Following the King of kings is the greatest adventure and most fulfilling life we can have on this earth. Likewise, visiting the house of the King of kings should be one of the most exciting things we ever do. Yet for far, too many going to His house, the church, can be one of the most boring things in their life. How can this be? 

         The short answer is, if our church is boring, we are going to a church the Lord does not go to. How can that be? Doesn’t the Lord inhabit His people? Yes, if we invite Him in. In Revelation 3:20, we see Jesus standing outside the door of His own church and knocking to see if any will open to Him. In this church age, Jesus will not come where He is not wanted and invited. 

         It has been said that if the Holy Spirit left most churches they would not even notice. Why? Because they do not recognize Him when He is present, nor make a place for Him. And of those who seek and desire His presence, how many are willing to allow Him to be the Head of His church?

         The Lord will bless many things He will not inhabit. For too long the emphasis of teaching in the body of Christ has been more about seeking His blessings than about seeking Him. The Lord will bless His people and any congregation seeking to gather to Him, as much as He can. However, there is a big difference between places He blesses and places He dwells. It is time to grow up and stop only seeking what we can get from Him and seek the Lord Himself. 

         This does not imply we should not seek His blessings. We need more of His blessings, but when the blessings begin to eclipse our devotion, even the blessings can become an idol. In fact, it has proven easy to make idols of the things of God, and worship them rather than Him. Some worship the temple of the Lord more than the Lord of the temple. Some worship the ministry more than the Lord. Some even worship worship more than Him. We must serve the temple of the Lord to serve Him, and we are called to be worshippers. How do we do these things without letting them steal our affections for Him?  

         We begin by not throwing away what we have. Devotion to the blessings of God, the house of God, ministry, worship, or anything else from God is good when used to seek and serve the Lord. But we must not let these become our primary affection. 

         Going to boring church services out of obedience is commendable, especially when so many have abandoned church life altogether. The answer is not to tear down what we have, but to seek the ultimate manifestation of true New Testament church life as it was designed by God to be—a true walk with God Himself, and gatherings that are to Him, not just programs or rituals about Him. 

         As the saying goes, “Any jackass can kick a barn down, but it takes a skillful carpenter to build one.” We do not want to be “faultfinders” tearing down what does not meet biblical standards. Instead, let us become builders with God of the place He wants to dwell. When the true comes, whatever is not true will become manifest and fade away.

         What could possibly be more important in this life than to be the dwelling place of God? This is what we are called to be, and this should be the greatest devotion of our life, but what does that look like? It looks like Jesus, when we start to become like Him and do the works He did. 

         What would our church services be like if we encountered Jesus in each one? What if He were the one leading the services? As we continue this theme, consider what the perfect church and perfect church life would be like. Then think about how we can get there. 

© 2021 Rick Joyner. All Right Reserved.