First of all, I am not into making people feel guilty when it comes to their relationship with God. My calling is to share what God has led me to share with those who will listen. Some will not have even read this letter this far. This letter, although lengthy, is very important. One that I believe could change someone’s life. So, if you’re still reading, this letter is for you.
I have learned much over the past two years as the Lead Pastor of Life Change Church Tullahoma. I have experienced things, seen things, and have worked through things that I never experienced in my 20 plus years in Music and Worship Ministry. Satan has done his best to discourage me, hurt me, and literally make me quit. To be honest, I came about as close as you could come to quitting this past summer. But rather than quit, I fell on my knees and turned to God. God not only sustained me, He delivered me, and gave me strength to persevere that could have only come from Him. I praise God for the love and grace He has continued to pour out on me throughout the storms of life.
In years past, many people went to church because it was what they did. And if they missed a worship service, they oftentimes felt guilty. And the pastor of the church could make a person feel even more guilty by acknowledging that he knew they had missed attending church. Friends, those days are long gone. Laying a guilt trip on someone for not attending church no longer works. In fact, those pastors and/or church leaders who continue to go down this path of trying to guilt people into attending church are only driving people farther away from the church.
Jesus never used guilt trips to get people to follow Him or turn to God. However, Jesus did speak truthfully and bluntly to His disciples and to the crowds and people who would listen to Him. Christ message was more about grace & forgiveness than it was about guilt. At the same time, Jesus made it clear that the key to a person living their best life, making it through the difficult times, rising above our circumstances, our depression, our fears, our anxiety, or whatever it might be that has us in a “funk” is to consistently, daily, trust in God by living a life that honors God and His Word.
I Peter 4:12says, “Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you.”
Every day, your faith is being tested, and unfortunately, many are failing miserably, and are miserable.
People are busier than ever. And for many people, if you really evaluated what you are spending your time on, you would come to the conclusion that much of our busyness is spent on doing things that don’t really matter… that aren’t making you or those around you better. And when we feel overwhelmed, and need a break, the first thing we cut out is the last thing we should cut out of our “busy” schedules… GOD.
Now, let me just say that I don’t believe attending church makes you a Christian any more than being born in a bread pan makes you a loaf of bread. (BTW… If you know me, you know I do not like to speak of the church as a “building” because I believe The Church is People. In particular, people that know Christ as their Lord and Savior. But for the sake of this letter, I am stepping out of my comfort zone to make a point.) However, at the same time I believe that gathering with the Body of Christ on a regular basis is absolutely necessary for all believers. And just so you know, I also believe that Satan is real, and it is his desire to keep you from making God, and gathering with His Church a priority.
It amazes me that when many Christian’s, who are overwhelmed with their busyness, decide that if something needs to be cut out of their schedule to “make their lives easier”, they cut out the one thing that can make their life better. And that one thing is oftentimes gathering with The Church Body for worship & teaching.
I don’t get on Facebook as often as I once did. But when I do, it is almost depressing. Every other post is about someone who is going through a tragedy or dilemma. They ask for prayer, and people post that they will “be praying for them”. But how many of those who are going through a tragedy or dilemma are actually praying themselves? How many people say, “I will be praying for you” but never do? James 2:14 says, “What good is it, dear brothers and sisters, if you say you have faith but don’t show it by your actions?” Actions speak louder than words. And some of us, if we are honest, are all talk and no action. It’s time for some of you to put your actions where your mouth is.
Another thing I see quite often are people who haven’t attended church in weeks or months, and they come to church and then post on Facebook how good it was to be there… how they didn’t realize how much they missed it. And what blows my mind is that the very next week they are once again MIA, while they post on FB how life is so hard, so terrible. If that is you, Satan is winning your battle. My advice to you, quit letting Satan fight your battles, and give yourself over to God who will not only fight your battles, He will win the war! “The battle belongs to the Lord” – 2 Chronicles 20:15.
Each and every Sunday at Life Change Tullahoma, the scripture is taught and explained in such a way that you can apply it to your everyday, real life. We worship through music. We gather to connect and fellowship with others. And my prayer each and every week is that you leave better than when you came in, and that you take something home that you can apply to your life. We know through statistics that most people do not pray or read God’s Word on a regular basis. Why? Truth be told, it’s not a priority for many of us. And no matter where you attend church, you need that 1-2 hours a week that you give when you attend church, if for no other reason than to give God at least 1-2 hours out of the 168 hours you have each week.
Let me be clear that I realize we will have times when we are unable to attend church. Vacations, sickness, family gatherings, and other things oftentimes don’t allow us to attend church every week, and that’s ok. What is not ok, because it is hurting you more than you realize, is when we stop attending church because we “just don’t feel like going”, “have other things to do”, “or we place your reason here.
I want to conclude by asking you some questions for you to consider. Your answers are not for me, but for you. And the truth of your answers are between you and God.
1. Where is God on your priority list? If He is not at the top, why?
2. The scripture tells us to “not forsake gathering together as the Body of Christ as some are in the habit of doing”. If you do not gather regularly with the Body of Christ, why not? Is your reason a good one, or just an excuse?
3. Many people attend a church because that’s where their family attends, or it’s the church they grew up in. However, if they were honest, they really don’t leave their church having experienced God, or with something they can take home and apply to their lives. If this is you, why do you keep attending your church? What do you think God would say about your reason for attending the church you do?
4. At LCCT, we believe in building strong children’s and youth ministries. Truth be told, many children and youth have no moral compass. If you have children or youth, how important is it for you to attend a church that helps your children grow in their understanding and knowledge of Christ?
5. I believe Life Change Church Tullahoma is a unique church where life-change takes place on a weekly basis. As we grow, our goal is to plant similar churches or satellite campuses in places like Manchester, Winchester, Lynchburg, and other surrounding communities. Many people drive 30-45 minutes to attend LCCT. We believe the church should be a hub for the community, and this is one reason we feel strongly that as we grow, and we see that people are coming from a particular community, that community may very well be the place we begin a new church or satellite campus. God has given us a vision for one church that meets in multiple locations. However, we must first and foremost make sure our main campus is strong, and healthy enough to start new campuses. If you live outside of Tullahoma, I would encourage you to join with us in our efforts. It may take 1 year or 5 years before we can launch our first satellite campus. Again, if you live outside of Tullahoma, I encourage you to join us, and help us move closer towards our goal. My question for you is this: “Are you willing to drive a little farther to attend LCCT knowing that God may use you as a part of His plan to launch a new campus in your area? I pray that you will!
Thank you for letting me share my heart with you. I hope this letter has helped you, or encouraged you.
Praying for God’s best!
Pastor Christian Watts
10.22.19
