10 Bad Habits to Avoid in Church

Many believers think that they can do just what they want because the house of God is literally "your father's house". While it is true that the church is your father's (God's) house and you are a child of God, it is still necessary to give due respect and honour to God. One evidence of Christ in the life of a believer is the fruits that we bear. In today’s article, have a list of ungodly habits to avoid in the house of God.

 

1. Going Late to Church

For many people, it is really possible to avoid going to church late. whenever your lateness is unavoidable, you can get a good excuse but if your lateness to every service or meeting is a constant one, then it proves that your love for God and the things of the kingdom has grown cold. Lateness is also a sign of indiscipline and you must wake up from the slumber of lateness before it is too late.

 

2. Refusing Instructions from Ushers

When you are directed to an appropriate place to sit and yoou refuse to, it may come off as a sign of pride, unnecessary show-off and utmost disrespect for order in the house of God. An usher is a trained professional in the art of maintaining order in God's house and you must obey their instructions if you are truly a child of God who hates disorder.

 

3. Picking Calls During Services

The act of always running out to pick calls with your phone ringing out so loud is an inappropriate habit. Most times, you already know that you are going to church. Except it is a very important call, it is a really bad habit to pick calls in church. You should switch off or mute your phone as soon you get to church to avoid any form of distraction. If you also receive calls repeatedly during every church services, it shows where your heart, your values and priorities are. Stop it.

 

4. Chewing Gum and Snacks During Services 

The church is not a cinema hall nor a brothel. You should show reverence to your God and maker 

 

5. Sleeping in church during Sermon

We know that the house of God is your father's house and you want to feel at home, but sleeping during a sermon? Haba! Even if you have the anointing of Jonah, you must try to be intentional about listening to God's word. You can also read our article on 5 Tips to help you stay awake during vigils to help you

 

6. Sitting During Prayer or Praise Sessions

When you sit down during prayer or praise sessions without any medical or health reasons, it makes you look very odd and unspiritual. Prayer and Praise sessions are corporate sessions in church that require total participation from members. So, except you have a medical condition that makes you unable to stand (for long), you should not be sitting during prayer or praise sessions

 

7. Checking the Church clock or Wrist watch 

Anytime you look at the church watch or your wrist watch during church hours, you are insinuating that church should close. While some do it stylishly, some other Christians are quite funny that they could turn their heads to the location of the clock in an attempt to bring the passage of time to their pastor's notice. As long as you are not the church secretary, administration officer or time keeper, you do not have any business with the church clock. In Psalm 122:1, David the Psalmist said he was glad when they invited him to go to the house of the Lord and that is how it should be for true believers. It is not a wise thing to hurry or rush out of God's presence.

 

8. Chatting and Playing Mobile Games

It is disregard for God's presence and dis-honour to your pastors/leaders if you chat or play mobile games during church service. It does not only show you as undisciplined, but also as not spiritual. 

9. Leaving Church before Closure

If you usually leave church services and meetings for no particular appointment, making others who choose to stay till the end of service feel they don't know what to do with their time. Stop it.

 

10. Gathering outside the church 

In some services, church members gather in groups with other members to gossip or discuss football, politics, market prices, economy and many other time irrelevant things while the service is going on. In our article on how to handle gossips as a believer, we discussed the need to abstain from gossip areas and you can simply do that so you do not engage in

 

 

As someone who is very conscious of her environment, I tend to observe things and people closely. I can even go as far as mimicking how some people pray, walk, dance, etc. As a result, I noticed some habits in church that I believe are wrong. Not just in my local church, but also in other ministries I attend. In no particular order, here are some bad habits I noticed during services...

 

1. People who are not praying because they're not the ones leading the prayers: you see this set of people; they make me angry (I'm not even kidding). For this set of people, when they're not on the altar leading prayers, they will not pray. They will be walking about like they lost something, and they will not pray out when they're praying (that's if they manage to pray). They will stand to watch others pray but will never pray. You might even be tricked into believing they don't know how to pray. However, when you give them the mic, you'll know that they have fire inside of them (or maybe it's just smoke😂). Why they only exhibit it on the altar when they're the ones leading prayers, and not in the congregation, is what I don't exactly understand. It's the same with some choristers as well. If you're not the lead singer or part of the backup singers, you'll stand at the choir seat like someone broke your heart, or maybe you're waiting for the person to make mistakes so you can be asked to take over. I don't understand. Some have a problem with the person singing because they believe they're better than them.If you're sitting on this table, you'd better climb down now and be humble. Yeah, because I think it's pride. It's pride for you not to pray or sing when someone else is leading, but if you're the one leading, you'll fire on like others are not as spiritual as you are. Please, change. Pull off the garment of pride and put on the garment of humility. You might be more anointed than others, and even the pastor, but that shouldn't stop you from receiving of other people's ministration.Proverbs 16:18“Pride goes before destruction, and haughtiness before a fall." (NLT)

 

2. Zero participation during the service

You're not praying, not sleeping. Not singing, not writing. Doing absolutely nothing: I find this set extremely funny. They're the younger ones compared to the number one set of individuals. For this set, they don’t minister on the altar. They might be workers, but they're not altar ministers. However, why they don't pray, sing, or involve themselves in other activities during service baffles me. Like, why?? Were you the angel sent to the service to take notes of the congregants during the service?? Sincerely, I feel they're taking notes about people during service. They don't sing, pray, or dance. They're as static as a tree trunk during the service, and they're always frowning. Sing, no. Pray, no. Dance, big no! You know what, if they were sleeping during service, I would understand (I'm not saying it's good to sleep during the service). After the service, they join their group meeting (that's if they wait) and go straight back home. They don't bother to greet anyone.If you're guilty, please, find a way in your heart to forgive those who have offended you in church. Maybe someone has offended you; that's why you're not participating in the service. On behalf of the people and the whole church, I'm sorry. Please, try participating in the service from now on.

 

3. Pressing phone (I would have chosen a better word, but I feel this one properly articulates my thoughts): It's the effrontery for me, actually. If you're before your boss in the office, you dare not pick up your phone, talk more of pressing it. Some people go as far as playing games during service (I've been guilty of this one time, and my excuse was, ‘I didn't want to sleep.' Former stupid me should have left my seat and find where to stand. But no, I was stylishly pressing my phone, playing a game). I was listening to the sermon, but it doesn't change the fact that I was doing something wrong at the right time. You have no excuse whatsoever to press your phone during service if it is not an emergency. Someone was watching football beside me one Sunday like that... As in soccer! Why do you do to God what you cannot do to a fellow human?? God is not one to be disrespected. It is absolutely disrespectful for you to wake up, dress up for service, and then go ahead to be pressing the phone in that service. It's far more than receiving blessings during the service. Sometimes, it's just a word you need to hear during the service that will change you forever. If I'm mistakenly online during the service, I promise you it's related to the service. I find it disrespectful to God to be in His presence and be busy with your phone, not that you’re using the Bible app, but surfing the internet. Let me use the usual scenario our elders usually give... “Imagine your angel came to the service with your blessings and meet you pressing your phone. If you were the angel, would you drop the blessing??"

 

4. Walkaholics

Comrades, I hail thee. It’s like there's always a pin on the chairs you usually sit on during the service, so it makes the seat very uncomfortable for you. Or maybe the fan in the church is not working, and the whole place is hot, so you decide to move outside. You're cousins to the first two sets of individuals with bad habits in the church. Whatever makes you a walkaholic (pun intended) during service is what I want you to please explain. As in, why can't you stay in the church auditorium for just five minutes? I'm really interested in your reason. Service is ongoing, and you too, you're ongoing... You'll move to the toilet, and from there, to the technical stand. Before you go back to your seat, you'll do small ushering work, then you'll go and check if the Media subgroup is projecting the right Bible verse, you'll go and ask the prayer cord if there's a meeting during the week, and so on. You always have something to do sha! I care less if you're an active worker or not because even ushers don't walk about like you do. For the umpteenth time, I really want to know why you do that. You woke up on a good day, prayed, bathed, dressed up, and set off to church, only to walk about and not hear a single thing that was said in church. Let me ask you too... “If your angel comes with your blessings and wants to hand it over to you, the way you're walking upandan, will you be able to receive it, or do you expect angel Gabriel to be following you around till you finally settle down???"The word that is supposed to change your orientation as touching the things the Lord has told you, how do you receive it and use it when your bottom is always in disagreement with the seats in the church? 

Conclusion

It is necessary to note that God loves order in His house. In Matthew 21:13, we read about the buying and selling in the house of God and until Jesus turned the tables over and made his stance known, the people were still going to buy and sell. In the church today, much more activities like buying and selling in the heart of men goes on and these things birth bad habits like the aforementioned. As believers, we must lead by example  henceforth with good character and attitudes so that we can successfully promote the gospel of the kingdom of God to the ends of the earth.