[460 words]
“I only have to attend one service each week to be pleasing to God!”
Have you heard this before? Perhaps not in these words, but the sentiment is certainly expressed on occasion, whatever words are used. Is it true? Not with the attitude that is seemingly conveyed with the remark (as written above). It has all indications of “Don’t bug me! Is it not good that I am coming at least once?” This is not a question they are asking, but a firm declaration to “drop it.”
When I obeyed the Gospel in 1983, it was not long before some started calling me a “Jesus freak” or something similar. It did not matter to me; once I found what I didn’t know I was looking for, I went headlong into a new approach to life. The ripples of which were not always pleasant in the normal experiences of life. Nevertheless, I stayed the course.
Since that time, I have heard many sermons that have not been all that beneficial to me, that is, they were boring or had no real application I could make. Still, when “the doors were open” I (then my family) came; it was important to me, then it became important to us. There were occasions when other things I preferred to do could have been done, but when “the doors were open”, I preferred to enter the doors of the church house instead of going through the doors of another route. We wanted to be present, and we all knew we should be.
Each Sunday morning, our attention is turned to the Lord in worship. We sing praises to His name and honor Him with the life we live. On Sunday evening, we do the same. Do you have a hard time picking up the Bible and reading it because you have no time? If so, that is even more reason you need to be present with the brethren when “the doors are open.”
The evil being thrown against you is having more powerful of an impact than you know. Should you not at least give yourself opportunity to hear the Lord’s message more than one hour weekly? Can you imagine trying to put out a fire that consumes your home with one bucket of water at a time? Our approach to the Lord is not one hour at a time, but a matter of the heart’s attitude. When you think about giving yourself an opportunity to strengthen your faith in the Lord, is it only one hour at a time? Charles Williams’ translation of the New Testament reads in 2 Peter 3:18, “but instead, you must continue to grow in the spiritual strength and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.” Are you?
Ron Thomas
Sunrush church of Christ
Chillicothe, OH