A means to an end

I read something this morning that got me thinking. And when I combined what I read with some conversations that I've had over the past few days I thought I'd jot down a few thoughts (mainly to just remind myself).

For some reason or another we've made "going to church" an end in and of itself. Now we don't say that outright, but it's implied. We think that if we go to church then we've done our religious duty and we're good to go. Being a Christian then becomes more about where we sit on Sunday morning than anything else.

The only problem with that way of thinking is that it's nowhere in the Bible. I think it's our way of doing the minimum, but we're the ones that came up with the minimum. Another problem that flows from this thinking is the idea that one church is better than another church... the whole competition thing... but I won't get into that now.

Being a part of a worship gathering/service is important. But it's not the end. It's the means to an end. So, what's the end?

The end is a life of discipleship where we are hearing from God more and more and growing in obedience by doing what he says. You cannot be a disciple if you just go sit through a church service for one hour a week. It can help you grow, but it's not the end.