Turn off your social media in church

This past Sunday I visited a church I had only been to one other time. The worship was good, and the message was very solid. However, there was a major distraction. A husband and wife sat in the pew beside me, and their teen age daughter sat in front of them. The husband had his Bible on his phone, but kept switching from it to his calendar and to Facebook. Every once in a while he would show his wife something on FB. She sat there with an I-Pad and spent much of the sermon looking at some shopping site. The daughter spent the entire message on FB and texting. I had to wonder why they bothered to come to church

There is something seriously wrong with people who are so addicted to their social media and phones that they cannot shut them down for an hour or two to focus on God, worship, and His Word. Don't think the pastor cannot tell what you are doing while he's delivering the message. I've preached many times knowing that individuals were locked into their phones, and it wasn't to be reading the Scriptures. I can also tell you that it doesn't make the minister feel very good when that happens.

Most of the time when I am at any meeting at all I put my phone on vibrate. Unless I am expecting an important call or text I won't even look at it when it does go off if I am in a meeting. Sometimes I just leave the phone in the car. I'm not that important that people have to have contact with me 24/7. I doubt you are either.

Maybe I shouldn't have noticed this family on their phones during the service, but it was hard not to with them sitting beside and in front of me. I also can't help but wonder what an unsaved person would have thought if they had witnessed the same thing. Would they have been distracted from a message God wanted them to hear? Would they have wondered what is so wonderful about being a Christian and going to church if people are just going to be on their social media sites? You can do that at home on Sunday morning in your pajamas.

I also wondered about this family. They certainly showed a lack of respect for the pastor and the church. They showed a lack of respect for the Word of God being preached, and, even more importantly, they showed a lack of respect for God Himself. While I cannot judge their relationship with Christ, I can say with certainty that their lack of discipleship was obvious.

A friend of mine posted on FB yesterday about the decline of spirituality among Christians today. As I read that I immediately thought of this family.

If we are going to attend worship services let's give God the respect He deserves while we are there. Leave your phone in the car. If you are going to take it inside because your Bible is on it, at least avoid using it for social media and other activities until the service is over. It really shouldn't be that hard to do.