Think of it like Toothpaste

I’m not sure we really mean it.

When we say, ‘Well, at least they are going to church somewhere.”

I’m just not sure we really mean that.

I think it comes from good intentions.

We don’t want to seem elitist.

We don’t want to come off as legalistic. That they must come to our church, or it is the wrong church.

We want to be happy that at least they are in a building that is worshipping God.

Or at least claims to worship God. After all, at least they are going to church, right?

Think of it like this.

Years ago, I was getting ready for the day. And the first thing I have to do after getting out of bed is brush my teeth. Morning breath is clearly a result of the fall.

I grabbed my toothbrush and got the bristles wet. Yes, I am one of those.

Opened up the drawer and grabbed the white tube.

Squeezed its minty contents onto my toothbrush and began to clean my teeth.

And then something happened.

Something just not right.

I noticed that the toothpaste didn’t taste very minty.

Not minty at all.

As a matter of fact, it didn’t really taste like any type of toothpaste I had ever had.

When I looked in the mirror, I noticed that the toothpaste wasn’t getting foamy, just in clumps all along my teeth. It seemed far too creamy.

Something was very, very wrong.

I opened that drawer again to see what generic brand of toothpaste this was.

And then I saw it.

A & D.

You know, the butt cream ointment.

For kids.

The baby ointment for butt rash!!

Yep. That is what I was using to brush my teeth.

To answer your questions:

No, it doesn’t taste good.

No, it doesn’t remove easy.

Yes, this really happened.

Yes, we started putting the ointment somewhere else.

On the bright side, I can report that I never got a rash.

What happened?

Well, it looked right.

It was in the right drawer.

Squeezed just like toothpaste.

It all seemed just fine.

Turns out though, what is on the inside, what it is made of, is critically important.

Here is the harsh reality.

Not all churches are equal. I don’t mean more entertaining or better music. I’m not talking about kids’ programs that are more fun. The truth is, not all churches teach about the God of the Bible.

Not all exalt Jesus as the only way to be forgiven and made right with God.

Not all help members grow in their knowledge and love of the Lord.

Which church you attend really does matter.

It is not okay to just be ‘going somewhere’.

They are not all equal on the inside.