I am surprised by the number of Christians I meet who have stopped going to church.
What surprises me the most is that many of those who don’t see the need to attend a local church are Christians in their 70s or 80s. And the reason is not because of being sick at home or too old to get out but because of all kinds of other reasons.
Sometimes it’s because of a past hurt or a strong disagreement with someone from that church. Bitterness in their heart has paralysed their walk with God.
To those who are no more interested in joining a local church, I would say:
If there is any bitterness in your heart, forgive those who have hurt you. That grudge is a poison for your soul.
If after forgiving you don’t have peace about going back to the church you left, then join another congregation. Or start a new one yourself. Open a house church in your living room (as the first Christians did). There is room for so many more places of worship.
Though the ‘health pass’ is compulsory in most public places (that’s the case in France) you thankfully still don’t need one to go to church.
If church meetings on zoom were helpful during the lockdown, there is no reason now to stay at home.
Timothée Paton – Sausheim, France
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