“And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:24-25, ESV).

My patient has had a difficult time with his cancer journey. His wife and his church have disappointed him in their support, both relationally and spiritually. He deeply loves the Lord but has not been able to find a new church home and is not seeking one only for solace. This week he shared with me, “I don’t want to be church hopping. I want to settle in where I can serve and help provide the joy, love and peace of Christ.”

His comments made me reflect on the question, “How much of my religious faith is all about me?” It’s certainly more than that for my patient. My patient’s primary goal is not that he be fulfilled spiritually, socially or emotionally, but that he contributes to God’s kingdom.

There is tremendous value in worshipping God in community, feeling the peace and joy of His presence and offering our hearts to Him. If our church experience stops there, though, I suspect we may disappoint the God we worship. The peace and joy we receive in church should not be sucked in and grasped tightly like Gollum’s ring in The Lord of the Rings, but it should overflow and “provide the joy, love and peace of Christ” to those who worship with us.

Every time I enter a religious experience for Christ, the following should happen:

1. I meet God and worship.
2. I listen to Him and obey.
3. I share my faith and life stories in community.
4. I refuse to focus on my own satisfaction, trusting God to fill me as He chooses.
5. I deliberately and actively provide for others “the joy, love and peace of Christ.”

As Peter says, “The end of all things is near” for all of us (1 Peter 4:7, NIV). We’ll have plenty of time to worship and enjoy His presence on the other side of glory. So, how might I use my communal worship in this life to pour out His Spirit for others rather than selfishly cling to it for my own peace, pleasure and sense of fulfillment?

My patient helped me to see that, even in church, “the characteristic of the child of God is not self-realization, but self-expenditure,” as Oswald Chambers said.

Dear God,

When I worship with others, let it be some about me. Let me meet you, empty myself and pour myself out for you. But let it be more about you and your church.

Amen