"I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord." --Psalm 133:1

It's back-to-school time this week, and we pray for a great year for students and their parents in the year ahead. As we have seen in our increased worship attendance the past few weeks, for many it's "back to church" time as well. It's been a busy summer for so many folks, and as things settle down for the school year, I hope that you get back in the swing of things and find your place with your church family on Sundays.

Now, let me be sure to acknowledge up front that "church" is not a place, but a people; and we don't go to church, we are the church. That is more than just semantics; it is fundamental to all that we are at The Church at Shelby Crossings. It is a biblical mindset that determines how we see church, and how we "do" church week to week, outside the walls of our building.

Still, in our culture, so many people automatically assume that "church" is the place we go or the service we attend on Sunday mornings. And people around these parts know—from a famous billboard right down the road--that if we don't do it, the devil will get us! Whatever we call it, I hope we can all agree with the psalmist that we are glad for every opportunity we have to gather with God's people in the (ware)house of the Lord.

The truth is, many are not so glad. They attend more out of obligation, or religious duty, or guilt management than because they love to celebrate God's grace in their lives or hear His truth proclaimed. I would suggest that how we "go" determines a great deal how glad we are when we get there. With that in mind, here are a few suggestions this week on how to "go to church."

First, we should go to church "prayed-up." No, that doesn't mean that you always have to be spiritually ready to come before the Lord--He still meets us right where we are when we come to Him. However, our spiritual preparation for corporate worship before Sunday morning will have much to do with how the Lord reveals Himself to us during our time together. Pray throughout the week, and on Sunday morning, that the Lord will be at work in your life and in our church. Then come expecting Him to move. He will.

It is also very helpful if you go to church on-time--or even, a little early! This has several benefits. For one, it gives you a chance to meet and greet other folks you're going to be worshiping with--especially guests you haven't met. It also causes less distraction to others when you can get seated before the service starts. You also won't miss vital parts of the service which are planned to lead you into worship in the presence of God. And finally, you'll be less stressed and more focused on connecting with God when you're not coming in late.

And finally, it's always better when you go to church... with a friend! As we seek to reach our community with the gospel, we want to provide a place where our friends and neighbors can come and check out authentic Christianity in a loving environment of real people. It's so much more exciting to go to worship with a friend you've invited, prayerfully expecting God's work in his or her life. What a wonderful way to come to the Lord, like the disciple Andrew, bringing someone with you.

So, let us who are the church "go to church" this Sunday--on time, expecting God to move, with a Bible in one hand and a friend on the other. I'm praying for YOU already, and I know it's going to be a great day. I can't wait to see you on Sunday!

--Pastor Ken