I don’t go to church very often

What do you think if someone tells you they are Christian, but “I don’t go to church very often.”

This happened to me May 11, 2005 which proved to be life changing and it happened again just now. This makes me think.

When that guy said that, I was leading a Christian non-profit in China. He was interviewing to get a job for our non-profit. I asked him why he did not go to church, and he said, “People at church are not real. I cannot bear the fake.” I said “me too” and a friendship began that still endures. We worked together then and in my company these past 13 years.

What was special about Paul Wang?

A Taiwanese pastor reached him and baptized him in the Pacific Ocean. The pastor reached Paul when he shared the story of the prodigal son and opened up clearly the truth of the Father’s love.

But he belonged to a group of game playing, carousing, drinking, fighting guys. When he joined the local church, they were all nice and pretty on Sunday, but beat their kids on Monday. It turned him away. His carousing gang were real. Wow, God is real too. What is wrong with the church? Why can we come to meet and be real?

Don’t Go to Church Very Often Might have Good Reasons

We all come to church and are trying to be good actually. We are reminded that the triune God wants us a certain way. So, our heart is good, but our behavior in our meetings may not show our real. See also “Is Your Church Meeting Mutual?”

How can we bring the pieces of who we are are together and bring them to fellowship and be real about our gaps and greatness? Will our church accept? Yes, they can with some adjustment I think, but many church people cannot change from faking though they may not realize.

Let’s resolve to find more ways to be open in right contexts. Then people like Paul will not be driven off by us. More importantly, I think God will smile too as he wants us to be sincere.