When Church Feels Like a Chore

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A spoken word video goes viral, and suddenly

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millions are nodding along. In 2012, Jefferson Bethke became

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famous almost overnight when his video, Why I Hate Religion, But

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Love Jesus, exploded on YouTube. It resonated with people who

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felt disillusioned with institutional Christianity, the

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hypocrisy, the performance, the rules without relationship.

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himself was frustrated with a church culture that seemed more

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about appearance than authenticity. He gave voice to

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what so many were feeling. Maybe the church was the problem. When

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you've been hurt, disappointed, or just bored by organized

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religion, why would anyone bother staying connected to a

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local church?

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Welcome to Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. I'm Bart Leger, and

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today we're talking about something many Christians

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quietly wrestle with, when church feels like a chore.

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Hebrews 10, verses 24 and 25 says, Let us think of ways to

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motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us

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not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage

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one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing

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near. Notice the command isn't attend a service. It's don't

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neglect meeting together. And the purpose isn't just to check

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a religious box. It's to motivate one another, to

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encourage one another, and to stir one another up to love and

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good works. Church was never meant to be a spectator sport.

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It was meant to be a family. But let's be honest, families are

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messy. And so is church. Maybe you've been hurt by someone in

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leadership. Maybe you've experienced gossip, judgment, or

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hypocrisy in a congregation. Maybe you've shown up week after

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week and felt invisible. Maybe you're just tired, tired of

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programs, tired of performance, and tired of pretending

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everything's fine when it's not. Those feelings are real, and

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they're more common than you might think. But here's the

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tension. The answer to disappointment with the church

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isn't to abandon the church. It's to find your place in messy,

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grace-filled community anyway. Why? Because that's exactly what

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Jesus designed. The church isn't a museum for saints. It's a

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hospital for sinners. It's a collection of broken people who

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are being put back together by the same grace. And if you wait

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for a perfect church, you'll never find one, because the

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moment you join, it won't be perfect anymore. The writer of

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Hebrews knew people would be tempted to drift. That's why he

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says don't neglect our meeting together, as some people do.

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This wasn't written for people who loved every Sunday. It was

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written for people who attempted to quit. And the reason he gives

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is significant, especially now that the day of his return is

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drawing near. In other words, the closer we get to the end,

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the more we need each other. You weren't meant to walk this road

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of life alone. There's something that happens in community that

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can't happen in isolation. As the Bible says, iron sharpens

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iron. Burdens get shared and blind spots get exposed. You

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learn to forgive and you learn to be forgiven. You're reminded

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that you're not the only one who's struggling. And you get to

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be the hands and feet of Jesus to someone else who's barely

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hanging on. In the years since that viral video, Jefferson

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shifted his message. He realized that rejecting the church

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entirely wasn't the answer. In his book, It's Not What You

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Think, he describes learning to love the messy, imperfect

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community of Christ followers, because that's exactly what

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Jesus designed. He said the church isn't supposed to be a

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collection of perfect people. It's a hospital for the broken,

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and you can't heal alone. Disillusionment is common, but

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disconnection isn't the solution. Finding your place in messy,

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grace-filled community is. Maybe you've stepped back from church

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for a while. Maybe you've been hurt and you're not sure you can

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trust again. Maybe you've just gotten busy and drifted away

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without even realizing it. Here's my encouragement. Don't

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give up on the body of Christ. Give it another chance. Find a

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community where the gospel is preached, where grace is real,

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and where imperfect people are learning how to love one another.

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It won't be perfect, but it might be exactly what you need.

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Here's today's challenge. If you've drifted from community,

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just take one step back this week. Maybe it's attending a

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service. Maybe it's joining a small group. It might be

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reaching out to one person from your church and saying, I've

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been struggling to stay connected. And if you're already

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connected, think of one person who might be drifting and reach

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out to encourage them. That's what Hebrews 10 is all about,

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motivating one another toward love and good works. Lord, we

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confess that church hasn't always been easy. Some of us

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have been hurt. Some of us have grown cynical. Some of us have

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just drifted away. Forgive us for the times we've given up on

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your body instead of leaning into it. Help us to find our

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place in messy, grace-filled community. Teach us to encourage

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one another and be encouraged. Remind us that we need each

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other, especially now. In Jesus' name, amen. If this podcast has

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been an encouragement to you, would you consider becoming a

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monthly supporter or maybe just a one-time gift? Your generosity

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helps keep these daily devotions coming. You can give at

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dailydevotionsforbusylives.com support. Thank you for

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partnering with me in this ministry. And thanks for joining

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me today on Daily Devotions for Busy Lives. Remember, God

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designed you for community. Imperfect Christ followers

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sharpening and encouraging one another. Come back next time for

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more encouragement to help you live grounded in God's truth.

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Until then, God bless and have a great day.