Is church fun?

what's happening? i know, people are getting more uninterested and luke-warm in their Christian lives. I see it everytime I go to my own church. We all see it. Don't we? It is really sad to see it happen we NEED to get back on fire!

Lindz
Isaiah 41:14

 

Amen Lindz! Amen!

 

Is church fun?

No.
I feel really out of place at church. It is mostly middle aged white couples with babies, and old people.

 

I know it would be nice if everything we had to do in life were barrels of laughs, but some things are different kinds of fun than others. Church isn't meant to be a party and, while that doesn't mean it ought to be boring, it does mean church is something we work at enjoying.

But it isn't "fun", like going to an amusement park "fun". It isn't supposed to be. That's not its purpose. For the Christian its probably closer to going to school. When you like to learn than its wonderful! If you don't care, don't have any interest in the things you are learning, than it will be extremely boring.

I had to do this for myself...I had to make myself start listening in the sermon. I didn't want to, as a child I was allowed to bring books and read during the entire sermon. That meant by the time I was a teen I didn't even know how to listen for an entire half hour, much less a full hour like the sermon where I go to church now. When I really started listening with the idea that this ought to apply to me somehow, I found that it was interesting...though sometimes all humans have a hard time staying awake.

When you fill up with the world's things during the week, than you will be all full of a different kind of entertainment by Sunday. I'm not saying everyone here has a bad attitude or anything, just that you may have let yourself get a little lazy spiritually if you find the sermon boring every single week. Don't be too quick to blame that on the pastor. That may be your own fault more than you are realizing.

 

No

 

In my opinion, if you're a christian then church would be enjoyable. I love church and always feel good when i'm in church.I also like church because it's a place where I can socialize with like-minded people. There's no substitute for being around other christians.Also church-related activities can be fun, like youth meetings for example

 

Or perhaps, the church is no longer meeting spiritual the needs of the people the way it used to. I'm lucky. The messages my pastor delivers are sufficient and interesting enough to keep me in the Word for the duration of the week, and keep me fueled until the following Sunday. By that time, I typically need refueling. But some churches I've been to have Ben Stein for a pastor, who couldn't keep a congregation interested if his life depended on it. And I'm surprised at how many pastors simply aren't equipped (be it by spiritual gift, by education, or a combination of both) to be public speakers.

 

Oh my YES, YES, YES church should without a doubt be fun. Church is simply getting together with other believers, fellowshipping, learning, reviving, praying and singing. It should be a time of being refreshed and expanding the spiritual brain cells, if you will.

I feel the pain of anyone (especially teens) who are forced to go to a boring church where not much effort is placed into making the Christian life exciting. Sure there is a time of really buckling down, listening and learning, but that doesn't and should come with the cost of making it interestingly fun. The only time I would say should be very serious is when someone is repenting or making a sinful situation right.

 

Hi...might I suggest something. My 12 yr old was saved 2 yrs ago when he was 10. Soon after the Devil really got to working on him and he soon found that church wasn't fun. I reminded him that going to church was not a suggestion from God but more like a commandment (Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is...) I told Him that maybe he needed to find a way to make church FUN! The next thing I know he is holding the door open for folks and passing out bulletins. He would get upset if we had to leave right after church because that cut into his "Service Time" He now is a Jr. Usher and helps take up the offering...he can't wait to get to church!

 

"that you may have let yourself get a little lazy spiritually if you find the sermon boring every single week. Don't be too quick to blame that on the pastor. That may be your own fault more than you are realizing."

NO!!!!!! we are not I repeat NOT called to be spiritually lazy! c'mon we've got to be on fire for GOd and then when you hear a 'boring' sermon, God may and probably will show you where you are wrong. even wehn we are on fire GOD shows us where we are wrong. We are called to be perfect, but we will never be. That's why we have a thing called repentance and we tell God we are sorry for the wrong we have done. We will never be perfect until we are with out Father in Heaven!! Why waste your TRULLY GOD-GIVEN, DIVELY-APPOINTED LIFE to be a spiritual slacker? Let me tell you, i have been in both places and am working on getting out of the slacker area. IT IS FAR better to be in the will of God in Africa than to be out of the will of God and be a Beverly hills Super- millionaire! You see what i'm saying? We have got to get out ofa rut! the church is used for worship of God. #1 priortiy of church is to worship, then as we leave and live our daily lives we also worship in all we do, therefore we cannot slack during the week b/c then we will not be worshipping our Lord. Then #2 priority of the church is to equip thge saints, young and old, for the service they were called by God to do, whether that be full-time Christian service or laymanship or jsut soulwinning, we're all called to soulwinning by the Great Commission.

I'm not trying to alienate someone, or to push a guilt trip, I'm jsut saying we have got to get back on fire! Who's with me!?!??!?!?!?!?!
Lindz
PS there are verses for all of this, i just went blank on them!

 

We all have a time limited attention span, for children the time is much shorter before they begin to wiggle in their seat, yawn and get bored out of their minds. For adults the time span is longer and for some only 20-40 minutes will keep someone's attention. Point is, it's human nature to get bored and feel a sermon is boring, even if the sermon is incredible and your getting a great deal out of it there will be a point where your brain isn't catching everything and your brain & body start to get tired and want action. This doesn't mean your not on fire for Jesus, it just means your time is up for the attention span.

When I take my kids to church I normally will walk with them in the hallway for a bit so they can tire a bit and thus giving me a chance to revive as well.

Some churches I've been in were so boring I despised going and in one church I stopped going with my parents. Churches need to realize they need to not just preach cold hard truth but they need to make things lively in worship and other exciting events. Laziness? Nahhh, just simple human nature and natural body functioning.

 

Our church is mostly full of older people (55-60+), and on Wednesday and Sunday nights there are seldom other children present besides the five that my husband and I have. They are ages 15, 13, 13, 11, and 9. We do not currently have an active youth group or youth activities. Interestingly enough, my children love to attend church. In fact, when on some Wednesdays I am very tired and wish to stay home, I usually am pursuaded by the rants of my children to get my lazy rump up and get them to church!

What makes them love it so? I think the fact that they, as someone else mentioned, SERVE! My sons help run the sound system and take up the offering. My daughters help in the nursery and sing both in the choir and as soloists. There are many older people at our church who are blessed by the ministering spirits of my children . . . they love on these older people and are a bright spot in their lives.

We are called to be servants. If you go expecting everyone to serve you, you'll be sorely disappointed.

The best piece of advise? You get out of it only as much as you put in.

Another point to consider is this: what is your PURPOSE for being there? Is it to be entertained? No, I think not. Your purpose for attending church is to worship the LORD and to edify one another.

I'm sure Jesus' life wouldn't be classified as FUN, but that didn't stop him from doing God's will, did it?

Julia

 

Keeper,

That's cool your kids love going. Sounds like the reason for it is because they actually do fun things, running sound equiptment, taking care of the babies and singing in choir are all very fun and active things to do. If they didn't have these responsibilites would they be as anxious to be there especially without having a youth group or other teens to fellowship with?

Of course going to church all for selfish reasons is not wise, placing your part into the service is important too, but a large purpose for the church is for your life and spirit to be edified and that does constitute as fun.

It's everyone's responsibility to make sure church is enjoyable. If there are programs missing or ages not being responded to, that eventually will wear on one's spirit. We all need filled.

 

Since when is it about you?
It never was, it never will be.
Church is for the body of Christ to corporately worship an almight God.
It's about God.
Set your focus on God, who He is, and what He's done for you, not on yourself. Which is the main problem in christianity today, selfishness.
If your having a problem, start praying.

 

That's fine EXCEPT the fact that there are dead churches out there and where there are dead churches you will find it boring. It's not the least bit selfish to desire a place of worship with fun, excitement and spirit lifting in it.

 

The hight of selfishness, you make it about you, not God. you want to have fun, make it enjoyable and fun, lets party. Wheres God? Isn't He supose to be the center or am I? This is not worship.

 

Great post Julia, you are right on target. It's all God or it's nothing at all.

 

donna,

that's just my point in case, if the church is boring, then the services are not all about God, thus the reason many churches are dead. worship is fun, service is fun and it without a doubt should be uplifting, exciting and loads of fun and to take it one step deeper I totally believe God wishes to see us uplifted and having a wonderful time in church, it should be a party and celebration, what's better than celebrating Jesus and the life He gives??

Sure there are very serious moments which should be kept serious but I do not agree that it is selfishness to want to have fun in church.