Monday, September 8, 2014
If you are a church attending child of God, I bet you’ve lost count of the many times you’ve heard people remark that they don’t go to church because there are too many hypocrites there. That’s just like me saying that I never vote because there are too many crooked politicians, never seek legal counsel because there are too many phony lawyers, and I never call the police for help because some cops are corrupt. Of course there are a lot of hypocrites in church; the truth is there are probably more outside of it, and if we’re going to be totally honest, there is a little bit of hypocrisy in all of us. Nevertheless, most people that use that worn out quote use it as an excuse to not attend church.
On the other hand, there are people that go to church because it makes them feel like their one hour there covers their obligation to God for the week, thus satisfying their conscience. And then there are those who mistakenly believe that belonging to a church or religion gives them an automatic free pass to Heaven. Pastor Mike preached yesterday in his Spanish sermon about the people in the prophet Jeremiah’s time who thought that as long as they were worshipping in the Lord’s temple they were safe. No, trusting in a church or religion for one’s salvation is not a new thing. However, please don’t think that I am trying to suggest that church attendance is a waste of time; it is quite the contrary, and God’s true worshippers go there on a regular basis.
Assuming it is a God honoring, Christ centered church, there are many, many benefits when one goes there. Here are but a few: (1) Our faith is strengthened. Romans 10:17 says that “Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.” (2) Prayer: Most Christian churches encourage those in attendance to come to their altar to pray, be prayed for, or commit their life to Christ. (3) Attitudes improve. In Psalm 73, Asaph writes about the day he was upset and frustrated reflecting on the seemingly prosperous wicked people of his day, suggesting that his serving God may have been in vain. He thought that way until he entered into the sanctuary. (Vs. 17) Time and space does not allow me to share more. However, and for your own benefit, please make church attendance a regular part of your life. If you have slipped and have abandoned the practice, I urge you to get up and start all over again. You’ll be very happy that you did.
Memory verse for the week: (John 4:23) “Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true
worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.”
