Faithfulness To YOUR Church - Part Two

Here is a link to PART ONE if you have not already read it first.

Hebrews 10:25

"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching."

Now we come to the important question of the subject of church: are you faithful? Specifically, are you faithful to the church God has called you to? As a pastor, I never begrudge anyone a vacation. We all need them from time to time. This often means that you will miss a Sunday. Again, I have no issues when members miss our church because they are out of town on a vacation. But, as I am apt to say from time to time, "You can take a vacation from work, but not from God. Find a church to attend when you are away from here." So, when I speak of faithfulness, I am not talking about those who miss for a occasional vacation, yet are still faithful to God's House.

There also comes a time when people miss church due to illness. Sometimes, that illness is short-lived and they are soon back to their fellowship of believers. But other times, these illness' turn long term and some believers and church members even become bedridden and a shut-in. It is my belief that God gives grace to those who are in this predicament, and it is the responsibility of the church to minister to them in their homes (James 1:27, James 5:14, Romans 16:1-2, Psalm 68:5,  Acts 6, 1 Tim 5, etc.). So, when I speak of faithfulness to YOUR church, I realize there are those who want to attend and assemble, but are hindered by health.

Now, what about the rest of the time? There seems to be a lessening of the importance of attending church in our day. I see many believers who choose hobbies, activities, and work, to name a few, over attending worship on Sunday mornings with their fellow believers in Christ. It seems the norm for many today is to work all week and play all weekend. But is this what God has saved us for? And for many church's, Sunday morning is the "big service" of the week in which the lost and those looking for a church are invited to. What are they to think when the one who invites them does not think it important enough to be there? What are they to think when they show up to an empty church? You may come back that night, or next week - but will they? Did we miss our God-given opportunity?

We often use the phrase "my church" when we discuss it with others, but yet so many of those same people neglect the assembly when something else comes along. There was a time and a day when believers would do all their personal activities and hobbies on a Saturday in order to make it to church on Sunday morning. But today, the Lord's Day often is taken up with activities that have nothing to do with our Lord, and bring no glory to our savior Jesus Christ. 

As I discussed it with our church this past Sunday, I reminded those who were there that we can show up to church on Sunday mornings and still not be faithful (faithfulness is MUCH MORE than mere attendance in a pew/seat), but you CANNOT be faithful and willfully chose to consistently miss church. I wonder sometimes if people do not take our invitations to church very seriously because they watch us and observed that we don't take our attendance very seriously? If God has led you to a church (and it is His will for every believer to be a part of a local assembly), then be faithful to where God called you! Your church needs you, and you need your church!

Remember, a week without church makes a Christian weak. 

Faithfulness To YOUR Church - Part One

Before I begin discussing in Part Two what I really want to cover - faithfulness to YOUR Church, let me first cover a few issues in regards to the church:

1. When I say YOUR church in the title, I realize that it is God's church, which began to physically take shape on earth when Jesus called the Twelve during His earthly ministry. When Jesus said, "I will begin MY church…" we take that very literally. He called the twelve leaders/apostles/pastors during His earthly ministry, commissioned them (Matthew 28:18-20, etc.) and the church was empowered post-ascension on the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2. (On a side note: One of the reasons we know that the church began before the Day of Pentecost was that in Acts 1 they were deciding who would replace the bishopric of Judas. To have a bishopric, there must have already been an organization of the church.)
• This is why Paul, in his first preserved letter to Timothy, tells Him in the third chapter that the church is the, "the house of God…the church of the living God…" We labour together with God, building upon the foundation that He has laid, with Jesus as the chief cornerstone and the apostles being the foundation (1 Corinthians 3:9-10, Ephesians 2:20).
2. Sometimes, people are "between" churches. This is either because they move to a new place and need to find a new church, or because certain things have transpired and led them to seek a new place of membership. Let me encourage you if you are reading this and looking for a church: k
   
   now what you believe before you look, then look quickly. Don't drag your search out for years. I have seen some that become "professional church shoppers." While deciding which church to join is an important decision that should not be taken lightly or hastily, it also should not "drag out." 
• If you moved to a new city and there is no church that holds to the core doctrines/beliefs that you know to be true, it may be an God-given opportunity to plant a new church. I would suggest you contact your previous church (because you left on good terms, didn't you?!) and ask them to pray with you about starting a new work. Your previous pastor may know of a church nearby that would be good for your to visit/consider, as well.

Now, with all that being said, I am going to being dealing with the issue of faithfulness to the church that God has  called you to in the next post. My question to you now is this: DO YOU KNOW WHICH CHURCH GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO?