4. They Worry Their Leaders

everyone who bears the name of Christ, as affirmed by your church, yet who willingly chooses to live their lives apart from the covenanted community of believers is practicing identity theft. They've taken Christ's name, but they don't honestly identify with his body, the local church.

Non-attenders are not only reverse-witnesses, they're reverse models. They disregard and disobey countless passages of Scripture and fail to image God's character in even the most basic ways, even though they claim to be his adopted children.

Second, non-attenders confuse new believers. New believers are often a mess. Everything they thought was up is down, and everything they thought was down is up. There is great confusion in the first weeks and months and even years of a new believer's life. They need to be taught well.

Regular attenders sacrifice to keep their covenant with their local church. They give their money and their time to meet the needs of other members of the body, which is not easy to say the least. Non-attenders don't do these things, at least not with any regularity. So when a church allows non-attenders to remain members, they effectively gut the meaning of membership, which hurts and discourages the faithful.

Hebrews 13:17 says, "Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account." In light of this verse, a faithful pastor or elder should feel responsible for the spiritual state of every member of his flock. Like a father worried about his son who hasn't yet come home late at night, a good shepherd doesn't rest until all his sheep are accounted for. Non-attenders makes this task nearly impossible.  

NOT ALL NON-ATTENDERS ARE ALIKE

Those who live in the area and are unable to attend: age or health prevent them. Such elderly or physically suffering members should be treated with special care. This article isn't about them. Those who live (temporarily) outside the area and are unable to attend: military or business assignments prevent them. Such (temporary) non-attenders should also be treated with special care since their travel for work places unique burdens on them and their family. This article isn't about them.  Those who live outside the area and choose to keep their membership with your local church: distance prevents them. Such non-attenders should be encouraged to join a local church they can attend. This article is about them. Those who live in the area and sporadically, infrequently attend: nothing really prevents them except their own choice. This article is especially about them.

And that takes me to another reason for preaching on Job and that is its polemic and apologetic value. We minister in a context where Christians are bombarded with books and resources offering them their best life now. It can therefore be a deeply disillusioning experience to discover that the program for health and wealth and happiness we have bought into was void of real resources to deliver on its promises.

And finally we turned to the book of Job because, when read in canonical context, it is impossible not to find lines of connection with the central story of scripture focused on Jesus Christ. In short, Job is a gospel book.

If there was a single lesson preaching Job has reinforced for me it would be that pastoral care informs the pulpit, and when it does the pulpit in turn accomplishes effective pastoral care.