There are different postures we can take when we go to church. Yes, I know some will say, “We don’t go to church; we are the Church.” While I understand the sentiment that we want to be a people who live in Christian community and not merely check “church” off a list of things to do each week, “church” comes from the word ekklesia, which literally means “the called-out ones” and also was a word used for “gathering.” We gather with the called-out ones, and we should keep doing so, “not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing” (Hebrews 10:25). So, yeah, we do go to church.
The posture we assume when attending church is important and impacts our attitude and how we respond to God, receive from Him, and relate to others around us. I am not the only one to observe three common postures people assume when they attend church: critic, consumer, and contributor.
1. A critic shows up to evaluate church.
One day religious leaders gathered around Jesus and filled Peter’s house, so much so that four guys who wanted to get a paralyzed man to Jesus had to unroof the roof and lower him on a mat. Instead of desiring the man to be healed or to enjoy the work of God, the critics evaluated Jesus and judged His words (Mark 2:1-12). A person with a critical spirit at church fails to enjoy Jesus and His work because they are preoccupied with evaluating everything.
2. A consumer comes to church to receive.
There have been a fair share of people preaching sermons bashing church consumers by saying, “All you do is show up to get, to take, and to ask what is in it for you.” But we should be consumers. I want to consume His grace, feast on His Word, and receive supernatural encouragement from the people of God. I need to consume when I gather with God’s people. If you are exhausted from the world, come and rest as the Word of Jesus is spoken. If you realize you are empty because nothing in this world will satisfy, come to the waters.
3. A contributor comes to church to serve.
While we should consume and enjoy His grace applied to our lives through other people and through the Scripture, we don’t want to only consume. We should use the gifts God has given us to serve others. When we attend church, we should encourage others with our words, our worship, and our hunger for the Word. We should look for people to express kindness to, people to be hospitable toward, and people to care for and pray for.
Critic, consumer, contributor. Only one of those is unhealthy for you and unhelpful for the church. Consume and contribute, but push down the inner critic within that has the tendency to rise up. All of us have some version of the inner critic, and we miss so much if we let the critic within us run our experience at church.
