Do you ever get bored in your spiritual life even though you attend church regularly? A growing number of church goers say “yes” to this question. In fact, church attendance has fallen sharply since 1990, and those dropping out say they did so because “the church is boring.” If a church is boring because its pastor is boring and people are spiritually dead, then boredom is tolerable. Illus: I read of a stranger who attended a worship where the pastor made this request, “I want to meet with ALL the BOARD immediately following the Service.” So after the service the Pastor and Deacon Board met, also the stranger, whereupon the Pastor seeing him, asked him to leave since the meeting was only for the Board of Deacons. The stranger refused, saying, “Pastor, you plainly invited ALL THE BORED to meet with you and there is no one more bored than I after hearing you preach this morning.” Amen. Amen.
But multitudes have “turned off Bible-believing, Bible-teaching churches because they heard the Word of God but do not obey the Word they heard.”
If all you do when you come to church is to “sit and sit” and “listen and listen” and never obey what you hear, you will eventually become bored, bored, bored, and blame the pastor and church when it is not the pastor and church which are the problem, but you are the problem.
The Negative Effect of Hearing And Not Obeying Are Devastating Spiritually:
- For a time one can “sit and soak” but after a while you will become “sour.” Alas how many are living in the three “S” syndrome today. And I have known people who “sat, soaked, and soured” for twenty years.
- However, others will roam and roam from church to church, seeking something to spice up their lives and may find it only temporarily.
- Others fall in love with TV Evangelists, like Charles Stanley, David Jeremiah and for a time are “being fed”, but eventually become dissatisfied and bored again for they never think of obeying the truth which sets men free (John 8:31-32).
- Finally those who hear but do not obey find themselves in depression and quit the church altogether, saying they quit because “the church is boring.” Note: Psychologist teach, “Impression without expression will eventually lead to depression.”
The Holy Spirit, being the Psychologist par excellence, commands us in James 1:22, “Be ye doers of the Word, not HEARERS ONLY, deceiving yourselves.” Notice especially the words “hearers only.” These words are taken from a Greek Word, AKROATES, which means “To Audit,” or listen to a matter for information but not for transformation or change in one’s life.
Example: I studied Hebrew, Greek, Spanish, German, Latin, but never took the time to study French seriously, but I did audit French for a short time which means I heard the excellent teaching but never memorized any of the material and never received any benefit, except I could then brag to others that I had studied French. Alas, the many who AUDIT the most wonderful good news the would has ever heard – Jesus Christ and His gospel – but never obey the gospel or Jesus and end up in depression and boredom.
The Cure for Boredom:
- Be sure you have a personal relationship with the Living Word, Jesus Christ, through the new birth. When you know and love Him, you will love His Word, which are “love letters” to the believer.
- Seek to Internalize the Word, verse by verse until the Word is your food, your nourishment, your very life (Matt. 4:4). Ex. Jeremiah 15:16, “Your Word was found, and I did eat it (internalize it) and it became the joy and rejoicing of my life.”
- Seek to have a very serious prayer life until you can pray God’s promises back to Him.
- Resolve when you go to church or elsewhere that you will not just “Audit” the gospel but obey it. As you are seated, close your eyes and say “O Holy Spirit, enable me both to hear the Word in my head and heart and then empower me to go forth to live it out in my life.
- Learn to hear and then go forth to serve.
Illus: A Baptist visited the church of his friend, a Quaker Meeting. No one spoke or did anything for a time – only silence! Then the Baptist whispered to His Quaker friend, “When do the Services begin?” and he replied, “The Service will begin when the worship is over.”