Why go to Church?

Easter is now a thing of the past, many folks won't be back in church for another year, or at least until Christmas service rolls around. Why should they go to church any more than that? OK, I understand that you really don't "Go to Church." I understand that the Church is not the building, but rather we "ARE THE CHURCH" as people. But, as most people in our world use the term, they understand it as "going to church". Hopefully we understand that we really "Go to Worship," when we gather as the church (God's people).  

But as they say, "I digress". The question under consideration is, "Why Go". Actually there are a number of reasons for us to go and be with the church. For fellowship, for growing our relationships with others, for the singing and prayer, all of these things are good things. I would suggest though that we should primarily go to worship God. That's the most important thing we can do. We come together with others of like mind in the presence of the creator of the universe and give worship to Him. How important could that be though?

In his autobiography, Albert Schweitzer said that one of the best things his parents did for him as a child was to take him to worship services. Even though he was too young to understand much of what was going on, just being there was important. He claimed it is not important that children understand everything. What is important is that "they feel something of what is serious and solemn" in our relationship to God. Just being in the presence of God with others shapes a part of our hearts and minds in the image of God.

Why go to church? Notice what the writer of Hebrews 10:19-25 has to say about this:

(I kind of like the way "The Message" paraphrases this passage). Notice the words: "

 "So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God, into "the Holy Place." Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice, acting as our priest before God. The "curtain" into God's presence is his body.

So let's do it—full of belief, confident that we're presentable inside and out. Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps his word. Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching." (they title this section: Don't throw it away).

So, how about it, don't you think you could be just a little more frequent in attending the worship of our God? Why wait for a "special occasion," when each time the church meets it is a special occasion. The problem is, our world has forgotten that, how about you?

Russ Lawson

WHITER THAN SNOW

How do you get things really clean? The scripture used the picture of the whiteness of snow and of milk in comparison to a life without sin. How do  you get things really clean?

I know how strange that may sound, but it is the truth and I'll warn you right up front, "DON’T TRY THIS AT HOME".

When we were youngsters, it was a common practice for parents to "wash out the mouth" of a disobedient youngsters with soap. Normally this happened when they were using words (or language) that were not appropriate, often a curse word they had heard somewhere and had been warned about using. I honestly don't remember ever having to endure that experience (I may have blocked the memory), but I know many of my young age mates did.

 

Yesterday was an extremely busy day for us. Melody was cleaning (everything) in preparation for a group of ladies coming to the house the next day. I was helping out and we were both rushing around trying to complete the tasks we had chosen to do. In the afternoon I decided to take a break and fix me a cup of tea. I rushed into the kitchen and filled my cup with distilled water, put the jug back away and noticed I had filled the cup too high. I picked up the cup and took a mouthful of the water and immediately realized there was something wrong. After I finished spiting and washing my mouth out with water (it kind of helped) I realized there was another cup on the counter also.

It seems that Melody had put water in to a cup and mixed Oxyclean (soap) into the cup, stained with tea, to do some cleaning. Of course I managed to pick up the wrong cup. And no, I didn't get mad, I just laughed at the foolishness of the situation!

I wonder how you would have reacted (or have reacted) when something that makes you feel foolish happens to you? I laughingly told Melody, "Look what you made me do", (but honestly, I took full credit for the incident). One passage came to mind after this where David cried to God to be cleansed from his sins. Psalm 51:7, tells us: "Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean; wash me, and I will be whiter than snow". As I said, don't try this at home (however I think my teeth may be a little brighter).

They say that "you can't judge a book by its cover or a man by his appearance." But I believe that you can find out a lot about a person by noticing what makes them mad or how they react to foolish or difficulty situations.

How are you doing?

Happy Easter

I was in a store this past week and saw the greeting card display filled with hundreds of Easter cards. I noticed that there were bunches and bunches of them that proclaimed in large letters, "Happy Easter".

Happy Easter, really? As I thought about that I wondered how many of those who would receive those cards, would think about the fact that they can say that because someone died. This is a time traditionally that folks dress up in their finest clothes, plan family gatherings, have special family meals, give candy and colored eggs to the children. All of this is done because of tradition. That's not a bad thing, but we need to stay focused on what is really important too.

Now I understand that Easter isn't a celebration of the death of Christ. That's not a problem for me, but then again we wouldn't have the ability to find anything happy about this particular time of the year, if it hadn't been for him first dying.

As Christians we should understand that this time which the world calls "Easter" is the culmination of the plan of God. Yes, it is a time celebration, at time of rejoicing, a time to be happy. But happy because of the promise fulfilled of the death, burial and resurrection of God's Son, Jesus Christ!

If you want to know what Easter is really about, then read what the Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:1-3, "Now, brothers, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand. By this gospel you are saved, if you hold firmly to the word I preached to you. Otherwise, you have believed in vain. For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures." (NIV)

Then in 1 Corinthians 15:13-17, "For if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised either. And if Christ has not been raised, then all our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles would all be lying about God, for we have said that God raised Christ from the grave. But that can't be true if there is no resurrection of the dead. And if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ has not been raised. And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith is useless and you are still guilty of your sin." (NLT)

Happy Easter? Yes, but we should be shouting Halleluiah rather than just saying we're happy! Because it is through the resurrection of Christ Jesus, that we have our hope of eternal life. It is the fulfillment of the first prophecy made in Genesis 3:15 about the hope of man and the defeat of Satan. The empty tomb cries out to the world that God has kept his promise, Christ has risen and we will be also!