CHURCH HITCHHIKERS

Neither do men light a candle, and put in under a bushel, but on a candlestick—Matthew 5:15

The seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches—Revelation 1:20

I recently came across the following term in a book I’m reading: “Ecclesiastical hitchhikers.”  It refers to a multitude of professing Christians who exist as nomadic hitchhikers without accountability, without responsibility, without discipline, and without discipleship.

A hitchhiker’s thumb says, “You buy the car, pay for the gas, the upkeep and insurance, and I’ll ride with you.  But if you have an accident, or the car breaks down, you are on your own!” So it is with so many of today’s church attenders: “You go to the committee meetings and hammer out the issues and do all the work and pay the bills.  I’ll come along for the ride. But if things do not suit me, I’ll criticize and complain and probably go somewhere else. My thumb is always out for a better ride.”

This feigned loyalty is fueled by a consumer mind-set — a “McChristian” mentality — which picks and chooses here and there to fill one’s religious shopping list.  They attend one church for the preaching, send their children to a second church for its dynamic youth program, and go to a third church’s small group meetings.  Church hitchhikers have a telling vocabulary: “I go to” or “I attend,” but never “I belong to” or “I am a member.”

Yes, it is true, you do not have to go to church to be a Christian.  You do not have to go home to be married either.  But, in either case, if you do not, you will have a very poor relationship.

Bottom Line: Find a good local church, join it, put your roots down and become accountable and responsible.  Then get busy and do your best to make that church all it can be for the glory of God!