Think this through: People who fall away from church and faith are people who used to go to church and truly believe. Church leaders sometimes characterize congregational members as “active” or “inactive.” Well, you don’t become inactive unless you used to be active. That means there are temptations to wander away from active, weekly participation that are aimed at churchgoers, and obviously those temptations are succeeding. Look at declining numbers of church attendance and membership.
The temptations are subtle. Take as one example 1 Peter 5:8-9. “Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.” That’s the ESV translation, “Be sober-minded.” The NIV says, “Be self-controlled.” Not wrong, but not totally right. The Greek word Peter used means first and foremost, “Be sober.” Think AA. Peter wasn’t saying, sit in church and think airy thoughts. He was saying, “Don’t leave church and get drunk during the week.”
When the New Testament was written, carousing and drunkenness were accepted parts of life during the week, outside of worship. Here’s what the poet Tibullus wrote about one popular festival, the Ambarvalia. “Now bring forth for me the smoky Falernian from the old consuls and loosen the fasteners on the Chian jar. Let wines solemnize the day. It is not a shame to be drunk on a holiday, staggering feet hardly able to bear you.” That was one festival. The Romans had 77 days of holidays a year. Drinking is only one of many examples. More generally Peter is saying, “Practice during the week what you profess on Sunday morning.”
Our culture tempts us to compartmentalize life. So, I go to church on Sunday and think spiritual, God thoughts. Then I go into the workaday world and do what I have to do to get along and succeed. When we think that church is just “spiritual” – by “spiritual” I mean non-material – then going to church becomes increasingly distant from how I live during the week. My “active” church life begins to cross over into “inactive” and then what?
We preachers must expose the subtle temptations that are working against the members of our congregations. 1 Peter 5:8 is only one example. We have a great opportunity to open wide the eyes of those who listen to us. “I never thought about that before. Makes sense!” It really is a great time to be the church.