-A Distracted Church is Satan's Favorite Playground-
"Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me" (Matthew 15:7-8).
Jesus called people hypocrites back in the day who came into His presence mouthing words of praise, but whose minds and hearts were preoccupied. Preoccupation and distractions are still prevelant today, albeit in a worse way, as people are primarily pulled away by digital devices. You've seen it I'm sure of it. Just the other day as a national televised baseball game aired, several fans could be seen texting on their phones rather than watching a currently active game. You've seen drivers behind the wheel of their cars doing the same. Or even yourselves sitting across from a friend in a restaurant who excuse themselves to answer a call, then remains on the phone for the next 20 minutes while you sit there basically feeling alone. And now, unfortunately, the same distractions have moved into the churches! We have become a culture of instant gratification that pulls attention in multiple directions every minute of the day!
A Distracted Church is Satan's Favorite Playground. Isaiah 29:13 basically says, 'You give Me your mouth and your lips but your mind is somewhere else. Your heart is far from Me.' What about you? Most likely you are present in God's house for an hour every week. So, your body is in church but where is your mind? Your mouth says, "I worship You, Lord" but is your heart a thousand miles away? Where do your thoughts take you during worship and praise? Does your mind become drawn to personal or family problems? Do you become preoccupied with a business matter that's been hounding you? How distracted do you get during that hour in church? Keep in mind that the people Jesus addressed were worshipers who had "drawn nigh unto Him." They were believers who had gathered in God's name to worship corporately. Jesus said they honored Him with their words. Maybe they even raised their hands and praised loudly. Indeed, what He describes sounds like great, forceful worship. If they were distracted in thought, then their worship was hypocritical; worthless! Their bodies may have been in the sanctuary but their hearts could have been anywhere else in creation.
Would you dare walk into church on Sunday morning carrying a straw dummy, set it down in your favorite seat, then go home and watch TV? Preposterous, you say? A mockery? If your heart is not engaged in worship, if your mind is not present, your thoughts not captive to the obedience of Christ, you might as well put a straw man in your seat. At least it's more honest than coming into God's house with no mind and heart! We are told to worship God in spirit and in truth. Christians are now in such a hurry they don't even want to get out of their cars. Some churches offer drive-in worship, where people can roll down their windows and listen to a service through a speaker. Other Christians don't even get out of bed to go to church! How will these people stand before the judgment seat of Christ and answer His command: "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25). There are literally millions of so-called Christians that gather for an hour every Sunday morning for what is called "worship service." Thousands of choir voices sing praises to God with instruments blaring, soloists singing, songbooks flipping open, congregants praising. Yet, much of this so-called worship never gets past the rafters! Instead, it falls flat on the ground, unheard, unaccepted, a total loss. Why? It's because people's minds are on football games, sports, television, THEIR PHONES! Wives fret about their Sunday roast. Their lips and mouths speak praises but their hearts are far from Jesus! I'm just being honest.
God does not accept weak, boring, halfhearted worship! And the reason many Christians do not worship in church with power, excitement and zeal is because they have no intimacy with Jesus at home. Does God bless and honor those who merely show up in His house? Not if we've left our mind somewhere else! We don't get "spiritual credit" just for planting our body in a pew. Our bodily presence is of no value if we show up drowsy, distracted, half asleep, etc. It's as if we expect God to hear prayers we don't even hear as we pray them! We want Him to accept worship we don't even remember offering. Why are we so distracted in worship and prayer? Let me give you some reasons:
1. We Fail to Bring Every Thought Captive to the Obedience of Christ! (2 Corinthians 10:5). The flesh constantly wars against our spirit. Our wandering thoughts aren't always of the devil. Sometimes they simply crowd in on us: thoughts of business, family, problems, difficulties. But they must always be brought into captivity — because we are at war!
2. There Are Satanic Distractions! Satan will resist every true worshiper who draws near to God! James instructs: "...Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Draw nigh to God..." (James 4:7-8). Satan's chief work is to hinder prayer and corrupt pure worship, especially in those who are serious about following Jesus.
3. Finally, I Want to Talk About Those Who Have Gone Beyond Distraction to a Condition of Total Neglect Of the Lord! "Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? yet my people have forgotten me days without number" (Jeremiah 2:32).
Oh, how this last passage frightens me! It always drives me back to the secret place, crying, "Oh Lord, I don't want to forget You!" That last point and verse is even more frightening when we consider the context of the passage. God is saying to His people, "I planted you as a noble vine, a wholly right seed. You started right, and you had My touch. You once were holiness unto Me, and I blessed you. But now you have forsaken Me! You don't worship Me anymore. You have forsaken the fountain of Living Water!"
Being honest, I had become distracted once too through social media. I had become lazy about the things of God, having forgotten all His blessings, neglecting Him for days on end, pursuing my own time, my own pleasures. I left an opening and by doing so Satan took advantage of that! I became quite ill, was hospitalized, serious enough that my organs could have quit functioning and me die. I was scared! And it was that incident, that serious condition that brought me back to prayer, and back into His presence! It was the way I WOKE UP and realized my neglect and how far I had drifted away making other things an idol by allowing distraction. And although I suffered all throughout the ordeal, I'm glad God allowed that experience. Understand!! .. He did not cause it! He "allowed" it without interference knowing that is what it would take to make me realize where I was going! Hebrews 2:3 says, "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation." The word neglect here in Greek means "carelessness." This verse speaks of those who allow the Word of God to drift from them! THAT WAS ME! If you don't worship God with all your mind and heart, little by little neglect will creep in — and you'll begin to worship merely out of habit or perhaps with a guilty attitude and minimal effort to do something.. a short 5 minutes of reading scripture, perhaps just 1 minute of prayer then right back to the phone or social media! People who really love God, WANT a relationship with Jesus without distractions interfering with time spent with Him. No one person, not even God, is asking you to give up sports, clean entertainment, your cell phone, or family time. God is directing us to LOVE GOD FIRST with no other gods before Him. How annoying and hurtful is it when you're trying to have a conversation with your spouse, teenager, or friend, and they keep cutting you off, interrupting you multiple times by answering their phone. That's what God feels like .. as if other things are more important than Him -- AND THEY ARE, Him becoming a second or even a third thought! If you are distracted and YOU KNOW you have drifted from your relationship with God, I'm encouraging and urging you to repent, turn around, and come back home. He's still waiting, still forgiving, still anxious and willing to resume the relationship. He loves you so much!
Until He Comes,
-Pat-
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