Stop Going to Church

With many of the quarantine restrictions beginning to lift, a lot of us are going places. We’re going to the movies, going to the beach, even going on vacation. We like going places, don’t we? You might even, on occasion, like going to church.

What if I told you to stop doing that? That’s right; I want you to stop going to church. I don’t want you to stop going to the grocery store or to work. Stop going to church.

For some of you, those might be the sweetest words you’ve ever heard a pastor say. I mean, now you have your Sundays free to go more places, right?

Well, before you get too excited, let me help you understand what I mean. Going to church is not something you do, like going to Disneyland, the park, or your kid’s soccer game. And don’t get me wrong, those are great places to go.

But I want you to stop having that mentality when it comes to church. Instead of church being an attraction you attend, a place you go, or a spot to visit, I want it to be part of your identity.

Instead of going to church, you need to be planted in the church. Planting yourself in a local church is a key to success. I didn’t say it; God did.

Here’s why you should stop going to church and instead be planted in a church.

1. God says when you’re planted in his house, you will flourish.

Do you know what the word flourish means? It means to be in one’s prime. It’s the height of thriving.

The Bible says in Psalm 92:12-13 that “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar… Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God.”

A seed that’s not planted is dead, and it never reaches its full potential. You cannot flourish if you’re not planted.

2. God says when you’re planted in his house, you will be fruitful.

Did you know that a seed that’s not planted never grows any fruit? I know, crazy, right? It’s impossible. The same goes for you.

If you’re not planted, you never grow, and you can’t produce fruit.

Psalm 92:12-15 says, “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, they will grow like a cedar… Planted in the house of the Lord, they will flourish in the courts of our God. They will still bear fruit in old age, they will stay fresh and green.”

What would happen in a garden if you only placed a seed in the ground once every four to six weeks for sixty minutes? It will never grow. The seed MUST be planted.

Sadly, that’s how people are treating church. According to a recent study, more and more people are going to church once every four to six weeks. And some not at all.

Your life is a seed. It must be planted in the house of the Lord so that your roots can go down deep, and you can flourish and reach your full potential.

3. God says when you’re planted in his house, trouble won’t bother you.

Jeremiah 17:8 says, “They are like trees planted along a riverbank, with roots that reach deep into the water. Such trees are not bothered by the heat or worried by long months of drought. Their leaves stay green, and they never stop producing fruit.”

Did you catch that? When you’re planted in God’s house, your roots go down deep. So deep that when life gets a little hot and a little dry, you’re not worried. Do you know why? Because you’re connected to the source, Jesus and his family… the church.

It’s time to stop going to church, and it’s time to be planted.