The Unused Health Club Membership
3-27-11
If all of the members of my health club actually used the facilities on a regular basis, the line to get in the place would probably be a mile long. A lot of people pay for memberships, but seldom come in to exercise. Perhaps they initially joined as a result of a New Years' resolution or under doctor's orders, but they never really made a personal commitment to getting fit. Whatever the reason, there are a lot of folks who fail to receive the full benefit of their health club memberships. Here's what happens:
They don't come at all. The health club could have the highest quality exercise equipment, the most well trained the staff, the finest facilities and best designed programs in the world, but if a member doesn't come, it's all for nothing.
They come, but don't exercise. Some folks like to come, but don't care to exercise. They'll stand around at the weight machines for an hour at a time gossiping or talking politics, or they'll sit in the sauna, or they'll drink sports drinks, but they don't exercise. If wagging their tongues and moving their jaw bones burned a lot of calories they'd be in fine shape, but as it is, they get no fitness benefit from their membership.
They come and exercise, but only once in awhile. Every visit becomes a reminder of how "out of shape" they are, but they are not doing enough to get into shape! This becomes an exercise in discouragement.
They come but don't exercise correctly. They'll not use the proper form or technique while exercising or lifting weights, and so they don't get the full benefit, and eventually their careless approach to exercising winds up causing an injury. They end up worse off than had they never exercised at all.
Oh, I should probably mention, these same points might just apply to church membership. The assemblies of the church are designed to promote the spiritual fitness of church members - they are "for edification" (1 Corinthians 14:26). If health clubs are for body building, churches are for spirit building. But the assemblies will not help you if you don't come. They will not help you if you come but don't actively participate. And if you only come occasionally, the assemblies will just remind you of how out of shape you are spiritually, and you'll leave feeling worse instead of better. If you come but don't worship in spirit and in truth (John 4:24), you could be doing yourself more harm than good. For example, the person who eats and drinks the Lord's Supper in an unworthy manner is condemning himself (1 Corinthians 11:29). The person who worships according to human tradition is worshiping "in vain" (Matthew 15:9).
It's easy for us to see the waste involved in having a health club membership that goes unused. Can we see how the same principle applies to our church membership? Why not take full advantage of your membership in the Lord's church? "Exercise yourself unto godliness" and be "strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man" (cf. 1 Timothy 4:7; Ephesians 3:16).
-- Steve Klein