Mark Twain in chapter five of his book The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, wrote of Tom at a church service: The service began with a list of announcements which he thought would go on “to the crack of doom.” He talked about the prayer which was generous in its detail and he resented it whenever anything new was added in. The preacher’s sermon “droned along [so] monotonously… and was so prosy that many a head began to nod.
This reminds us of what happens when we come together to worship. The announcements are a little long, the songs aren’t to our liking, the preacher is a little boring. Some of us even do things to keep ourselves awake. We are at a different time. Forty years ago people didn’t ask, why do I have to go to church (worship)? Things have changed, culturally and intellectually so that we look at life a little differently. Sunday morning is now seen as a time to relax. If we don’t like the way things are where we presently worship, we will look for a place where things are the way we want them to be. Most people when they think about worship do not think about it as essential or the most critical thing they will do during the week.
We come together every Lord’s Day to be in the presence of God. Even though it may not look like much, and even when we don’t leave with a feeling of excitement, what happens during worship is of great importance because this is where we approach Mount Zion and we offer our praise to the One who is worthy of all praise. May we never as Christians take this opportunity in a light manner!
The apostle John wrote in 1 John 4:18, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casts out fear, because fear involves punishment, and the one who fears is not perfected in love.”
As we talk about being the hands of Jesus, someone might be misled to think that we intend for Christians to do the impossible. There were quite a bit of things Jesus did that we are not capable of doing.
We must seek to be gentle people, even in the most trying times. Not because we are weak or cowardly, but because we are humble, we have placed our strength under God's control.
Do we want Christ's gifts without the Cross? Do we seek to use Him instead of asking Him to use us as He sees fit? If He does not rule over all of my life then He is not truly my King.
Hands can carry out work that will receive God’s blessing and approval.
The heart of Jesus will only begin to develop in our lives as the Holy Spirit causes His fruit to grow within us. Would you say that you are someone who is faithful? Can those around you depend on you, can they trust you, are you reliable? Would God consider you as someone who is faithful?
Celebrations are an important part of our lives and our faith. God gave us feast and festivals for celebrating. Jesus gave Christians the Lord's Supper for celebrating the memorial of…
Such good works flow from a heart filled with God’s goodness. Does this describe your heart? Is it filled with God’s goodness? If not, is it because you aren’t growing in the fruit of the Spirit? Is it because you are still living in Satan’s domain of darkness? Do you need Christ to set you free?
Pride is a dangerous weapon which Satan uses against God’s people. The question is what do we do when we stumble, when we are brought low and destroyed by our…
How do we grow churches in the twenty-first century? Simply put, we look back at the first century and learn from the men who started churches all over the Roman world. Those men put their lives on the line to plant churches throughout the Mediterranean.
