A Good Habit
J. Allen Blair
Dr. Rockwell Potter said, "You can worship God anytime, anywhere; but, unless you learn to worship Him sometime, somewhere, you will never worship Him anywhere." Churches exist to help us worship. Don't neglect it!
Psalm 122:1, is David's testimony about the house God: I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD. David appreciated the fellowship of the saints. Everyone should recognize the value of faithful attendance in the Lord's house.
A minister was doing door-to-door visitation. In one home he was confronted by a large, argumentative man who never attended church. Trying to give the minister a quick brush-off, he remarked loudly, "I have two things against the church; the first time I went, as a little baby, they dumped water on my head, and the second time I went I was tied to a woman that I've had to listen to ever since." "I see," replied the minister, "and I suppose that next time you go the minister will be throwing dirt in your face." To some people, that's all the church means: baptism, marriage, and a funeral. However, if it is a church where Christ is exalted and the Bible is taught, it would do you a world of good to be there every Lord's day.
In Matthew 4:4, Jesus said, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. It is not enough to satisfy our physical hunger with meat, potatoes, and vegetables. Every human has a soul with a spiritual hunger that must be gratified. How is the soul fed? By means of God's Word. Daily, the Bible should be read and meditated upon. We need a Bible-teaching church with a pastor who has a close relationship with God and faithfully expounds the truth. Without this we may be strong in body, but spiritually weak and starving.
In the early days of my ministry I pastored a church in central Illinois. We had an old-fashioned doctor who knew and followed the Lord. He told us he liked to get up about 5:30 in the morning to work on the shrubbery and flowers in his front yard. Each morning a young lady would pass at ten minutes to six, always at the same time. She would speak to him and he would speak to her. The doctor told us that he began to get curious and wondered where this young lady went so early in the morning. So, one morning, he asked her. The reply was, "I go to church." She said, "When I was in college there was a bell for everything. There was a bell to get up in the morning; there was a bell to come to breakfast; there was a bell to go to class; and so on, through the day. After I finished college and got out in the business world, I heard another bell, the church bell, and I realized that just as those bells rang in college to tell me there was something I needed or needed to do, I decided that when that church bell rang, there was something I needed and something I needed to do. So I got up and went to church. I've been going to church every morning since." The doctor said this made a deep impression on him. He said, "Whenever I am prone to miss church on the Lord's day, I think of that girl and it does something to me." I assure you that the church has something you need. If you've not been in the habit of listening to the Word of God taught every Lord's day, you're missing something you need. God says, in Hebrews 10:25, Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. The Lord says that believers in Jesus Christ are to assemble together and to exhort one another from the Word of God in the light of the soon return of Jesus.
There's something about the fellowship of the saints that all of us need. Some say, "I don't have to go to church. I can be just as good without the church as those who go." I won't argue with that point. But I have discovered in my life there is something about being with other believers that provides the encouragement I need, and a challenge to walk with the Lord and do His will. Often, God has used the testimonies of some of His dearest saints to remind me of weaknesses in my own life that needed to be corrected. Of course, I realize that the church won't mean much if we don't know the Lord. Our greatest need is to open our heart to God and let Christ come in. When He enters, we shall want to know more about Him. There is no better place to learn about Him than in a Bible-teaching church.
Do a little searching and I'm confident that you will find one. If you've been offering excuses, you may be sure that one of these days when you stand before the Lord, and you will, your excuses won't mean a thing. You can explain for all you're worth, but the only words you will hear from the lips of God's eternal Son are found in Matthew 25:41, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. Now, I'm sure, you don't want to hear that. So then, the best thing to do is to turn your life over to the Lord. Let Him live through you, and be faithful in worshiping Him at the house of God.
During my years in the pastorate, I think I heard about every excuse anyone could give to avoid attending church. People said, "It's too hot or it's too cold. I don't have the right kind of clothes to wear. There are too many hypocrites in the church." Excuses, excuses: they don't mean a thing to God. I hope you won't come up with excuses, but that you will get involved in a good church where Jesus is exalted.
Now, consider this. Are you putting first things first? I read (in Colossians 1:18) that in all things he (that is, Jesus) might have the preeminence. Does God have the preeminence in your life, or are you running it yourself? If you are running it yourself, yours must be a miserable existence. God can do a far better job than any of us in taking care of our lives. It is said that absence makes the heart grow fonder. If this is true, there must be a lot of people who love the church, don't you think? I hope you love the church, and I hope you're involved in the work of the church--offering your talents and gifts for the glory of God.
Do you really know the Lord? If not, I urge you, right now, to receive Him into your life. Things will change for you if you do. Maybe things are difficult. Trust the Lord and let Him work through your life and see what He can do.
Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths. Proverbs 3:5,6
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Into All The World
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Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again (Luke 6:38).