Costly and Totally Worth It - Prioritizing Sundays as a Young Christian

Being young has its advantages. The age range spanning from early adolescence to one’s 20s affords an incomparable number of ways to spend one’s time. Perhaps at no other time in one’s life is there such a wide array of choices: time with friends, sports, work, school, clubs, instruments, video games, social media, and a seemingly endless number of streaming services. Unfortunately, when compiling that list of ways to spend one’s time, young believers often make one glaring omission - church. That omission is aided by the reality that, even amongst mature Christians, one’s teens and early 20s are often seen as a time for amusement, few responsibilities, and even fewer commitments.

While it is widely accepted that young Christians are expected to be flakey and unreliable, nowhere in God’s word are young believers exempt from the call to radical commitment to the local church. Young people at Grace Rancho, let’s reject this lie! Yes, there is lots of fun to be had in your teens and 20s. There are wonderful and God-honoring ways to invest time in hobbies. School is important and you have a responsibility to be diligent in your studies. However, there is nothing that will be more worth your time than devoting yourself to your local church. There is no better way to do this than to make Sunday mornings a priority. This will mean making real sacrifices and uncomfortable choices regarding how you spend your time. Those sacrifices, however, will pale in comparison to the lifetime of blessing you will receive as you grow in relationship with God’s people, Sunday after Sunday, singing, praying, and hearing God’s word together. Ephesians 4:15-16 paints a beautiful picture of how the church, as the body of Christ, is inextricably bound together in such a way that the whole body is built up in love. This image cuts directly against any notion that we as Christians can grow alone. We require our fellow Christians to help us grow in our love for one another. 1 Corinthians 12:21-22 says “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you’ On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable.” It is tempting, when young, to isolate yourself from other groups of believers and spend time with people similar to yourself. However, Scripture makes it clear that God’s intention for all Christians, young and old, is to be united together in such a way that points to the supernatural unity we share in the gospel.

Say No to Good Things

There are some very practical ways we can prioritize Sundays at church. Firstly, we can say no to things, even good things, that will prevent us from being at church on Sunday. No doubt, there are lots of things that are worth doing and need to get done during the week. As much as is possible, try to get your homework done prior to Sunday. Tell your coach that Sundays at church are a priority to you. Let your friends know that a late night out on Saturday won’t work. Or better yet, invite them to church with you on Sunday. In His providence, God has gifted us with friends, hobbies, sports, and innumerable extracurricular activities. They all have their place. Enjoyed rightly, they point us to God. But because we are finite and time is limited, there will be occasions when we have to say no to these things if they prevent us from worshiping corporately on Sunday. Saying no to fun is hard but we have it on God’s authority that what we will be saying yes to is infinitely greater in worth.

Prepare Your Heart and Mind

Apart from the ways of physically assuring you can be at Church on Sunday, find ways to prepare your heart and mind for Sunday. One of the easiest ways to do this is by praying for the upcoming sermon and read ing through the text ahead of time. Try to come well-rested to church on Sunday mornings. After all, we are gathering together to hear God speak to us through His word. Let’s be awake for it even if it means putting your phone down a little bit earlier Saturday night.

Get Involved in Other People’s Lives

Another way of making the most of Sundays is to involve yourself in the lives of other Church members throughout the week. Allow Sundays to be a means to prompt deeper fellowship throughout the entire week. There is something indescribably joyous about singing and taking communion with fellow believers with whom you have deep and meaningful relationships outside of Sunday morning service. Attending the more intimate time we enjoy during Sunday evening services will also greatly help you to that end. There are, of course, times when it isn’t possible to be at Church on Sunday. Many people’s careers or life circumstances make regular Sunday attendance a challenge. That said, Christ is glorious and His glory is displayed in His bride. Let’s make every effort to be at Church on Sundays and behold Christ through and with His people.

Youth, while a blessing, is fleeting. James 4:14 tells us, “What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes.” Sooner than you might expect, Lord willing, you will look in the mirror and find an old man or woman looking back at you. The eyes you see will be framed in crow’s feet, your face lined with wrinkles. The trivial fun of being young will appear, from this vantage, to be a long-forgotten vapor. The impact of a life devoted to Christ’s body, however, will last forever, not because we are especially talented, but because Christ is King and will build His church. So, young brothers and sisters at Grace Rancho, let’s praise God for the blessings of youth, and with all our energy and time, devote ourselves to being present and ready to worship with our church family every Sunday.