Back In The Day

“Back in the day” I remember arriving at church seeing people exiting their cars with smiles. Hugs and handshakes would be followed by the infamous, “how are you?” and the just as infamous, “just fine”. Just what does “fine” mean anyway? I knew many of these people and knew that everything was not “just fine”. So why the game face? Many days I wondered why we’d gather on Sunday. From my vantage point there was no difference in the way we left from the way we came in. It never seemed like we were on common ground as to why we were there. Why not just stay home?

Think for a moment, what is it about Sunday gatherings that we can’t do at home? We’ve got bibles; we can read them at home. With the availability of videos and the internet we can get incredible teaching. Pastor Jeff’s sermons are online; why not just log-on? Christian music is everywhere; there are recordings of live worship experiences, DVD’s, video’s, and other multimedia experiences. Why not just pop one in with your pj’s on and worship at home? Why rush out on Sunday morning when you can stay at home; avoid the arguments in the car and sleep in and worship at “Bedside Tabernacle”? Why should you be here and not make it a practice to worship on a fishing boat or at the lake house or on the golf course? God it there too, so why gather here with those around you today?

First of all, because God’s Word tells us to (see Hebrews 10:25). God uses people. If you are a believer, you don’t have the option to be a spectator today. You are here to bring, and to respond. We are to bring praise, thanksgiving, adoration, needs, joys, pain, sorrow, success, failure, etc. and together present them to the Lord. We bring Him all that we are because He is worthy. We are to respond to Him and all that He is and allow that to make a difference in the way we listen, sing, and relate to others. One of the reasons we do that together is for encouragement. As I see you, hurts and all magnifying Him, I am encouraged to do the same. As we listen to the truth of God’s Word together and I see you struggling during the week, we can remind each other of the truths we’ve learned. As we gather together we represent that we are family, a community of believers with the same purpose of glorifying God with our “everything-ness”. To love the Lord our God with our whole being and to be encouraged to do that together and be equipped for the week ahead. To proclaim together that He is good and that no matter what our week brings that He is still good and that we’ll be there for each other. Let’s never allow corporate gatherings to be just something that we do when we want. It’s a command; it’s a privilege; let’s make it a lifestyle.

He is worthy and we won’t regret it.

Pastor MJ