5 Christians You Don't Want to Sit Beside on Sunday Morning

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God likely isn’t annoyed or offended by crying babies or rambunctious children in church, nor does He get offended if a wife and husband get slightly cozy in church. God surely has compassion for a person whose tiny bladder forces them to go to the restroom more often than anyone else. For those who get annoyed by latecomers, fidgety kids, young mothers and infants, and people who have to work promptly at 1pm, it may be time to lighten up and practice some grace. But when we look at the Bible, it’s obvious God doesn’t like it when people refuse to focus their attention when He’s talking. He has called us to listen. Moses told the Hebrews they would be blessed if they listened to God’s commandments (Deuteronomy 11:27). Solomon said that when we come to God’s house we should “draw near to listen rather than to offer sacrifice of fools” (Ecclesiastes 5:1). But today, we live in a distracted culture and these distractions carry into church. These actions are not only rude to God, but distract others from being able to focus in church. Here are five Christians you don’t want to sit beside in church.

The Talkers

Talking during church is rude and some people are really bold when it comes to doing this. Some people will hold full conversations when announcements are being made or the sermon is being given, as if there is nobody else in the room but them and the person they are talking to. Answering a ringing phone in church is also extremely rude. There are people that will go as far as pulling out their phone and having a lengthy conversation as if they’re in a waiting room of a beauty parlor, or relaxing in their bed at home. There are emergency circumstances where people must take a call during church and if that’s the case, that person should leave their phone on vibrate and discreetly walk out so that their conversation is not a distraction to others.

The Loud Whisperers

The loud whisperers are just as bad as the talkers. They have the burning desire to comment on everything and because they were never taught how to properly whisper, you can still hear everything they’re saying. Usually, the person they’re talking to is just as engaged in what they’re being told that they too comment throughout the entire service. The truth is, whispering in front of others is almost always inappropriate and generally makes others feel uncomfortable. There are times however when whispering is necessary, especially when it’s an important matter. The key to whispering is making sure it done quickly and appropriately without making others around you feel uncomfortable. Remember, you’re in church to focus on God, not what you have on the agenda after church.

The PDA’ers

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Nothing’s wrong with showing a little affection in church (holding hands, laying your head on a shoulder, a kiss on the forehead, etc.), but there is something about public affection between couples, particularly in church that can be problematic. There are circumstances deeper than PDA prompting certain points of connection. Perhaps someone just lost a family member or is struggling with faith and their partner wants to comfort them. However, kissing each other every few minutes or going as far as giving each other heavy back rubs during worship is a bit much, don’t you think? It not only rubs people the wrong way, it’s a major distraction. There’s no way your focus can be on worship, when you’re consumed by your spouse in church. Husbands and wives can reach out to each other with touch that’s nurturing in nature.

The Sleepers

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At some point, you’ve probably encountered the church sleeper. This person never makes it through the service. You often find this person snoring right through the sermon and this is completely distracting to those in worship. A number of things can make people sleep in church. People fall asleep in church if they are not interested and not participating in church events, people can sleep in church if they are fatigued and if the service is cold or boring to them, and sometimes people fall asleep because there is a demonic force at play creating an atmosphere to make them fall asleep. Sometimes, sleeping in church is a device of the devil to keep people from getting what God has for them. Many of us have dozed off in church, but saying “God knows I’m tired, I’m human” is no excuse. Get enough rest and sleep before service. Go into the service with enough weapons to fight off sleep.

The Phone Addicts

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Entire families navigate their smartphones while sharing meals at restaurants. Students text in class. Parents take phone calls at their children’s sporting events and plays. It’s no surprise that cellphone affect even church. It has gotten so bad that it has become common for parishes to place blurbs in their bulletins about silencing cellphones and for lectors to make announcements about it before liturgies, reminding parishioners that they’re in a place of worship. But even that still doesn’t stop a phone from going off or members to be completely engulfed on their favorite app. Texting and surfing the web during service is a huge distraction. It’s hard to focus on God when the person right next to you is playing games on their phone. Just put the phone down.