For me, getting called to the pulpit was as much a shock as it was to anyone else. I never saw myself as a polished, Solomon-type leader—no, I believe God called a Paul. Someone who speaks truth boldly, without fear or fancy polish, because there’s too much at stake for anything less.
I cannot fear the truth. I cannot fear being bold when God calls me to speak it. Once your eyes are opened to truth, the world starts making sense in ways you never imagined—including suffering, including death as we know it.
Now let’s be clear: church attendance doesn’t equal worship.
Going to church is easy. It’s familiar. It feels comfortable. You sit in a pew, sing a few songs, listen to a message, maybe greet a few people. But ask yourself: Does going to church change your heart? Because if it doesn’t, then you’re just a spectator at a spiritual game you’re supposed to be playing in.
Jesus said it plainly in John 4:23, “The true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.” That means worship isn’t a show. It’s not a routine, ritual, or checkbox on your to-do list. It’s who you are, not just what you do.
Transformation beats attendance every time.
You can attend church every Sunday for fifty years, but if your life outside those walls isn’t marked by love, humility, obedience, and forgiveness, what good is it? Are you led by the Holy Spirit, or just by the clock and habit? Are you living for God inside and outside the church? Or are you the same person when the service ends and the doors close?
Too many people know about God but don’t know God. They talk about Him in church but don’t walk with Him in the world. They focus on appearances—how they look in their Sunday best, how much they sing, how well they memorize verses—but their hearts are far from Him.
Worship is a lifestyle, not a routine.
The enemy loves it when you think worship is just a Sunday morning activity. Because if you truly worshiped in spirit and truth, your life would look different. Your attitudes, words, choices would all bear the fruit of the Spirit—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
Church attendance doesn’t produce fruit. Surrender to Christ does.
So here’s the tough love: don’t just settle for being a churchgoer.
God isn’t impressed with your attendance record. He’s looking for true worshipers—those who surrender their whole lives to Him. The ones who live for Him inside and outside the church. The ones whose lives bear fruit. The ones whose hearts are broken over sin and who seek transformation, not just tradition.
Don’t fool yourself into thinking you’re pleasing God by putting in time without changing your heart.
Surrender is what makes you a true worshiper.
If you want to know what true worship looks like, start with a hard look in the mirror. Ask God to reveal what’s holding you back. Repent of lukewarm faith, complacency, and hypocrisy. Ask the Holy Spirit to lead and transform you from the inside out.
Because the truth is simple: going to church doesn’t make you a true worshiper—your surrender does.
And if you think you can fool God with your attendance, think again. He sees the heart. And He’s waiting for worshipers who worship Him in spirit and truth.
