Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house. –Proverbs 24:27, KJV
Prepare your work outside; get everything ready for yourself in the field, and after that build your house. –Proverbs 24:27, ESV
Are you a member of your church?
Do you even attend a church?
If you do not have a legitimate physical reason for not going, why? (Disabilities or a work schedule can be good reasons.)
Not liking the decorations or the music are not good reasons (unless, maybe, because the music is theologically horrible! That usually happens in churches teaching the same fluff.)
If you claim that you are not being fed, there is good reason to believe that – sorry to be the bearer of bad news – you are the problem.
If you find yourself saying things like “The message just doesn’t resonate with me” (unless it is for the reason mentioned earlier) or “I have not found something to plug in to,” this is not good enough.
Perhaps the issue is that you keep looking for all of your needs to be met. That is not the purpose of Church.
Church is not all about you.
Maybe you need to start meeting the needs of others, start a Bible study (and, based on your approach thus far, ask a pastor, elder, or someone who is spiritually mature to help), or start asking your pastor questions about the lessons and messages.
If you refuse to actively work the ground of your faith, you may never “feel it” in any church – at least not for long. The most surefire way to “feel it” is to build up the church, to make those around you better by pointing them to Christ.
Then you will find that you have also been building up your house for worship.
Church is not about you. It is about letting Christ use you for His Church, to work the field of souls and build up His Temple of saints.
September 9th, 2018 at 5:57 pm
Amen!