Glorify and worship God by attending church

Statistics show that many people consider themselves Christians but have no desire to attend worship services on a regular basis. It is troubling to me that those who claim Jesus as their Lord and Savior cannot spend an hour in worship of Him on a weekly basis. 

Many churches have tried to keep up with the times by offering people contemporary services with less and less traditional worship and in that, some people have attended services who wouldn't ordinarily come. But it seems to me that people are missing the purpose of the "church." 

Church services were designed, not to please people, but to please our Creator. We are made in God's image and He has placed in each one of us a void which can only be filled with Him. That void can only be filled with worship of Him. 

It's a cop-out for people to say that they avoid church because it is filled with hypocrites. In my estimation, those who attend church regularly are there because they want to glorify God and they are being obedient servants.

When the early Christians were waiting anxiously for Christ's return, they met on a regular basis to fellowship, worship God and share the good news with one another. In the book of Hebrews, the writer addresses some concerns because some folks in the church seemed to think it unnecessary to meet. He reminded them of the sacrifice and Lordship of Jesus Christ and the importance of worship.

"Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, His body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching." Hebrews 10:19-25

It only hurts the "church" and those who are in need of encouragement when Christians fail to attend worship services. 

If I sound like I'm on my soap box, I guess it's because I am. For too many years, especially in the USA, too many people have wanted their names on church rolls, they want to get married in the church and they want a Christian burial, but other than showing up on Christmas and Easter, they never darken the doors of the sanctuary. 

Christians who fail to go to "church" have failed God. They have also failed their children, their fellow Christians and those who look at them as examples of Christianity. 

When I go to church on Sunday morning, I do it as an obligation to God. I'm not there to hear and critique the music or the preaching, I'm there to worship God – period. Over the years I've found that I can worship God in small congregations, in large congregations; whether singing contemporary music or traditional hymns; worship is an attitude of the heart and corporate worship is good for God to see and will uplift your heart because it affirms your beliefs and gives you an opportunity to share your heart with like-minded people.

If I've stepped on someone's toes with this message, then I guess you needed to have your toes stepped on! If I've enlightened you and placed a desire in you to attend worship services, then I'm overjoyed! God doesn't really ask much from those who believe in Christ Jesus, but He is worthy of worship; He is worthy of praise; He alone is worthy of an hour of your time each week. 

May the Lord bless all who attend church on a regular basis – may you continue to grow in grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. 

Biblical teamwork

I have been thinking quite a bit about people working together as a team to accomplish a set goal. In my line of work, it's everyone working to put together a newspaper twice a week. It takes advertising people, graphic arts designers, writers, editors and finally the people who run the press to put all of the elements together for the finished product.

As I looked through my Bible this week, I noticed that there were many times that the people of God pulled together to complete a project. One of the most impressive, was when the tribes of Israel built the tabernacle according to the Lord's specifications. 

The Lord told Moses to have the people bring offerings of gold, silver and bronze; blue, purple and scarlet yarn and fine linen; goat hair, ram skins dyed red and hides of sea cows; acacia wood; olive oil; spices; onyx stones and other gems. Then God instructed Moses exactly how the tabernacle should be built.

Craftsmen of all sorts were needed to complete the task. They had a goal to reach and with each one completing their own work, the tabernacle was complete.

Their team work wasn't finished though, because whenever the Lord said it was time to move on, each tribe was assigned a specific task to disassemble and carry the tabernacle to the new location. 

There were many instances of men working side by side through battles. Some were called to march into the war zone and others were needed to carry supplies, provide food, shelter and first aid for those who endured the battle.

Nehemiah enlisted the support of high priests and the remnants of the tribes of Israel to help reconstruct the wall of Jerusalem and erect the broken gates. Those men had to accomplish the task under threat of death. While some worked on the construction, others stood behind them with their weapons ready to defend their brothers. Both jobs were equally important to get the job done.

Jesus himself built a team of 12 hand-picked disciples to assist him in the work he was doing. There were times when jealousy and anger was evident within the group, but if the team hadn't done their assigned work, we wouldn't be followers of Christ today. 

The Apostle Paul never went on a mission alone, he always took others along with him for support and encouragement. He depended on the assistance of others as he fulfilled his mission from God.

We are created to share our talents and abilities for the good of others. One of the best illustrations of teamwork is Paul explaining to the Corinthian church that the foundation of the church is Christ. The teaching he (Paul) brought to the church added to the foundation and the teachings of Apollos added a different dimension. He also explained that the church is like one body with all the members adding their own special gifts to create a healthy church.

When everyone shares their gifts, whatever they may be, and they are used in conjunction with the gifts of others, we have created a tabernacle where the Almighty God is pleased to dwell.

If you don't know what your gifts might be, ask God to reveal them to you and guide you into ways in which to share what you have to offer. 

"The man who plants and the one who waters have one purpose, and each will be rewarded according to his own labor. For we are God's fellow workers; you are God's field, God's building." 1 Corinthians 3:7-9