Acts 2:47: And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
In a world where nearly everything revolves around personal preference, it feels natural to approach church the same way we approach restaurants, stores, or entertainment. We form a list of what we want: good music, friendly people, engaging preaching, strong programs, or convenience. None of those things are bad in themselves — yet when they become the basis for choosing a church, we may be thinking more like consumers than disciples.
The Bible makes something abundantly clear: God has always cared about how His people worship Him. The Old Testament repeatedly records Israel’s struggle not with abandoning worship, but with reshaping worship according to their own desires. During the time of Hosea, God used shocking language to describe their unfaithfulness — Israel had become like an unfaithful spouse chasing other lovers. They claimed to belong to God, but their actions revealed that their own preferences meant more to them than God’s instructions.
That picture is uncomfortable because it moves worship out of the realm of personal taste and places it in the realm of obedience. The real question for Christians today is not, “What do I want in a church?” but “What does God want in His church?” These two questions do not always lead to the same destination.
Modern religious culture tells us to “pick the church that fits you.” Scripture, however, paints an entirely different picture. The church is not a brand, not a denomination, and not a group of people who simply decided to follow Jesus. According to Acts 2:47, “...the Lord added to the church those who were being saved.” That means the church is not a human creation — it is God’s creation. He adds the saved to it. He determines its design, its doctrine, its worship, and its purpose. We do not join the church of our choice; God adds the obedient to the church He built.
Because of that, how we respond to God’s instructions matters deeply. We do not have the right to alter God’s plan simply because we do not agree with it or because another version feels more comfortable. The call of Christianity is not self-expression — it is self-denial. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24). Following Jesus means learning to want what God wants, even when it challenges us.
The church, according to Scripture, is not a place to be entertained — it is a family, a body, and a fellowship. Families do not function based on personal preference; they function based on commitment. In the same way, the church thrives not when everyone demands their own way, but when everyone seeks God’s way together. Our goal is not to find a church that pleases us, but to become a church that pleases God.
The heart of the matter is simple: one day we will not stand before God and be asked whether we attended a church that matched our tastes. We will be asked whether we loved Him enough to obey Him — even when our preferences pushed in a different direction. The consumer mindset is temporary; the kingdom mindset is eternal. And the blessing is that when we pursue what God wants, we discover something better than convenience, comfort, or personal preference — we discover truth, unity, belonging, and salvation.
May we be humble enough and courageous enough to say, “I don’t want a church built around my desires. I want the church built around God’s.”
If our hearts adopt that commitment, and we live by it, God will not only add us to His church — He will someday welcome us into His eternal kingdom.
