorn till the movie starts and then begin to be entertained. It may be a good movie with a good plot and some good points and you may talk about it later and suggest that others go see it. It may even have some provoking ideas that make you think. Theater was made for attending; church was made for joining.

Joining a church means that you are going to be involved in it. Attending a theater or a church means that you are there for your satisfaction and can leave and go home and not give it another thought. Being a member of a church connects you with others and it is almost impossible to go home and not give it another thought. You are a member of a family.

Involvement begins as the service begins. You sing along with the rest of the group and you listen to prayers and join in agreement with the one praying. You don't just sit there and wait to be entertained. As the message is being delivered you take notes and star verses and underline words or phrases in the Bible you brought. You are there to receive truth and apply it to your life. You are there to worship. Your involvement is vital and how seriously you get involved makes the difference in what you take home with you.

I do not know how much access the devil has into a brain, but Jesus spoke of him stealing the word after it has been heard in Mark 4:15. The unbeliever is more vulnerable than a believer because the believer has the helmet of salvation to protect his brain. Even then, a believer can doubt or not take it personally or be distracted by wandering thoughts rather than concentrating on the message. That is why taking notes is important because when you hear and write down something you need to remember, there is a better chance of calling it to mind with that double exposure. As you let your mind dwell on principles taught on Sunday, your Mondays and Tuesdays and Wednesdays and so on become the testing ground for putting truth to work.

Being a member of a church is more that having a place for a wedding or a funeral or a feel good service on Christmas or Easter. It is being a part of the family of God getting together to worship and learn and love one another.