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OK, I’ll give you that. But if you have a desire to grow spiritually, going to church is conditional and should be your desire and encouragement throughout scripture. God created local churches to help Christians grow spiritually. There you will have fellowship with other believers – including opportunities to serve and encourage them. You will receive “training and justice” when God’s Word is preached and taught in your local church. As you mature spiritually, God will reveal His purpose to your life.
Hebrews 10: 24-25 encourages us to seek fellowship through the church. After all this, the family of God gathers. “And let’s consider how we can spur one another on love and good deeds. Let’s not give up on meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let’s encourage one another – and as much as you see the day approaching. “NIV
“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD” Psalm 122: 1 KJV
Let us study this verse in two parts.
· “I WAS HAPPY”:
David was thrilled to attend church. I teach a Sunday School class on Sunday morning, and as soon as I get up, I think about what’s ahead of me when I get there. I put on my special praise CD, weld it up a bit and sing along and listen carefully to the words. Immediately, the Holy Spirit begins to serve me while I put on my best clothes. Sometimes I can barely contain myself when I arrive at church.
There are three things I look forward to when I get there.
FIRST: I look forward to fellowship both before and after church. In my church we actually laugh and have fun. Backslapping, handshakes, laughter, hugs, sharing events of the week and the little kids we have to pour on to stop running the church. And of course the little ones approaching the ‘candy man’ with their outstretched hands. And sometimes I am blessed by a brother or sister of a special confidant prayer request.
SECOND: Praise service. What a joy to sing our praises. Listening to the words as we sing them to the Lord. Lift him up. Acknowledge His power and grace. As He begins to receive our praise, we can feel His joy through the presence of the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit begins to prepare us to hear the word of God.
THIRD: The hearing of the Word of God. My goal as a Christian is to grow spiritually and to take on the character of Christ. When we gain knowledge from the Word of God, we give the Holy Spirit the tools he needs to grow our spiritual fruits. These fruits described in Galatians 5: 22,23 reveal the character of Christ. “: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control”. Even though I study my Bible daily, I always go to church in the expectation that God will reveal something to me through the preaching that I would not have received through my individual studies. We all want to know God’s purpose for our lives. We can only know the will of God through His Word.
· “Let’s go into the house of the Lord”
The Church of the Apostles as described in Acts 2: 42-47 consisted of baby Christians. They studied and used the word daily. They encouraged and provided for each other’s needs. They shared the word of God in their community. They were looked after because of the good deeds and needs they provided to the lost. And because of their good deeds, new people came to church every day and were saved.
THE CHURCH – The Body of Christ – God’s goal for every Christian is to bring others to Christ. The church is the training ground that provides the tools and knowledge to fulfill this purpose. Christ is the head and the church is the body. The body of church members provides the mouth, eyes, ears, feet and hands straightened through the Holy Spirit to bring others to Christ.
Ephesians 4: 11-15 reveals that God gives spiritual and physical gifts to certain people in the church to become priests, teachers, and fill other leadership roles so that they can build the rest of the body, counsel, and teach them not to believe in wrong. learn just because they sound true, but will learn to believe and apply what is taught in God’s true word.
Ephesians 4: 15-16 teaches that the body of Christ under His direction consists of many parts that must fit together. Each part that does its own special job helps the other parts grow so that the whole body is healthy. It is critical that members be united in one agreement for the purpose of bringing others into the church and to Christ.
1 Corinthians 12: 14-20 explains “Now the body is not composed of many, but of many. If the foot should say,” Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body, “it would not for this reason ceases to be part of the body, and if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not cease to be a part of the body. of hearing be – if the whole body was an ear, where would the sense of smell be – but in fact God has arranged the parts of the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. part where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts but one body. “NIV
WE HAVE TO TREAT THOSE WHO MAKE THE “HUMAN JOBS” HONEST – 1 Corinthians 12: 23-25 ”and the parts which we think are less honorable, we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated with special modesty, while our present parts need no special treatment. But God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should be equal. concern for each other. ”NIV
It is imperative that Christians go to church to receive the “training and justice” that will equip them and lead them to the fulfillment of God’s purpose in their lives, which always leads to bringing others to Christ.
We are the bridge to the Church – We often do not know that some of the best gifts God has given us are the things we love to do most. We often think of these gifts as something God has blessed us with, to bring us joy and joy in our lives. While this is true, these gifts were also given to us to serve as a bridge to bring others into the church and to Him. Bringing others to Christ need not be a struggle. It can be as simple as sharing “What you love to do” with others.
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