“Do not neglect to meet together, as is
the habit of some,
but encourage one another, and all the
more as you
see the Day [of the Lord] approaching.” (Hebrews
10:25)
I’ve heard it
said somewhere that an action repeated for at least 21 days can create a
habit. Well, I want to challenge
everyone reading this article to make a “habit” this new year of being in God’s
House each week for corporate worship, fellowship, and learning. Perhaps your life has gotten busy and you’ve “gotten
out of the habit” of being in worship.
Maybe you’ve cherished a few extra minutes of sleep on Sunday morning,
or have grown accustomed to tuning in to a favorite television ministry or
church service in your pajamas, with coffee mug in hand. Or, you might have unwittingly developed into
a “C&E Christian” (attending only at Christmas and Easter).
But as the
scripture text above reminds us, there’s simply no substitute in our own
personal, emotional, and spiritual life for participating together with
sisters and brothers in the worship and praise of our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ. With it, we experience God’s
presence in a powerful way, and lives are touched and changed through it. Without it, we starve our spirits. The same
can be said of not only corporate worship but also in small classes and groups
for prayer, Bible learning, and fellowship.
In other words, when we worship, fellowship, and learn together at
church, we’re fulfilling our own church’s purpose of being “Christians
SERVING in love, CARING with compassion, and SHARING (Christ) with boldness."
So, I hope you
won’t miss out on the blessing God has in store for YOU through regular
participation in weekly worship and small group fellowship and learning! I plan on being here, and I look forward to
seeing you, too, as we all make a “habit” of “meeting together”
at church each week! Remember that God
loves you and I do, too!
