“I’m Too Good to Worship With Hypocrites”

“According to a March 2024 Gallup poll, 30% of US adults regularly attend religious services, with 21% attending every week and 9% attending almost every week. Another 11% attend about once a month, 25% seldom attend, and 31% never attend” (Google). Where are the other 70%? They are most likely attending St. Mattress, that is, sleeping in on Sunday.

Various excuses have been offered by those who do not attend worship services. Some are good reasons, such as, sickness, death, disability, old age, disasters, accidents, had to work, the cat ate the canary, the dog ran away, car broke down, the toilet overflowed after a toddler tried to flush a barbie leg, two Hotwheel cars, dirty sock and dad’s tooth brush or anything else that might be beyond your control or unavoidable is a reason for non-attendance. Some explanations for non-attendance are not good reasons but often just poor excuses.

■ Too Tired

Someone wisely pointed out “The greatest task of the church is to get sinners into heaven and saints out of bed.” I once knew a young man in the Air Force who started to attend and placed membership. But he soon was missing. Three times I visited him and heard his excuses when I finally had to ask what his real reason was. He admitted “Well, Dan. I’m just too lazy to get out of bed in the morning.”

Others claim they are too tired to come to church when they are never too tired to work all day and then go to a Friday night ball game till late at night. Perhaps if Christians utilized their Saturday night’s better, they would not be too tired on Sunday? Saturdays are not just to be play days but preparation of the Lord’s Day. Remember, heaven is a prepared place for a prepared people.

The tired need to remember Jesus’ invitation: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28).

■ Too Busy

Think about it; every person has 24 hours per day; 168 hours per week. How many hours are you giving to God? If you attend all the services, you are giving only about four hours a week.

People find time based on their priorities. Parents find time to get their children to school and to after school and weekend activities. If your priority is to seek the kingdom of God first (Matt. 6:33), you will make time by scheduling your week around church services instead of squeezing a worship service if you can into your schedule. Do not get so busy in this life you miss out on heaven. No one will be so busy they cannot attend Judgment Day. “And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment” (Heb. 9:27).

■ Too Far

When King Jeroboam set up calf worship centers at Dan and Bethel, he gave people the excuse that it was too far from them to go up to Jerusalem to worship at the proper place and the proper time (1 Kings 12:28). Some Christians have to drive up to 100 miles one way just to meet with the saints. Paul indicated that nothing is too hard or too far for a faithful Christian who loves God. “For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Rom. 8:38,39). Going to worship is not a matter of how far one lives from the church building but how close they live to God.

■ Too Many Hypocrites

“I cannot go to worship because of all the hypocrites at Church.” Really, hypocrites do not keep these same people from going to work, engaging in business at the bank, voting, eating at restaurants, seeking medical care or getting married. All of these situations will often involve hypocrites. To avoid hypocrites, one would have to leave the planet. Just how is a person better than a hypocrite by not worshiping God? Is it not better to put up with a few hypocrites in the church for a little time than to dwell with all hypocrites, forever? To those who complain they cannot attend because there are too many hypocrites I say, “Come on down to church, because we always have room for at least one more hypocrite.”

■ Too Offended

If someone has offended you at the church, does Jesus want you to stop coming to worship Him? NO! He wants you to go to the offender and work things out not run away and hide (Mt. 18:15-18). Jesus taught us to forgive one another not avoid each other. He taught His disciples to pray, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Mt. 6:12). Consider this; by not attending you are offending God who sent His Son to die for you. How ungrateful!

■ Don’t like the Preacher or Preaching

Why? Is he not preaching the truth or is he failing to scratch your itching hears (2 Tim. 2:24). We don’t come to worship him, but God.

■ Bad Weather

In Texas if you see a snowflake or think you see a snowflake it is cause to shut down the state and call off school or church. So, ask yourself: Does the same bad weather keep me from going other places? I have seen photos of Filipino brethren siting a church building where the water was knee deep singing their hearts out to the Lord and there was not an empty seat to be found.

■ Company Came

I will never forget the time company showed up for a visit one Sunday. It was so exciting because these were some of my favorite relatives. But when it came time for Sunday evening worship services, Dad had us go get ready to worship God. He told the company they were welcome to come to church with us or stay at the house and wait for our return. Did dad fail to love his relatives? Not at all! He remembered Jesus saying, “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me” (Matt. 10:37).

It is good to serve company, but better to serve Christ (Lk. 10:38-42). Choose that which is better. A message was left on a mom’s answering machine. It said, “Mother do not to go to church services this morning, we are coming for a visit.” But her mother went right on to the Bible Study and worshipped anyway. The daughter was furious when she arrived, and no one was home to meet her. She scolded her mother, “I called you and told you that I was coming, and you went on to church anyway”. The mother replied, “I’m sorry dear, but the Lord had already called.”

■ Sickness

Sometimes being sick is a good reason. However, why does a family of eight all have to stay home because one person is sick in the family. How is it that aspirin works on headaches Monday through Saturday but fails to provide any relief on Sunday? Why is it that some are sick most Sundays and healthy throughout the week. Could it be they are suffering from “Sunday morningitis”. It is nothing uncommon to never miss a day at work or to have a perfect attendance record at school or civic club meeting. But why is it so rare to hear of someone having perfect attendance at church. If you are really sick, please stay home. If you are using sickness as an excuse, you better come and work on your spiritual health.

■ One Can Worship God At Home

Some will argue: “I can get the spiritual food I need at home by reading my Bible and praying and singing God’s praises.” Christians are commanded to assemble (Heb. 10:25). Acts 4:31 indicates there was an assembly in which preaching and praying were engaged in. We cannot sing to one another or pray for one another or partake of the Lord’s supper with one another or give with one another on the first day of the week unless we are one with another. Yes, there is individual worship of God, there is also corporate worship of God with two or more. But these cannot take the place of congregational worship which God has commanded (1 Cor. 11:17f; 16:1-2; Acts 20:7; 2:42; etc.).

As you can see there are a few reasons not to attend, but there are no good excuses. Christians can make all the excuses they want, but this doesn’t mean God is going to excuse them.

One Sunday morning we had a tire blow out on the way to church. I pulled over into a parking lot. Told my wife to take our daughter and use the phone booth to call a church member to pick up an elderly lady we brought to church every week. My son and I quickly changed the tire. Everyone got to church on time. We only had one minute till worship started, but we made it in time. The person who really desires to do something will find a way – others will find excuses.

– Daniel R. Vess