The trap that most of us live in is created by Satan when we are young. We live in the “cell” that is our life and it becomes comfortable. I’m not saying that we worship Satan but before we can decide about following Jesus, he can come in and tempt us with a comfortable existence that we don’t want to leave. Many people, especially in the South, fall into this trap and they don’t even know it. They’ve been taken to church since they were in diapers, so the idea of going to church is planted early in life. This isn’t a bad thing but for those who have grown up in this culture, it can be deceiving.
When you ask someone if they are a member of this church and they tell you that they’ve been going to this church ever since they were a baby, that is a clear expression of a “cultural Christian”. Going to church, reading the Bible, listening to sermons every week at church, and even teaching Sunday School are all wonderful things to do but these become habitual. Some would ask me “What’s wrong with having a habit of going to church?”. Nothing is wrong with it BUT if you believe that you are a Christian because of your attendance record then you’re missing the point.
Being a follower of and a believer in Jesus doesn’t automatically happen just because you are in church or are a member of a church. Belief in Jesus comes from hearing the Word of God preached and being convicted by the Holy Spirit that you NEED Jesus as your Savior! No amount of work on your part or anything in this world will help you become a Christian. God sent Jesus to do what was necessary to save all of mankind and He did. All we have to do is believe in our hearts that He did and accept Him as our Savior.
The Living Message of Christ 