I

recently came across a list entitled “Top Ten Reasons Why I Never Bathe.”

The purpose of the article was to show the ridiculous reasons some people give for not going to church by merely substituting the word “bathe” for the words “attend church” in their excuses. Here is the list:

10. I was forced to bathe as a child.

9. People who bathe are hypocrites, they think they are cleaner than everybody else.

8. There are so many different kinds of soap, I can’t decide which one is best.

7. I used to bathe, but I got bored and stopped.

6. I only bathe on special occasions like Christmas and Easter.

5. None of my friends bathe.

4. I’ll start bathing when I get older and dirtier.

3. I’m too busy to bathe.

2. The bathroom is never warm enough in the winter or cool enough in the summer.

1. People who make soap are only after your money.

Do any of these excuses sound familiar?

It never ceases to amaze me how some people can think of the silliest excuses for not helping themselves.

Now, don’t misunderstand me, going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than going to a garage makes you an automobile.

But attending church gives you a chance to experience the fellowship of other believers, the thrill of worshipping the Lord together, and the opportunity to hear from God through preaching.

And after a rough week… that sounds mighty good!

COVID-19 has negatively affected church attendance around the world in the past 16 months.

Millions of people have been suffering from depression because they had to quarantine themselves away from others.

But now that restrictions have been rolled back, many are ready to get back to church on a weekly basis.

I’ve heard some people say, “It doesn’t matter what church you attend, just as long as you attend.”

To me, that sounds like, “It doesn’t matter what you eat, just as long as you eat.”

That’s silly because it does matter what you eat.

If I am hungry and can choose between worms or chicken… I’m going to eat chicken!

And if I have the choice between attending a live church or a dead church… I’ll go for the live church any day.

Someone once asked, “What are the signs that a church is living, vital and active?”

Here are a few ideas that may help answer that question:

• Live churches have many people who bring their Bibles and read them… dead churches don’t.

• Live churches are filled with sounds of joy and thanksgiving… dead churches are apathetic and lifeless.

• Live churches usually have parking problems… dead churches never have to worry about parking.

• Live churches center on serving people… dead churches focus mainly on problems.

• Live churches are filled with love… dead churches are filled with suspicious, critical, and bickering people.

• Live churches emphasize evangelism, discipleship, and involvement… dead churches ask for

little and get it.

• Live churches have lots of children and young people… dead churches don’t.

Sunday is just around the corner.

Why not make plans to attend God’s house this weekend? You’ll be glad you did.

Rev. Doug Johnson is the senior pastor at Raven Assembly of God in Raven, Virginia.