Dear Northside
As I look around the world, I am convinced that Jesus’ Second Coming is close. Wars and rumours of wars. The Middle East is on a knife-edge.
In Hebrews 10:24-25, we read, “Do not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing. But encouraging one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
What should we be doing now that the Day Jesus returns is approaching? Meet together! It is a worldwide trend that people attend church services once in 3 weeks. Why do people miss services? Convenience, busy lives… Notice that the Bible says missing services becomes a habit, and we all know that many habits can be harmful to you. And this is one of them.
There are 168 hours in every week. 2 hours on a Sunday is 1.19% of your week. Psalm 84:10 says, “Better is one day in Your courts than a thousand elsewhere.” Is that how you view church services? Having asked why people miss services, we should also ask ourselves, “Why should I go to church?”
- So, we can grow Spiritually. We all know we need to eat every day to grow.
- For community, belonging and support. It is a lonely, dog-eat-dog world out there.
- To receive Spiritual guidance for the other 166 hours.
- We hear from God. Lives are changed.
- We remember who we are and whose we are. We are children of God.
- For service and outreach.
What happens in our services is not just for the service, it is to equip us to go back into the world and be salt and light and be God’s witnesses.
Please, can I encourage you to take a long, hard look at your church attendance? If missing church has become a habit, the only way to break a habit is to replace it with something else -replace missing church by attending church.
And a special call to parents. Bring your children and youth to church every Sunday. They may not like you for it now, but they will later in life. “Train up a child in the way they should go, and when they are old, they will not depart from it.”
We work extremely hard every week to ensure our services continue to get better. Maybe you don’t come to church because there is something that annoys you. Well, one of our church ABCs is to get Actively involved in our Sunday services. Don’t just come. Come and serve. I promise, it will make all the difference. If you have children, come and serve together.
Finally, remember we do not come out of obligation or to earn brownie points with God. We do not come because we have to. We come because we want to come. We come because of all that God has done for us through His Son, Jesus and His Holy Spirit. God is always faithful. Once we understand that, we will want to be faithful to Him. Remember the slave from last week’s sermon!
God bless, Pastor Gary