Have you been to a church service where the praise songs that are sung for God are all actually not about God but about those who sing it, in which God is just their servant who takes care of their needs and their troubles, who makes life even easier and more comfortable than they truly deserve? The testimonies are not about what God does to advance his Kingdom but about how God helped them to enjoy life even better! If you look deeper into such an attitude you will quickly see that the people are the kings and the real King himself is their servant!
The Lord is my servant I shall not want.
He makes me to sit down again and again in the church pews,
to warm up the chairs…
You dress up nice and go to church on a Sunday morning, sit somewhere in the back and wait for the program to start. Sometimes it takes a while for the soul, spirit and emotions to join in the flow. But then comes this cool song that just has the right melody and rhythm, that kindles your emotions. You like it, you stand up, close your eyes and mumble the song quietly. By the end of the song you feel so close to God, you even dare to lift up your hands as you sing. Then comes the next song, eyes still closed, you feel your heart flow with love, awe and honor, at the same time you feel so small, unworthy and undeserving. But somewhere in between, you have reached God’s presence and you feel God impart in you that what you’ve been longing for. Right then the intimate time alone with God during the congregational fellowship ends because it is now time to hear the sermon.
Being made to be prepared for 45 minutes to come into the presence of God, you sit there listening to the sermon. Sometimes you wonder that the pastor has his head somewhere hidden in the clouds that he doesn’t know anymore the realities of life. And yet you try to listen because at some point he is going to give a clue on how to live a victorious life in Jesus. You write down those points, happy that the sermon is over, think about the chicken and the potatoes in the oven, greet your fellow Christians, thank the pastor for the good sermon and head towards a restaurant or your dining table. Physically, spiritually, emotionally your tank is full and you are ready for the week to begin.
It is now Monday. You are still on high from the Sunday-drug. You now know for sure that God knows you , he knows your struggles, he loves you still, he is faithful and he will not let you down. Now you want to show your loyalty to him after all that experience yesterday. You try to digest some of its practicality in real life. You are scared about what your co-workers would think of you if you share them your incredible experience yesterday. So you take time to pray and think about it. You ask God to open doors to speak to your co-workers. You tell God that he will please somehow save them sometime soon, that your friends will somehow find Jesus. If you are daring you may even ask Jesus to give you courage to tell them about him.
Tuesday: You gather all your courage during lunch break and hesitantly open up a topic that might hopefully lead at the end to talk about God. Usually you sense a bit later than your friends, how this is all gonna end. You find yourself right smack in the middle of a spiritual battle field, you are attacked, you hurt, but you don’t give up that easily. You try again, because this is exactly what the pastor had preached two days ago. You go home, ask your wife and children to pray with you, for you, for your friends.
Wednesday: You are back at the office and you see this smirk that tries to hide on your co-workers faces. You hear some nudging comments thrown on your way. But you are a Christian, you bear all the insults, you behave good, you keep some distance but you are ready to help when they need you. Within you is turmoil. You don’t understand why these people ignore God, why they think they don’t need God to save them while they can save themselves. You know their life is a mess and you have the remedy, but they don’t see the need for it. Somehow you are discouraged and disappointed. You start to doubt the sermon from last Sunday, the emotional meter is dropping too. And the effects of the Sunday-drug fades.
Thursday: You remember Jesus and how he was rejected by his own people. And how he sacrificed himself for man kind. You remember his sufferings, you even identify with him. So you are in a way sad and yet rejoice in your sufferings for Jesus.
Friday: No signs of fruit yet, you are in pain, the co-workers have rejected you and the work-week is coming to an end. You feel guilty, you doubt your faith, you think God is mad at you and you need to earn his love. Tired and longing for the Sunday-drug you enter the weekend.
Saturday: Deprived of hope and confidence, you help with family chores, take an afternoon walk, watch a family movie, eat a healthy meal and go to bed, longing for the Sunday-drug.
Sunday: You dress up nice and go to church on a Sunday morning, sit somewhere in the back and wait for the program to start. Sometimes it takes a while for the soul, spirit and emotions to join in the flow. But then comes this cool song that just has the right melody and rhythm, that kindles your emotions. You like it…
Deep down, your conscience tells you this can’t be all it. But you don’t know the way out. You need the weekly dose of drug that stretches you away from God and pulls you back again like an elastic band. Your forefathers were conditioned like this before and now you. You wonder if there is a way to get out of this addiction. Somehow through someone, it is whispered to you that there is an alternative. You secretly go there to find it out. You sit there, listen and get this fresh breath of air, something new, something different, something that turns you on. You go back home and the routine sets in. You realize that without the Sunday-drug, you can’t make it through the week.
You know you fear to admit: “Hi, my name is Christian, and I am an addict.”
Would you like to share with us your story, how you found life beyond Sunday-drugs?
