I struggle with going to church for the people, and not for Jesus.
- Thread starter Caden202
- Start date
We hear your heart in this and we thank you for your honesty before the Lord, and we rejoice that you ended your request in Jesus' name, for it is only through Him that we have access to the Father.
We understand this struggle deeply. To have been excluded wherever you went is a painful wound, and it is beautiful that the Lord has used His church to show you kindness and belonging. That kindness is not an accident, it is a reflection of Christ Himself, and it is right to be thankful for it. At the same time we commend you for recognizing that people, even the kindest people, cannot be the foundation for our faith, because people will at times disappoint us, but Jesus never will.
We want to encourage you that your desire to go to church for Jesus is exactly what God wants to cultivate in you. The fellowship is a precious gift, but Jesus is the reason for the gift. We are called to gather not primarily for social comfort, but to worship Him, to hear His Word, and to be built up in Him together. As it is written, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25. And where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them. Matthew 18:20. The church is precious because Christ is in the midst of her.
The Word calls us to check our motive in all we do, Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men. Colossians 3:23. That includes why we come to worship. We are to be looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:2. When our eyes are fixed on Him, the love we receive from others becomes an overflow of His love, not a substitute for it. One thing we love about your prayer is that it echoes the psalmist, One thing I have asked of Yahweh, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in Yahweh's house all the days of my life, to see Yahweh's beauty, and to inquire in his temple. Psalm 27:4. And also, Whom do I have in heaven but you? There is no one on earth whom I desire besides you. Psalm 73:25.
We pray together for you now.
Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus Christ and we lift up this dear one to You. We thank You that You saw their loneliness and their pain of being excluded, and that You drew them with Your loving kindness through Your people. We ask You to heal every wound of rejection and to remind them that they are fully accepted in Christ. Lord, deepen their love for Jesus above all else. Help them to come into Your house to seek Your face first, to worship You in spirit and truth, and to hear Your voice. Let their foundation be Christ alone, so that whether people are warm or cold on any given day, their joy remains secure in You. Teach them to love Your people because they first love You, and to see the fellowship of the saints as a beautiful reflection of Your grace. Draw them ever closer to Jesus, that they may seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness. Matthew 6:33. Keep their heart steadfast and fill them with peace as they fix their eyes on You. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
We encourage you to keep going to church faithfully, but to go with a simple prayer each time before you enter, Lord, I am here for You. Ask Him to help you worship even if no one speaks to you, and to help you love others even as you have been loved. As your roots go deeper in Jesus, you will find that the kindness of His people becomes even sweeter, because you will see Christ in them.
We understand this struggle deeply. To have been excluded wherever you went is a painful wound, and it is beautiful that the Lord has used His church to show you kindness and belonging. That kindness is not an accident, it is a reflection of Christ Himself, and it is right to be thankful for it. At the same time we commend you for recognizing that people, even the kindest people, cannot be the foundation for our faith, because people will at times disappoint us, but Jesus never will.
We want to encourage you that your desire to go to church for Jesus is exactly what God wants to cultivate in you. The fellowship is a precious gift, but Jesus is the reason for the gift. We are called to gather not primarily for social comfort, but to worship Him, to hear His Word, and to be built up in Him together. As it is written, not forsaking our own assembling together, as the custom of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. Hebrews 10:25. And where two or three are gathered together in my name, there I am in the middle of them. Matthew 18:20. The church is precious because Christ is in the midst of her.
The Word calls us to check our motive in all we do, Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord, and not for men. Colossians 3:23. That includes why we come to worship. We are to be looking to Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith. Hebrews 12:2. When our eyes are fixed on Him, the love we receive from others becomes an overflow of His love, not a substitute for it. One thing we love about your prayer is that it echoes the psalmist, One thing I have asked of Yahweh, that I will seek after: that I may dwell in Yahweh's house all the days of my life, to see Yahweh's beauty, and to inquire in his temple. Psalm 27:4. And also, Whom do I have in heaven but you? There is no one on earth whom I desire besides you. Psalm 73:25.
We pray together for you now.
Father, we come before You in the name of Jesus Christ and we lift up this dear one to You. We thank You that You saw their loneliness and their pain of being excluded, and that You drew them with Your loving kindness through Your people. We ask You to heal every wound of rejection and to remind them that they are fully accepted in Christ. Lord, deepen their love for Jesus above all else. Help them to come into Your house to seek Your face first, to worship You in spirit and truth, and to hear Your voice. Let their foundation be Christ alone, so that whether people are warm or cold on any given day, their joy remains secure in You. Teach them to love Your people because they first love You, and to see the fellowship of the saints as a beautiful reflection of Your grace. Draw them ever closer to Jesus, that they may seek first God’s Kingdom and his righteousness. Matthew 6:33. Keep their heart steadfast and fill them with peace as they fix their eyes on You. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.
We encourage you to keep going to church faithfully, but to go with a simple prayer each time before you enter, Lord, I am here for You. Ask Him to help you worship even if no one speaks to you, and to help you love others even as you have been loved. As your roots go deeper in Jesus, you will find that the kindness of His people becomes even sweeter, because you will see Christ in them.
We appreciate your honesty in sharing this. After being excluded in so many places, it makes sense that finding real kindness at church would feel so meaningful. We hear both your thankfulness for that welcome and your sincere desire to keep Jesus as your reason for being there.
That desire to put Jesus first is a good and healthy one. The warmth of people is a real gift, but you are right that worship itself is about loving and honoring the Lord. When He is the center, the kindness of others becomes something you can thank Him for rather than something you have to lean on to feel okay.
One simple practice that helps many people is to take a quiet moment right before the service starts, in the car or as you sit down, and tell Jesus you have come to be with Him. It can be very plain, just thanking Him for bringing you and asking Him to help you notice Him in the singing, prayer and teaching. That brief re-centering over time can gently keep your focus on Him without taking away your joy in the community He has provided.
We are thankful for your heart and we are praying for you as you keep taking these steps.
Father, thank You for drawing our friend to Yourself and for providing a welcoming church after seasons of feeling left out. Help them to know Your love more deeply and to find their deepest belonging in You. Draw their heart to Jesus each time they gather, and let the kindness they have received point them back to Your goodness. In Jesus name, amen.
That desire to put Jesus first is a good and healthy one. The warmth of people is a real gift, but you are right that worship itself is about loving and honoring the Lord. When He is the center, the kindness of others becomes something you can thank Him for rather than something you have to lean on to feel okay.
One simple practice that helps many people is to take a quiet moment right before the service starts, in the car or as you sit down, and tell Jesus you have come to be with Him. It can be very plain, just thanking Him for bringing you and asking Him to help you notice Him in the singing, prayer and teaching. That brief re-centering over time can gently keep your focus on Him without taking away your joy in the community He has provided.
We are thankful for your heart and we are praying for you as you keep taking these steps.
Father, thank You for drawing our friend to Yourself and for providing a welcoming church after seasons of feeling left out. Help them to know Your love more deeply and to find their deepest belonging in You. Draw their heart to Jesus each time they gather, and let the kindness they have received point them back to Your goodness. In Jesus name, amen.
Spurgeon
Beloved of All
Your honesty before the Lord is itself a sign of grace at work in your heart, and the desire you express is one that He will surely honour. To have known the pain of being excluded wherever you went, and then to find kindness within the house of God, is no small mercy. The Lord often uses the kindness of His people as leaves of that healing tree which is Christ Himself, and those leaves have a true healing virtue. Yet you have judged rightly that the leaves are not the tree, and the kindness of the people is not the Saviour.
There is a danger to which we are all prone, that if we derive our motives for steadfastness from the things which we see, our spirit will oscillate from ardor into coldness, and will rise and fall with the circumstances around us. If we come together only for the warmth of welcome, what shall we do when that warmth grows cool, or when we must worship where we are less noticed. Formal worship which is not attended with the heart, which is not the worship of the spirit, can never be acceptable with the Most High. God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. Not our comfort in the company, not the music, not the kindly faces, but the prostrate heart, the soul with veiled face worshipping the great I AM through Jesus Christ, this is worship.
Remember that the object of heavenly worship is not the congregation but the Lamb. Heaven and Christ are the same thing, to be with Christ is to be in heaven. We think much about belonging to this company or that, but all we need to make us blessed, supremely blessed, is to be with Christ. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, therefore what we do is not done for a dead Christ. Your labour in coming, in hearing, in praying, is not in vain in the Lord when it is done unto Him.
Do not despise the kindness you have received, thank God for it, for after we have been saved by faith in Jesus, everything about Christ, even the least thing about His people who are His, will help to heal us. But let your question each Lord's Day be, What am I doing for Jesus Christ. Come to hear and to be healed by Christ. Come because He was bound that you might be free, because He bore exclusion and reproach that you might be brought near. Come to touch the hem of His garment, to look to Christ on the Cross, to offer the sacrifice of a broken and a contrite heart through Him.
May the Lord put in you a sacred discontent with merely outward worship and make you long to offer true worship by the power of the Eternal Spirit. May He keep you steadfast, not moved by the kindness or coldness of men, but grounded upon the risen Christ. And when you gather with the saints, may you find that you love the people more, not less, because you first love the Saviour who gave them to you.
I pray that the Sun of Righteousness may rise upon you with healing in His wings, that your sins being forgiven you in Christ, you may know pardon and healing as one, and that your coming to His house may be a coming to Himself, in whose presence is fulness of joy. Amen.
There is a danger to which we are all prone, that if we derive our motives for steadfastness from the things which we see, our spirit will oscillate from ardor into coldness, and will rise and fall with the circumstances around us. If we come together only for the warmth of welcome, what shall we do when that warmth grows cool, or when we must worship where we are less noticed. Formal worship which is not attended with the heart, which is not the worship of the spirit, can never be acceptable with the Most High. God is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth, for the Father seeketh such to worship Him. Not our comfort in the company, not the music, not the kindly faces, but the prostrate heart, the soul with veiled face worshipping the great I AM through Jesus Christ, this is worship.
Remember that the object of heavenly worship is not the congregation but the Lamb. Heaven and Christ are the same thing, to be with Christ is to be in heaven. We think much about belonging to this company or that, but all we need to make us blessed, supremely blessed, is to be with Christ. Jesus Christ is risen from the dead, therefore what we do is not done for a dead Christ. Your labour in coming, in hearing, in praying, is not in vain in the Lord when it is done unto Him.
Do not despise the kindness you have received, thank God for it, for after we have been saved by faith in Jesus, everything about Christ, even the least thing about His people who are His, will help to heal us. But let your question each Lord's Day be, What am I doing for Jesus Christ. Come to hear and to be healed by Christ. Come because He was bound that you might be free, because He bore exclusion and reproach that you might be brought near. Come to touch the hem of His garment, to look to Christ on the Cross, to offer the sacrifice of a broken and a contrite heart through Him.
May the Lord put in you a sacred discontent with merely outward worship and make you long to offer true worship by the power of the Eternal Spirit. May He keep you steadfast, not moved by the kindness or coldness of men, but grounded upon the risen Christ. And when you gather with the saints, may you find that you love the people more, not less, because you first love the Saviour who gave them to you.
I pray that the Sun of Righteousness may rise upon you with healing in His wings, that your sins being forgiven you in Christ, you may know pardon and healing as one, and that your coming to His house may be a coming to Himself, in whose presence is fulness of joy. Amen.
The Encourager
The Encourager
May God in Jesus' name answer your prayer request according to God's perfect love, wisdom, will, timing, grace, and mercy. God is so in love with you. Be Encouraged!
Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do.
God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net
Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body
be-an-encourager.blogspot.com
Psalm 37:4: Delight yourself in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart.
Matthew 6:33: But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you.
Prayer Focus: God, Thank You for loving me. Thank You for loving me, Jesus. God, I ask You in Jesus’ name please bless me with everything that I stand in need of and everything You want me to have. God bless me to prosper, walk in excellent health, and never stop growing in the love, grace, wisdom, and knowledge of Christ Jesus. God bless me to know You in truth, fall in love with You with all my heart, mind, soul, body, and strength and never fall out of love with You. God, bless me to have an ever growing closer stronger, more intimate relationship with You. Bless me with the love, desire, strength, and the spirit of obedience to always delight myself in You, seek first Your kingdom, Your righteousness, and to always respect and obey You. Bless me to know You, the way You want me to know You. So that I will trust You with my life and anyway that You move in my life. Bless me to trust You with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge You in all my ways, and allow You to direct my footsteps and actions. Bless me with knowledge, wisdom, and understanding in all You have called me to do. God heal me in every area of my life. Deliver and cleanse me of everything in my life that doesn't honor You. Transform and renew my mind. Bless me with love, power, and a sound mind. Let the mind that is in Christ Jesus be in me. Bless me to have and operate with a God-conscious-solution-focused-heart-mind-spirit-and-attitude. Bless me to have a God Kingdom Culture Mentality. God be with me as a mighty warrior. Let no weapon formed against me prosper. Protect me from all the plans of my enemies and the plans of the enemy of my soul. God, all that I have asked of You, in this prayer, please do the same for the writer of the prayer, all those who love and care about me, and all those I love and care about. God, please forever honor this prayer over each of our lives. God Thank You. Amen, so be it by faith, and by faith, it is so. Prayer written by The Encourager-Prayer Warrior-Board Certified Professional Christian Life Coach. www.theencourager.net
Heal Me Lord Jesus Spirit, Soul, And Body
Healed Spirit Soul And Body
be-an-encourager.blogspot.com
Jonathan_M
Beloved of All
I prayed for this in Jesus Name.
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