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Ask modern‐day churchgoers about their motives for attending church, and typical responses
might include the following:
“The sermons make me feel good about myself and as if I am the most important person
in the world.”
“Pastor’s sermons make me believe that God is going to fulfil all my wishes and dreams.”
“I attend church to build up my network of potential clients.”
“I am not in good health, so it’s nice to have people surrounding me, to support and care
for me.”
“I attend church because I am single and hope to find a life partner.”
“I attend church because it’s connected to a prestigious school that I hope to send my
children to.”
There’s no denying the fact that church membership has its benefits. However, the above
motives for attending church seem rather self‐serving (Do note the number of times that “I”,
“me” and “my” appears in the sentences above).1
Indeed, having self‐centred or mixed motives for attending church runs counter to Jesus’
teachings that being His disciple requires self‐denial:
2 Corinthians 5:15 (NLT): He died for everyone so that those who receive his new life
will no longer live for themselves. Instead, they will live for Christ, who died and was
raised for them.
Mark 8:34‐36 (NIV): 34Then he called the crowd to him along with his disciples and said:
“Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and
follow me. 35For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their
life for me and for the gospel will save it. 36What good is it for someone to gain the
whole world, yet forfeit their soul?.
Romans 14:7‐8 (ESV): For not one of us lives for himself, and not one dies for himself;
for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we
live or die, we are the Lord's.
Everyone has dreams and hopes for this life and some preachers give the false impression that
God is obligated to fulfil our personal desires.
Rather, when we received Jesus Christ as our Lord and Saviour, it implied that we have
submitted our personal plans and dreams to Him, so as to live the life that He has chosen for us:
1
Based on the Scripture, a pure motive for attending church would be expressed as follows: “23Let us hold
unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. 24And let us consider how we may spur
one another on toward love and good deeds, 25not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of
doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:23‐25;
NIV)
Galatians 2:20 (NIV): I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ
lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me
and gave himself for me.
One might ask, “Well, who cares if I continue to live the way I please? Is anyone able to tell that
my motives for attending church are purely selfish? Nobody knows or sees.”
However, Jeremiah 17:10 (NLT) says: “But I, the LORD, search all hearts and examine secret
motives. I give all people their due rewards, according to what their actions deserve."”
In addition, Revelation 2:23 (ESV) says: “'And I will kill her children with pestilence, and all the
churches will know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts; and I will give to each
one of you according to your deeds.”
Indeed, the Scripture also warns us that we must all stand before the judgment seat of Christ:
2 Corinthians 5:6‐10 (NIV): 6Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as
we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7For we live by faith, not by
sight. 8We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home
with the Lord. 9So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the
body or away from it. 10For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so
that each of us may receive what is due us for the things done while in the body,
whether good or bad.
Although one may do things to give others the impression that one is serving God, eventually,
one’s true motives will be exposed, and it may bring about condemnation:
Matthew 7:21‐23 (NIV): 21“Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the
kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven.
22
Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in
your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23Then I will tell
them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’
Consequently, it is imperative for us to humble ourselves before Jesus our Lord, and to examine
our own hearts and motives, so that we truly live for Him and not for our own wills and selfish
desires.
Let us therefore be like our Lord Jesus Christ, who when praying to the Father in the Garden of
Gethsemane said, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours
be done.” (Luke 22:42; NIV)
Written by: Roy Chan
Version dated: 19 January 2019
FREE for circulation and distribution; this essay was written as a public service.