Most Believers Just Do What Is Expected Of Them By Their Congregation

Many understand that children behave according to the expectation of their parents, and most students perform to the level of expectation of their teachers. And I have noticed that most believers do only what is expected of them by the church they attend. II Cor 10:12 talks about that possibility – “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”

For example when it comes to church attendance, I grew up in a congregation that expected you to be there on Sunday morning, but Sunday night and Wednesday night were like extra credit. I think that’s probably why my parents only took us Sunday mornings. But churches that emphasize texts like Heb 10:25 expect their members to be there every service. In congregations like that you rarely see much of a drop off from Sunday am to Sunday or Wednesday pm.

Some churches expect their members to really live a holy lifestyle Monday through Saturday (I Pet 1:16), and some churches don’t. The great majority of the members of those churches who expect such usually live a very moral life. And the members of the other type churches (usually a congregation that has fallen for the Once Saved Always Saved deception – II Pet 2:20-22) usually live like those around them that don’t even go to church anywhere.

The same thing happens with personal evangelism (Matt 28:19, Mark 16:15, Acts 8:1,4, etc.). For example the Watchtower church doesn’t consider a member faithful unless he or she works diligently at reaching the lost. What’s the result? – every JW I have ever known works many hours per month seeking converts to their faith. But other churches treat personal evangelism like extra credit. As a result only a very few of their members work hard at reaching the lost.

Less than a century ago every preacher in most any church that was willing to defend publicly what he preached publicly (like Jesus and Paul, Matt 22:15-46, Acts 19:8-10) was considered to have great courage (I Cor 16:13). But that expectation has subsided. Now it is just the opposite – such “contending for the faith” (Jude 3) is frowned upon. Now the membership of those same churches expect their preachers to shun public debate. And so the preachers generally conform to what is expected of them.

This all reminds me of what the Presbyterian Church USA said in 1991 about homosexuality: The church should “re-evaluate its definition of sin to reflect the changing mores of society.” Except we’re talking more about “re-evaluating the definition of sin to reflect the expectation of one’s church.” In either case, sin is decided by comparison to others instead of by God’s word.