The Churchgoer's Chant

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My Dear Friend, 

Every time you darken the door of your church for worship and Bible teaching, pause. As you enter, meditate on and repeat this mantra:

            Ready to Worship,

            Ready to Learn,

            Ready to Change,

            Ready to Do Your Will!

If unwilling to confess this, I suggest you stay home. Why?

If I only want to tepidly participate in praise and worship, be entertained by excellent biblical exposition, and be stirred by exciting preaching, but I'm not interested in extensive inward and outward changes in my life or ready to let go of my life goals to seek and do God's will for my life, whatever it may cost and wherever it may take me, I have no real business in the house of God. Why?

I'm just playing at religion, not pursuing the Redeemer. I'm still living by my will not God's Word. I'm interested in Jesus facts but not a Jesus encounter. I'm fascinated with Him, but at a distance, and not really interested in letting Him get up close and personal. I'll draw near Him when I feel I need His supernatural assistance or comfort but I'm not ready to let Him draw near, come in, and cleanse and use my bodily temple as He pleases. Worship and learn weekly, sure! Change and do His will daily, I don't think so!

But if spoken from the heart, the above mantra will help us remember the primary purpose of our gathering together unto Him. Our religious "services" will cease and be replaced by transformative encounters with the heavenly Potter, Blacksmith, and Refiner of silver and gold. We will arrive at church in one condition and leave in another - divinely taught, corrected, altered, made more like Christ. And there is another benefit.

When God hears the churchgoer's chant on our lips, it will get His attention and win His favor. He is searching the world over for believers who seek to be not only fully informed but also fully transformed - students of His Word who are becoming samples of His way. They will receive His gifts, power, and call to service in these last days.

Now is the time to consider this and make the right decision. Why? Jesus is coming soon for a body of believers and churches who are "ready" to not only worship and learn but also to change and do His will.

Why not say with me now, in His hearing, "Ready to Worship, Ready to Learn, Ready to Change, Ready to do Your Will!"

Maranatha!

GregSig2

Greg Hinnant
Greg Hinnant Ministries

Last modified on Tuesday, 14 February 2023 17:41
Published in E-Devotions
More in this category: « Disciple or Deserter? Angry? »

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My Dear Friend, True justice is truly apolitical, and any form of justice that is political is trul...

My Dear Friend, After being freed from bitter bondage to Pharaoh, the children of Israel received a...

In Genesis 2:2-3, God blessed the 7th day and sanctified it as holy because on that day He rested fr...

My Dear Friend, Are you anxiously planning your future? Are you confused, troubled, unsure, unsettl...

My Dear Friend, My not-so-subtle title gives away my theme. Yes, I am saying believers should atten...

My Dear Friend, Hannah's story is well known (1 Samuel 1:1-18). Barren Hannah envied her female riv...

My Dear Friend, As God would have it, people who habitually indulge in gossip - untruths, half-trut...

My Dear Friend, Quiet time spent absolutely alone at Jesus' feet, giving thanks, worshiping, and me...

  My Dear Friend,   To feel good or to be good? that is the question! And it is on ever...

My Dear Friend,   When Jesus arrived at Bethany, everyone was in a low condition. Very lo...

My Dear Friend,    One Sunday morning not long ago, it rained rather heavily. As a resul...

My Dear Friend,   We often, and understandably, pray, "Lord, please give me an answer to pray...

Dear Friend, Uncannily, yet just as God would have it, the 1970 Asbury College awakening and this 2...

Dear Friend, Recent extended, extraordinary encounters of God's presence at Asbury Seminary in ...

Dear Friend, We often hear well-intended criticism of perfectionists. These complaints usually desc...

Dear Friend, Surprisingly, God's prophet spoke God's Word prophesying God's coming judgment on God'...

Dear Friend, I believe in missions, support several missionaries, and consider it my distinct privi...

Dear Friend, The long-awaited day finally came. Scripture carefully notes the triumphant moment whe...

Dear Friend, We typically distinguish between ministers and physicians, seeing them as two separate...

Dear Friend, While some Christians do not observe Christmas, others enjoy giving and receiving Chri...

Dear Friend, When suddenly thrust into grave danger with no apparent way out, the Jerusalem church ...

Dear Friend, This is a call to attend a funeral. But not an ordinary one.There will be no flowers o...

Dear Friend, Attention! This is a negative piece, a critique of church practice, and I realize I m...

Dear Friend, As sweet and inspiring as it is, our walk with Christ has some unusual, even strange, ...

Dear Friend, We often hear this question posed, almost always speaking of our natural homes, or phy...

Dear Friend,  In the fall of 1973, I enrolled at Appalachian State University in Boone, North ...

Dear Friend, One of our nation's most valued agencies is the Secret Service. It is a division of th...

Dear Friend, A powerful lesson is hidden in Isaiah 26-27. Let's uncover it.Isaiah 26-27 are part of...

Dear Friend, In Mark 6:45-52, Jesus' disciples were toiling to row against strong winds that not on...

Dear Friend, In the simple, short phrase, "Let God be God," lies the wisdom of the ages. Then let's...

Dear Friend, A recent chat with a pastor reminded me of a rather unpleasant fact: churches can make...

Dear Friend, Referring to the relentless and contentious quest for water in the arid plains of the ...

Dear Friend, A devilish, divisive, destructive force has been unleashed among us and, for the prese...

Dear Friend, "How good! How pleasant!" - says the psalmist of God's commanded blessing. And his ent...

Dear Friend, In the promised land, unlike Egypt, there were fountains of living (fresh, free-flowin...

Dear Friend, David was the first in a long line of spiritual clingers. Listen to the testimony of h...

Dear Friend, Many Christians today are trying to get by on one work of grace when the first church ...

Dear Friend, A concern has been gestating in my soul for some time now and I simply must birth it. ...

Dear Friend, A zone is an area or region distinguished from its surroundings by some distinctive fe...

Dear Friend, In Mark 6:30-32, Jesus addressed a subject that is discussed often in our day: stress!...

Dear Friend, Genesis 49 and Psalm 129 have an important message for Christians who are being repeat...

Dear Friend, Just after saving Israel from Egypt, God had a word for His people: "Open thy mouth wi...

Dear Friend, Before Jesus' First Advent, the Jews were looking earnestly for a Messiah. But not the...

Dear Friend, Psalm 41 records David's grief over the shocking betrayal of his best friend, Ahithoph...

Dear Friend, Faithfulness is a key character trait of every Christian who is prepared for Christ's ...

Dear Friend, The numbers racket, or numbers game, is a form of gambling in which a bettor tries to ...

Dear Friend, There is a vast difference between leadership and "followship." Let's examine it.Leade...

Dear Friend, I want to announce publicly today that I am pro life and pro choice. Yes, that's right...

Dear Friend, Psalm 137 describes Jewish captives in Babylon who had been defeated in more ways than...

Dear Friend, In its essence, Christianity is a supernatural flow of divinely empowered life, a rive...

Dear Friend, The church today has two halves, evangelical and Charismatic / Pentecostal, with one e...

Dear Friend, The present reality is we are surrounded by too much unreality. So much we see is not ...

Dear Friend, In the first century AD, those who worshiped Greek and Roman gods paid no attention to...

Dear Friend, A Christian women's counselor recently asked me to review her article on the Jezebel s...

Dear Friend, Nehemiah 3 has a very modern message hidden in its very ancient story. And a very time...

Dear Friend, When Solomon was coronated as Israel's king, he became the pastor of God's flock. Sudd...

Dear Friend, Joseph was faithful in his fellowship with God and service to Him in a day of small th...

Dear Friend, In years past it was not uncommon to hear someone, when speaking of a person rising in...

Dear Friend, The Lord wants to say something to us - His covenant people, born-again Christians, Sp...

Dear Friend, Can anything good come from a Bible paraphrase? Being an expositor, I'll tread lightly...

Dear Friend, After walking on water to save His disciples, Jesus walked on land to heal the afflict...

Dear Friend, Moses prayed, "Would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, and that the Lord w...

Dear Friend, When a listener exclaimed, "Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God" ...

Dear Friend, The Pantheon is a remarkably designed, exquisitely beautiful marble temple that was bu...

Dear Friend, We all know what an ideal Christmas looks like: family together, good food, gifts and ...

Dear Friend, The ultimate wordsmith, God searched His unsearchably deep heart for just the right wo...

Dear Friend, Both Old and New Testaments call Christians to be faithful witnesses. "Ye are my witne...

Dear Friend, WARNING: the content of this message may be disturbing. Read at your own risk of havin...

Dear Friend, Among God's many distinctive names we may add yet another: the Ropemaker. A little his...

Dear Friend, This is a story about a cloak - but no ordinary one. It was worn by a wilderness man o...

Dear Friend, May I present my thesis: Leaders can't lead effectively without assistants assist...

Dear Friend, Don't fool around with sharp knives, or you may be cut. Don't play with fire, or you m...

Dear Friend, When in 1922 British archaeologist Howard Carter, aided by candlelight, first peered i...

Dear Friend, Many a pastor has started out on fire and ended up on ice. How did this happen?Full of...

Dear Friend, As we read the sad story of Herod Antipas' interaction with the brave prophet John the...

Dear Friend, After three years of stunningly fruitful ministry, Jesus told His apostles even more f...

Dear Friend, We know very well that Jesus frequently ministered to multitudes, hundreds here, thous...

Dear Friend, She couldn't have children, never had had children, and never would have children, so ...

Dear Friend, Sometimes we Christians forget a key fact: We live, move, speak, act, react, and minis...

Dear Friend, Caught suddenly in a multilevel, burning building, any person of normal awareness and ...

Dear Friend, The author of Psalm 130 is waiting steadfastly, confidently, intently, and expectantly...

Dear Friend, I have two simple questions for you: First, do you have spiritual treading power? Seco...

Dear Friend, "Now faith is the substance [foundation or 'stand-under'] of things hoped for, the evi...

Dear Friend, Upon Knowing one's goal is essential to success in war, sports, and spiritual life. Le...

Dear Friend, Upon arriving in Capernaum, Jesus was immediately met by “one of the rulers of the [lo...

Dear Friend, Two very different needy people anxiously awaited Jesus' arrival by boat in Capernaum ...

Dear Friend, Bear with me, please, while I use a shallow metaphor to convey a deep truth. Following...

Dear Friend, When Jesus delivered a woman long bound by an oppressive "spirit of infirmity," He sho...

Dear Friend, "Fools rush in where angels fear to tread," goes the adage. And in no area is this tru...

Dear Friend, The American public has recently developed a serious vision problem. Or, more accurate...

Dear Friend, In John 15:14, Jesus gave us the key to the amazing, unique wonder of friendship with ...

Dear Friend, Let it never be said that ignorance is acceptable. It's not, especially in Christians,...

Dear Friend, Everything around us in this world operates on trust - reliance on others acting in go...

Dear Friend, Pastor, associate pastor, elder, counselor, mentor, missionary, teacher, parent, and e...

Dear Friend, Recently, evangelical worship police - overzealous polemicists and apologists - have i...

Dear Friend, Jesus cleansed the Jews' temple of religious commercialists and unauthorized trafficke...

Dear Friend, In ancient Jewish wedding customs, during the period of the betrothal (engagement), a ...

Dear Friend, In Jesus said if He calls us, equips us, anoints us, gifts us, and sends us, we will "...

Dear Friend, In His foundational parable of the sower and soil, Jesus said, "The sower soweth the w...

Dear Friend, Real revival, the "suddenly ... from heaven" kind (Acts 2:2), is not merely a series o...

Dear Friend, The Bible speaks of many kinds of prayer: doubting prayer, selfish prayer, vengeful pr...

Dear Friend, Our title sounds silly, doesn't it? Everyone knows how to walk. Right?Yes, but every C...

Dear Friend, Much is said today of "coverings," particularly of human authorities being spiritual c...

Dear Friend, Of consistently upright and faithful worshipers, David wrote, "He that doeth these thi...

Dear Friend, This is a word to all worshipers, especially worship leaders. You will never sele...

Dear Friend, The more scientific strata of our culture spends much time discussing and debating ori...

Dear Friend, The Gospels reveal Jesus selected a variety of locations in which to teach His discipl...

Dear Friend, Study, read, listen, pray, or think as I may, I cannot find any door to the abundant C...

Dear Friend, Every heaven-sent revival - or visitation or move of the Spirit - in this Church Age i...

Dear Friend, By leading Israel to victory over Debir, Othniel, who would later become Israel's firs...

Dear Friend, Mark 1:41 tells us a leper’s condition and plea “moved” Jesus, or prompted Him to act ...

Dear Friend, Nehemiah was an effective Christian lawyer before his time. Let me explain.Time and ag...

Dear Friend, American Christians, it's time for us to turn the page. Why? God has turned His. Let m...

Dear Friend, Have you suddenly received unexpected, unwanted news? Well, this, too, is part of God'...

Dear Friend, There is a clear connection between spiritual breakthroughs and outbreaks of spiritual...

My Dear Friend, Five times Jesus corrected, and in a sense insulted, Jewish Old Testament scholars ...

My Dear Friend, Mark 1:40-45 is a shocker. It tells us that after Christ healed a man of leprosy - ...

My Dear Friend, Every Christian, if trusting, obedient, and persistent, can grow to become a master...

My Dear Friend, There are many different kinds of blindness: total blindness, color blindness, snow...

My Dear Friend, Ever foreseeing, faithful, and gracious, our Lord Jesus Christ did not leave His ch...

My Dear Friend, When Elijah put his face between his knees and prayed persistently for a drought-bu...

My Dear Friend, Got family trouble? Go have a talk with Jesus. He knows all about it. When His mini...

My Dear Friend, A cowardly Christian and a courageous Christian both stood at the same crossroads. ...

My Dear Friend, My fellow Christian, are you not getting your way? Hmm... Perhaps there's a divine ...

My Dear Friend, Mark tells us that from His seaside pulpit - a small fishing boat - Jesus "taught t...

My Dear Friend, (NOTICE: I usually don't delve into political issues; this piece is an exception in...

My Dear Friend, It is reported by some that ministers receive special treatment. This is true.If tr...

My Dear Friend, On our journey through life we meet an array of religious and social issues on whic...

My Dear Friend, In a prophetic vision, the apostle John saw, heard, and thus personally witnessed, ...

My Dear Friend, In my good friend John Shiver's wonderful book, Discoveries in Ministry, ...

My Dear Friend, Daniel was a man of extraordinary devotion and discipline. His heart was wholly aba...

My Dear Friend, David taught that obedience to God's Word brings us significant rewards: "In keepin...

My Dear Friend, In his excellent book, Discoveries in Ministry, my spiritually wise friend, Dr...

My Dear Friend, Early in my writing ministry I received a God-lesson I never forgot. I don't want y...

My Dear Friend, Solomon said, "The memory of the just is blessed, but the name of the wicked shall ...

My Dear Friend, Mark 1:21-38 describes "launch day," the first twenty-four hours of Jesus' ministry...

My Dear Friend, Many Christians confuse the new birth that saves us with the new way that transform...

My Dear Friend, Being In His most basic parable, The Sower and The Soils (Mark 4:1-20), Jesus laid ...

My Dear Friend, Being appreciated for who we are and what we do is a very precious thing. Whether w...

My Dear Friend, God has a cure for every wound, even loneliness. As Jesus informed Paul, “My gr...

My Dear Friend, As the Psalmist ran the race of life, he was focused on the finish line and det...

My Dear Friend, Billy Graham is gone but his words are not. And they are more timely than ever!...

My Dear Friend, Strangely, yet undeniably, God uses "horrible pits" to raise honorable princes ...

My Dear Friend, In His most fundamental parable of the Sower and the Soil, Jesus warned us when...

My Dear Friend, Stay-at-home orders are being rolled back across America and Christians are beg...

My Dear Friend, Our devotional theme today is simple: let us not succumb to fear in fearful tim...

My Dear Friend, When God was on the move, intervening to bring Israel out of Egypt, His people ...

My Dear Friend, In the sixth century BC, God gave the prophet Ezekiel a special vision of a spe...

My Dear Friend, Inescapable" best describes the situation of those who try to hide their sins f...

My Dear Friend, Every born-again Christian is given the Spirit-induced desire to glorify God an...

My Dear Friend, Spiritual Amputation? O what a hard subject! But our Master taught there are ti...

My Dear Friend, As the present COVID-19 crisis continues, our minds are turning naturally to th...

My Dear Friend, Our title expresses what the author of Psalm 84 had in mind: his annual trek to...

My Dear Friend, His heart stirred with profound gratitude, David wrote, "The Lord is my Shepher...

My Dear Friend, For weeks our government has instructed us how to respond to the Coronavirus pa...

My Dear Friend, Soon an UNforeseen awakening will visit our largely UNspiritual churches. Upon ...

My Dear Friend, Our title sums up the great lesson hidden in Zephaniah 3:14 and 17. There God u...

My Dear Friend, Are you a remnant believer currently experiencing great distress? If so, prepar...

My Dear Friend, What a blessing it is when committed disciples join your church! Every Christia...

My Dear Friend, Grace, grit, growth, glory - these terms describe adequately, if briefly, the C...

My Dear Friend, After being born again by repentance and childlike faith in Jesus, we're sudden...

My Dear Friend, In Psalm 18, David penned two closely related truths we need to carefully exami...

My Dear Friend, The gospels reveal Jesus' penchant for nicknaming people. While nicknames may a...

My Dear Friend, Spiritual revival awakens us from the sleep of sin and indifference to God. It ...

My Dear Friend, Do you want to be close enough to Christ to discern (a) He is speaking, (b) He ...

My Dear Friend, The apostles’ call was twofold: first, “to be with him [Jesus]” (Mark 3:14); se...

My Dear Friend,Jesus chose His apostles in His divine sovereignty, demonstrating His absolute lordsh...

My Dear Friend, Like it or not, this is the day people all over the world reflect on the last y...

My Dear Friend, Romans 8:29 declares it is every Christian's general predestination to be remad...

My Dear Friend, Admit it or not, we all get angry from time to time. In seasons of great stress...

My Dear Friend, Every time you darken the door of your church for worship and Bible teaching, p...

My Dear Friend, Desertion in the face of the enemy is one of the worst crimes military personne...

My Dear Friend, "ALL RISE, this court is now in session, the honorable Judge [fill in your name...

My Dear Friend, In the ebb and flow of the typical Christian life we sometimes sense we are get...

My Dear Friend, Mark 2:11 reveals sometimes Jesus didn't just divinely heal folks but instead i...

Dear Friend,  In reading Acts 16 recently the Lord impressed me with the intensity of Paul and...

Dear Friend,  "Living in sin," as we used to call it for the past twenty centuries, has now be...

Dear Friend,  My fellow Christian, "The Lord says to me," is not, "Thus says the Lord." The fo...

Dear Friend,  After a period of ministry in the Galilean wilderness (Mark 1:45), Jesus returne...

Dear Friend,  Billy Graham noted, “Jesus prayed briefly when He was in a crowd; He prayed a li...

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