“I don’t need to go to church to be saved.” “I go to church by watching YouTube sermons.” “I have to do homework and get good grades. It’s the only way I can get a scholarship.” “I need to work on weekends and evenings.”
Excuses. We have heard or used all of these and more, right? When I was younger, I tried using the excuse with my mother that “I don’t feel very well.” So my mom, being the woman of God that she was, said, “Bueno, qué mejor lugar para ir que a la iglesia. “ We will have everyone pray for you there.” It’s the reason why we try to stay connected with you online, through social media and small groups.
There are many reasons why going to church is important, but let me just give you a few for right now.
We need each other – We have heard the scripture “iron sharpens iron.” This is so true. We learn from each other. We grow in our faith when we share with each other what God is doing and speaking in our lives. We encourage each other, and we pray for each other. This life can be really hard sometimes. God never intended for us to do it alone.
We all have something to offer – God uses our talents and our gifts that He has given us to make the church what it is, a beautiful place of like-minded people being the body of Christ. Whether we are worship leaders, teachers, encouragers, etc, if we don’t come together to share these gifts with one another and share what God is doing in our lives, we are shortchanging the church and each other. The Bible says all of these gifts should be used for building up the church. When you don’t go to church or join and online small group, not only are you missing out, but you also may be holding back something that God has intended for you to use to bless another person.
The Kingdom grows – When we come together, caring for each other, using our gifts and talents to build the church up, amazing things begin to happen. If we look at the early church in the New Testament, God moved and added to the church daily. So many people were being saved because of the devotion of the early church. Not just their devotion to the teachings, but their love and devotion to each other. Can you imagine what could take place today in our communities if we applied the same devotion to our church the way they did in the 1st-century church? Make church a priority! Don’t let excuses keep you from all God wants to accomplish in your life this year.
Prayer: Father You promised that in Christ we would know the truth and that the truth would set us free, and You also promised that the Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth… Lord this is my desire – to KNOW the truth – to KNOW the Lord Jesus better and to know Him more and more abundantly. Amen.
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Journal Book Questions:
- What did God say to you?
- What did you say to God?
