Dan Londeree

You just read the headline. So, I’m guessing you’re ready for the guilt trip. You might be thinking, “Oh, great … a pastor has written a post about how everyone needs to be in church every single Sunday.”

I promise that’s not where I’m going with this. Not at all. In fact, if you don’t already know my thoughts about my job as it relates to church attendance, I’ll lay them out here. God has not called me to stand up (or write a post) and attempt to guilt people into coming to a worship service. He has called me to plan services that are biblical and meaningful. He has called me to preach the truth of the Bible in a way that accurately interprets the Scriptures and helps people apply those truths to their lives. He has called me to inspire others to trust in Christ and grow in their faith. He has called me to train Christians for the work of ministry. But he has definitely not called me to harp on church attendance. I don’t want anyone to feel like they have to come to a worship service. I want people to want to come. If I’m doing what I’m called to do, then I believe people will want to come. I trust God to do His work in their hearts and draw them here. He’s a much better motivator then I ever will be.

This article isn’t about attendance. It’s about focus. On Easter Sunday, we were all focused on Christ being risen from the dead. Even before we arrived at our places of worship, we were thinking about the power of his resurrection. At our church, as the morning unfolded it was evident that no challenge was going to derail us. We were too focused on God’s truth and grace to allow that to happen. We trusted in Him to work, and that’s exactly what He did. He gave us an amazing morning!

Now it’s time for me to ask the question: what if every Sunday was like Easter? What if we were this focused on the power of his resurrection every single Sunday? What if we really lived in light of the truth that the Spirit who raised Christ from the dead lives in us? What if we simply did what we knew He wanted us to do, and left everything else up to Him? I believe if we did this every Sunday, our ministries would grow exponentially. And I don’t just mean numerical growth, but spiritual growth as well. Because if we did this, Sunday wouldn’t just be an event. It would be a springboard of faith for the rest of the week.

I know we believers can do this. We can focus on the power of Christ’s resurrection every single week. Why am I so confident? Because this isn’t about adding anything to a checklist. It’s not about a program with rules and tasks. It’s about surrendering ourselves to God and trusting in the power of His grace. Let’s go on this journey together and watch God do more than we could ever dream.

If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you. (Romans 8:11)