Refusing to Go to Church

To Sabbath School teachers: This story is for Sabbath, August 30.

By Andrew McChesney

W

hen Sibusiso was 8, he thought Jesus was a make-believe person. He had never gone to church, and he didn’t believe in Jesus.

Then Mom came to him on a Sunday morning and said, “You have to go to church with me today.”

“I don’t want to go,” he said.

“You must go to church,” Mom said.

“I’ll go, but not today,” he said.

“OK,” Mom said.

She went to church alone. He ran off to play soccer with friends.

A few weeks later, Mom invited Sibusiso to go with her to church again.

He hadn’t changed his mind.

“I don’t want to go,” he said.

“But you must go to church,” Mom said.

“I’ll go, but not today,” he said.

“OK,” Mom said.

She went to church alone. He ran off to play ping-pong with friends.

The next time Mom asked, he refused again.

This went on for five years.

Then one day, when Sibusiso was 13, Mom told him that he was being transferred to a Seventh-day Adventist school.

Sibusiso didn’t want to go. He didn’t want to say goodbye to his friends. But he saw Mom’s face and knew that he couldn’t argue. He might be able to refuse to go to church on Sunday, but he couldn’t refuse to go to the Adventist school.

Sibusiso immediately liked his new school. He could see that the teachers enjoyed teaching, and they taught well. He especially enjoyed Bible class. For the first time, he heard how the world was created. He read in the Bible that God made people in His own image. He read in Genesis 1:27, “So God created man in His own image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them” (NKJV).

Sibusiso loved Bible stories. He was impressed with Noah and the big ark. He was amazed that Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. His heart was touched to know that Jesus died so all children who believe in Him can live forever.

He began to wonder if Jesus might not be a make-believe person after all.

He wanted to know more, so he decided to go to church.

He enjoyed the worship service. The preacher spoke about getting baptized and living in heaven forever with Jesus.

The boy thought, “Jesus really isn’t a make-believe person. I want to be baptized and live with Him forever.”

Sibusiso went back to church the next Sabbath and every Sabbath after that. He took Bible lessons and got baptized.

Mom was so happy! Her boy who had refused to go to church for so many years now believed in Jesus and wanted to live for Him.

Today, Mom no longer tells Sibusiso that he has to go to church. He wants to go to church on his own — and he hopes that one day Mom will want to go with him to church on Sabbath.

“I want to go to church because I want to be closer to Christ,” he said.

Your Thirteenth Sabbath Offering this quarter will help children learn that Jesus is not only real but also God. Part of the offering will be used to give needy children their very own Adventurer’s Bibles in Zimbabwe and in the other countries of the Southern Africa-Indian Ocean Division. Thank you for planning to give a generous offering on September 27.