Introduction

In John 4:24, Jesus said, “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

The church building is used for the purpose of worshipping God. It isn’t used for anything else other than that. The worship period is not a social hour, or a community outreach gathering. With that in mind, there are those, within any given congregation, that are never satisfied with how things are done.

They are the complainers in the congregation; the ones who wants things done their way and to their desires. Keep in mind, this list isn’t a collection of sinful acts but, rather, those who feel the need for more control. However, they can become sinful if their objective becomes disruptive during worship. As the apostle Paul wrote, Let all things be done decently and in order. (1 Corinthians 14:40)

Who are these Complainers?

The Seat Possessor—This is the member who always sits in the exact same place week after week. There is nothing wrong with this as we are all creatures of habit. However, the complaint comes when a visitor sits in their seat and the member is completely taken aback by this “atrocity”.

Remember, there is no assigned seating in Heaven. The easy solution is to sit somewhere else for that day’s worship. As Paul writes, If it is possible, as much as depends on you, live peaceably with all men (Romans 12:18).

The Time-Keeper—You know this person; the one who wants short sermons and might sigh aloud, and often, when the sermon reaches a certain “time limit”. But they don’t stop there. They’ll be unhappy if the talk before the Lord’s Supper is too long, if Song leader chooses songs with four or more verses in them, and on and on.

What would they have done if Paul was preaching? In Acts 20, it speaks of Paul preaching until Midnight! But it doesn’t end there, in verse 11 it mentions that Paul continued speaking until daylight!

Jesus said, “By your patience possess your souls.” (Lk. 21:19) No amount of frustration is going to make the time go by faster. Enjoy the service, this is one of the few times you’ll have to assemble with your brethren. And, on the Day of Judgment, you may have wanted the preacher to speak longer to save your soul.

The Interior Decorator—This individual is more concerned about the color of the carpet than the lesson that is being preached. They want to make sure that visitor’s first impressions are such that they enjoy sitting in the auditorium as it has a comfortable style.

Although carpeting shouldn’t be dark and gloomy (like black or gray), it shouldn’t be such a distraction that people continually comment about it. As we stated before, you are there to worship God and not admire the carpeting.

The Appearance Maker—Somewhat similar to the previous, this is the individual who wants to best of the best as part of the worship service. That is, the best song leader, the best prayer leader, and the best Lord’s Table presenter. They’re concerned about the morning service, when most of the visitors come in. They don’t want any “Second String” members participate in the morning worship but, rather, save them for the evening.

As long as things are done decently and in order (1 Cor. 14:40), again, we are there to worship God not impress men. Paul writes, For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ (Galatians 1:10).

Nobody is perfect! A song leader might start in the wrong key or a prayer leader might fumble looking for the words. We’re all there to worship God and, as long as our heart is in the service, we’ll be doing what is required of us.

The Subject Master—This is the individual who wants certain subjects taught in the bible class as opposed to a sermon. Plus, certain sermons to be preached in the evening instead of the morning. Like The Appearance Maker, it’s all about the visitors. They’d rather have first-principal sermons in the morning and more weightier lessons in the evening.

As Paul wrote to Timothy, Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. (2 Timothy 4:2) What and when to preach should be up to the preacher (and elders, when possible). If someone has a suggestion, they can bring it up to them.

However, if there is a problem in the congregation, it needs to be address immediately, and that includes the morning service; even if visitors are present. All can benefit from the lesson even if they are not part of the issue.

Conclusion

I’m sure this are many other categories of complainers but this will suffice for this article. If you are one of the above, know that your heart isn’t quite right with God and you need to improve your behavior.

If you know of someone who fits this category, you might gently inquire their problem and see how it can be resolved. Remind them that they are there to worship God and not to cater to men.

These people can serve as a distraction to others in the assembly. I’ve personally seen people leave a local congregation, and not return, all because of one of these complainers. I’ve even seen complainers, themselves, leave and not return. The bible has the solution for these problems and others.

If you have an issue, take it up with the preacher, or elders, rather than sit back and wallow in your own self-misery. Remember, you are there to worship God and not meet the approval of men.