Gathering with the Church
In the Colonial Era of America (before the United States became a nation), Sunday church attendance was widespread and central to community life. Some communities required attendance and even issued fines for not doing so.
Though not mandated, Sunday church attendance continued to be a major part of American life until the mid-1900s, especially for people who claimed to follow Christ. But from the mid-1900s onward, regular Sunday attendance at church has steadily declined.
According to a recent Gallup Poll of religion in America, only 45 of adults are member of a church or synagogue (lowest recorded percentage since at least 1992). By 2022, only:
Though not mandated, Sunday church attendance continued to be a major part of American life until the mid-1900s, especially for people who claimed to follow Christ. But from the mid-1900s onward, regular Sunday attendance at church has steadily declined.
According to a recent Gallup Poll of religion in America, only 45 of adults are member of a church or synagogue (lowest recorded percentage since at least 1992). By 2022, only:
- 20% of Americans attend church every week
- 41% of Americans attend church monthly or more
- 57% of Americans are seldom or never in religious service attendance
- Regular church attendance has steadily declined since 2000
Do we think that this trend is a good one? Is it the result of a better, more informed theology, a deeper love for God, and a more responsible and committed faith among God’s people? Or is the opposite the case?
How does this trend compare to the trends of Christians in the first century, as Christianity was flourishing and spreading, and as the message of the gospel and the recent occurrence of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection was still fresh on people’s minds?
How does this trend compare to the trends of Christians in the first century, as Christianity was flourishing and spreading, and as the message of the gospel and the recent occurrence of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection was still fresh on people’s minds?
Jesus resurrected on Sunday.
All four of the gospel accounts tell us that Jesus resurrected on the first day of the week, which is Sunday (Matt 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1).
The Lord revealed himself to his disciples on Sunday.
After he rose from the grave, Jesus visited his disciples in a room with closed doors.
First, on the day of his resurrection (John 20:19). In this meeting, they worshipped the Lord. They also listened as he taught them and corrected their thinking.
Next, on the day one week after his resurrection (John 20:26). One week following his first reappearance in the upper room, he appeared to his disciples again, also on Sunday, the first day of the week. The Bible does not tell us explicitly that “God chose the first day of the week to be a special day for Christians.”
The Lord sent the Holy Spirit on Sunday.
In other words, the church started on Sunday!
According to Lev 23:16, the day of Pentecost occurred on “the day after the seventh sabbath day,” which is a Sunday. So, the Lord resurrected on Sunday. He appeared to his disciples on Sunday, then reappeared to them again on the next Sunday. Then he sent the Spirit and started the church on Sunday, too.
Churches continued to worship the Lord on Sunday.
Throughout the NT, many years after the resurrection of Christ and the start of the church, churches continued to gather on Sunday.
“On the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight” (Acts 20:7).
In a letter to another church, Paul said:
“On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come” (1 Cor 16:2).
He asked them to collect a special offering for another church with material needs, and he asked them to make their contributions on the first day of the week. Why would he specify this day? Because this was the day when they already gathered together.
The NT gives examples of churches continuing this practice without relenting, and this practice has continued until this day throughout church history. But even in those early years, church faced the real possibility of a decline in church participation.
The NT book of Hebrews was written to remind followers of Christ that following Christ was far better than anything else they might be tempted to follow instead. Many believers who heard this message were being pressured in various ways to withdraw from following Christ – at least in a committed, public way.
Some were reflecting this weakening of their faith and commitment to Christ by reducing or withdrawing their attendance and participation at the regular gatherings of their church (“forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some,” Heb 10:25a). What’s more, the writer of Hebrews indicates that encouraging one another to be regular in church participation would become increasingly important as time went on (“and so much the more as you see the Day approaching,” Heb 10:25b).
In this message, I want to avoid being a pastor who berates people for missing a church service or being a pastor who lays out a legalistic mandate that requires every church member to “be in church every time the doors are open.” Such an approach does not match the message of the gospel or the spirit of Christ.
At the same time, I want to avoid being a pastor who suggests it doesn’t matter whether you come to church or not, or who claims in any way – whether directly or indirectly – that the practice of the early church as explained so clearly in Scripture is irrelevant and not exemplary for us today. Such an approach does not show proper respect to the teaching of Scripture and the importance and place of the church in our lives.
I would like to make a case from Scripture for why followers of Christ should do everything in their power to make weekly, Sunday, in-person church participation a TOP priority. In other words, I would like to show from the Bible – specifically Hebrews 10:23-25 – why we should not abandon, forsake, or minimize regular, Sunday church participation and why we should recover this practice and reinstate this habit into our weekly routines over other voluntary but conflicting activities or practices. As a pastor, it seems to me that reasons not to gather with our church on Sunday are multiplying rapidly.
Hebrews 10:19-22 explains how our ability to have a close relationship with Christ through his sacrifice for us on the cross and our ability to worship him freely today is far better than how people would offer animal sacrifices and worship God at the Temple in the OT. Because of this far better experience, we should not be tempted or pressured into drifting away or withdrawing from Christ, which is equated with a public identification with, commitment to, and participation in the church.
How do we demonstrate and show the genuineness of our faith in Christ, or as Heb 10:22 says, “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith”? We do this by “assembling ourselves together” publicly (Heb 10:25). In other words, people who claim to follow Christ but who do not regularly, publicly gather together with their church, such people are not presenting a convincing, believable testimony of faith in Christ.
So, why should we gather together with our church regularly on Sunday? According to Heb 10:23-25, there are at least five important reasons.
To strengthen our testimony of salvation
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering
Regular church participation – such as Sunday worship at a minimum and as a baseline – is a key way that we “hold fast” our confession of hope “without wavering.” In other words, doing this is crucial to maintaining or persevering in our faith without declining, doubting, swerving, or drifting away. So, regular church participation strengthens and clarifies our faith over time and guards us from drifting away and doubting.
But “confession of hope” also speaks not only of an inward, personal effect but also an outward, public effect of “acknowledging, declaring, or announcing” our faith for others to see. So, anyone can say they are a follower of Christ, but it’s hard to believe anyone seriously unless they actually commit to and regularly participate in the gatherings of their church, esp. Sunday worship.
Allow me to illustrate. Imagine that a man wants to date a woman, so the woman asks, “Are you a Christian?” Though he might say yes to get or keep her interest, she should follow up with some additional questions. One important question would be this, “What church are you a member of and how often to you participate with your church?” If the answer is some version of “um, I can’t recall the name of it right now, but there’s this one church that I go to sometimes …” or “I go to different churches when I’m able,” or, “I don’t really go to church, I just have more of a private faith,” etc., then the testimony of this man’s salvation is questionable at best.
To respond to the faithfulness of God
for He who promised is faithful.
Let’s pause for a moment to consider how faithful God is to you. Here are some things that the Bible says about the faithfulness of God to his people:
God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Cor 1:9)
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (1 Cor 10:13)
He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. (1 Thess. 5:24)
By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. (Heb 11:11)
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. (Lam 3:23)
So, from Heb 10:23 we see that though we will never be as faithful to God as he is to us, we can respond to the constant faithfulness of God by – at a minimum – regular gathering together with the church on Sunday. This was not meant to be a convenient practice, just as God’s faithfulness to us is not convenient for him. But doing so shows that we acknowledge his faithfulness to us and desire to worship him in response in a regular way that he calls us to do.
My Papaw and Mamaw Overmiller married and settled in East Prospect, PA, a small town on the Columbia River. People in town made fun of them. Said they did everything together. They carried that as a badge of honor. They walked around town holding hands everyday they could. When they couldn’t, they rode stationary bikes in their basement together. In the early 2000s, Mamaw developed Alzheimer’s disease and was admitted to full-time care and could only lay in her bed and stare, sometimes making some verbal noises. But like clockwork, Papaw visited her at least 6 days a week to spend time with her, hold her hand, talk with her, and kiss her like it was their honeymoon. He loved her with all his heart and wouldn’t miss a visit with her for anything. Why? Because she had been faithful to him, he had committed to be faithful to her. He could have logically concluded that she didn’t need his visits anymore. After all, love is a feeling right, not a matter of physical presence. But that didn’t matter. He wanted to be there for her just as she had been there for him. That’s why they were married for 72 years.
Gathering regularly with the church on Sunday shows our response to the faithfulness of God to us.
To serve one another
Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works…exhorting one another
In this statement, we see a call to serve one another. And how can we serve one another when we are not regularly in one another’s presence? There are three aspects of service here mentioned.
By paying attention to each other’s needs
Let us consider one another
The meaning of this phrase is literally to “pay close attention” to one another’s needs. And the best way to do this is to spend time together regularly, as we do on Sunday and more.
By inspiring one another to loving behavior & good works
in order to stir up love and good works
To “stir up” or “inspire” here means something quite strong such as “to provoke” but only in a positive sense. The word is often used to speak of something negative, like stirring up a big argument, inciting a revolt, or provoking someone to exasperation or anger. But here it is used in a positive sense, instead. So, here it means to provide a strong encouragement, a very powerful inspiration, etc. It would be like helping a sleeping person wake up by throwing cold water on their face!
In other words, by coming to church regularly, you should expect to both be very inspired and stimulated while also very much inspiring and stimulating other people to become more loving people and to do more good works which serve and benefit others.
By encouraging each other to persist in thinking and doing right
exhorting one another
Third, we exhort one another when we come together. Not just the pastors do this, though we certainly have a big responsibility in this regard. But, to exhort means both to say things which confront wrong behavior and to say things which encourage good behavior. We should both do both for others and expect both from others. And it goes without saying that we can correct each other in love, without being mean or judgmental – and we can encourage each other in love, without flattery.
So, we should come to church regularly on Sunday to get a closer look at one another’s needs, inspire one another greatly to more loving behavior and good works, and to encourage one another with words to think and do right!
In 2018, a study by Jeffrey Hall in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that it takes about 50 hours of interaction to move from acquaintances to casual friends (which is one hour a week for one year). But to become closer friends requires 90 hrs. (almost 1.5 hrs. per week), and over 200 hours for best friends (2 hrs. per week).
Of course, people who are more introvert in personality may require less time than people who are extrovert. But, overall, it’s important to recognize that if we are going to cherish the church as Christ does, we must make time for regular gathering together. This becomes stronger as we gather together on Sunday in a committed, regular way and becomes even stronger as we gather together in other settings, too, such as Life Groups, one-on-one Growth Partnerships, and in other ways (doing children’s or music ministry together, doing activities together, etc.).
To obey God
There’s not a lot to say here because it is rather obvious. And I really hope that saying this doesn’t sound legalistic to you. But it’s helpful to realize that these things are stated as commands of one kind of another by God himself. Notice how the Apostle John speaks about Christ’s commands:
This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. (1 Jn 5:3)
When we believe and love God genuinely, we do not view his commands as burdensome requirements or inconvenient obligations which we must do reluctantly, as when a child slowly drags themselves to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Instead, we should view Christ’s commands a something which we are not only happy to do but desire to do strongly. And this should be one of them.
This is how King David felt about worshiping God together with the people of Israel at the Temple. Notice how it reads like people waiting outside the gates of a baseball or football stadium before a big game, and how exciting it is to go in with the crowd the moment the gates are open.
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! (Psa 122:1-2)
Is this the way you feel about obeying God by gathering together with your church? It should be! May it be!
To prepare for the return of Christ
And so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
This statement tells us that regular gathering with the church becomes more important over time, not less. Not just within the span of your lifetime but in the larger period of church history, too. The closer we get to the Lord’s return to this Earth, to rule and reign in person, the more important it is for us to be prepared. And being prepared well and not surprised or caught not paying attention and unready requires regular church participation – not more than ever.
When my mother was a little girl, her parents left the house to go flying with friend who had just earned his pilot license. They left her oldest sister in charge. She decided to turn her parent’s bed into a trampoline and refused to obey her sister’s orders to stop the obnoxious behavior. Then her sister told her that Mom and Dad were home – only minutes after they had left. My mother didn’t believe her and continued to jump on the bed. Then her father walked into the room. The flight had been canceled due to weather. She was unprepared for his return.
Have you heard about the Ice Bowl? If you’re a serious football fan, you probably have. The 1967 National Football League Championship Game between the Western Conference Champion Green Bay Packers and the Eastern Conference Champion Dallas Cowboys was the 35th championship game in NFL history. Game-time temps at Lambeau Field under the revised National Weather Service wind chill index implemented in 2001, average wind chill would have been −36 °F (−38 °C). Lambeau Field's turf-heating system malfunctioned, and when the tarpaulin was removed from the field before the game, it left moisture on the field, which flash-froze in the extreme cold, leaving an icy surface that got worse as more of the field fell into the shadow of the stadium.
Prior to the game, many of the Green Bay players were unable to start their cars in the freezing weather, forcing them to make alternate travel arrangements to make it to the stadium on time. Linebacker Dave Robinson had to flag down a random passing motorist for a ride. The referees for the game found they did not have sufficient clothing for the cold, and had to make an early trip to a sporting goods store for earmuffs, heavy gloves, and thermal underwear. "The officials were unable to use their whistles after the opening kick-off. As referee Norm Schachter blew his metal whistle to signal the start of play, it froze to his lips. At one point during the game, CBS announcer Frank Gifford said on air, "I'm going to take a bite of my coffee."
Despite this extreme cold, 50,861 fans attended the game.
May we foster this sort of commitment to Christ on a regular, weekly basis, in which we prioritize regular gathering together with our church family. By doing so, we strengthen our testimony of salvation, respond well to the faithfulness of God, better understand and serve one another, obey God, and better prepare ourselves for the return of Christ. May we at Brookdale break the trend of diminishing church participation and may we recover and restore this cherished practice for God’s glory.
All four of the gospel accounts tell us that Jesus resurrected on the first day of the week, which is Sunday (Matt 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1).
The Lord revealed himself to his disciples on Sunday.
After he rose from the grave, Jesus visited his disciples in a room with closed doors.
First, on the day of his resurrection (John 20:19). In this meeting, they worshipped the Lord. They also listened as he taught them and corrected their thinking.
Next, on the day one week after his resurrection (John 20:26). One week following his first reappearance in the upper room, he appeared to his disciples again, also on Sunday, the first day of the week. The Bible does not tell us explicitly that “God chose the first day of the week to be a special day for Christians.”
The Lord sent the Holy Spirit on Sunday.
In other words, the church started on Sunday!
According to Lev 23:16, the day of Pentecost occurred on “the day after the seventh sabbath day,” which is a Sunday. So, the Lord resurrected on Sunday. He appeared to his disciples on Sunday, then reappeared to them again on the next Sunday. Then he sent the Spirit and started the church on Sunday, too.
Churches continued to worship the Lord on Sunday.
Throughout the NT, many years after the resurrection of Christ and the start of the church, churches continued to gather on Sunday.
“On the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight” (Acts 20:7).
In a letter to another church, Paul said:
“On the first day of the week let each one of you lay something aside, storing up as he may prosper, that there be no collections when I come” (1 Cor 16:2).
He asked them to collect a special offering for another church with material needs, and he asked them to make their contributions on the first day of the week. Why would he specify this day? Because this was the day when they already gathered together.
The NT gives examples of churches continuing this practice without relenting, and this practice has continued until this day throughout church history. But even in those early years, church faced the real possibility of a decline in church participation.
The NT book of Hebrews was written to remind followers of Christ that following Christ was far better than anything else they might be tempted to follow instead. Many believers who heard this message were being pressured in various ways to withdraw from following Christ – at least in a committed, public way.
Some were reflecting this weakening of their faith and commitment to Christ by reducing or withdrawing their attendance and participation at the regular gatherings of their church (“forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some,” Heb 10:25a). What’s more, the writer of Hebrews indicates that encouraging one another to be regular in church participation would become increasingly important as time went on (“and so much the more as you see the Day approaching,” Heb 10:25b).
In this message, I want to avoid being a pastor who berates people for missing a church service or being a pastor who lays out a legalistic mandate that requires every church member to “be in church every time the doors are open.” Such an approach does not match the message of the gospel or the spirit of Christ.
At the same time, I want to avoid being a pastor who suggests it doesn’t matter whether you come to church or not, or who claims in any way – whether directly or indirectly – that the practice of the early church as explained so clearly in Scripture is irrelevant and not exemplary for us today. Such an approach does not show proper respect to the teaching of Scripture and the importance and place of the church in our lives.
I would like to make a case from Scripture for why followers of Christ should do everything in their power to make weekly, Sunday, in-person church participation a TOP priority. In other words, I would like to show from the Bible – specifically Hebrews 10:23-25 – why we should not abandon, forsake, or minimize regular, Sunday church participation and why we should recover this practice and reinstate this habit into our weekly routines over other voluntary but conflicting activities or practices. As a pastor, it seems to me that reasons not to gather with our church on Sunday are multiplying rapidly.
Hebrews 10:19-22 explains how our ability to have a close relationship with Christ through his sacrifice for us on the cross and our ability to worship him freely today is far better than how people would offer animal sacrifices and worship God at the Temple in the OT. Because of this far better experience, we should not be tempted or pressured into drifting away or withdrawing from Christ, which is equated with a public identification with, commitment to, and participation in the church.
How do we demonstrate and show the genuineness of our faith in Christ, or as Heb 10:22 says, “draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith”? We do this by “assembling ourselves together” publicly (Heb 10:25). In other words, people who claim to follow Christ but who do not regularly, publicly gather together with their church, such people are not presenting a convincing, believable testimony of faith in Christ.
So, why should we gather together with our church regularly on Sunday? According to Heb 10:23-25, there are at least five important reasons.
To strengthen our testimony of salvation
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering
Regular church participation – such as Sunday worship at a minimum and as a baseline – is a key way that we “hold fast” our confession of hope “without wavering.” In other words, doing this is crucial to maintaining or persevering in our faith without declining, doubting, swerving, or drifting away. So, regular church participation strengthens and clarifies our faith over time and guards us from drifting away and doubting.
But “confession of hope” also speaks not only of an inward, personal effect but also an outward, public effect of “acknowledging, declaring, or announcing” our faith for others to see. So, anyone can say they are a follower of Christ, but it’s hard to believe anyone seriously unless they actually commit to and regularly participate in the gatherings of their church, esp. Sunday worship.
Allow me to illustrate. Imagine that a man wants to date a woman, so the woman asks, “Are you a Christian?” Though he might say yes to get or keep her interest, she should follow up with some additional questions. One important question would be this, “What church are you a member of and how often to you participate with your church?” If the answer is some version of “um, I can’t recall the name of it right now, but there’s this one church that I go to sometimes …” or “I go to different churches when I’m able,” or, “I don’t really go to church, I just have more of a private faith,” etc., then the testimony of this man’s salvation is questionable at best.
To respond to the faithfulness of God
for He who promised is faithful.
Let’s pause for a moment to consider how faithful God is to you. Here are some things that the Bible says about the faithfulness of God to his people:
God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. (1 Cor 1:9)
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it. (1 Cor 10:13)
He who calls you is faithful, who also will do it. (1 Thess. 5:24)
By faith Sarah herself also received strength to conceive seed, and she bore a child when she was past the age, because she judged Him faithful who had promised. (Heb 11:11)
They are new every morning; great is Your faithfulness. (Lam 3:23)
So, from Heb 10:23 we see that though we will never be as faithful to God as he is to us, we can respond to the constant faithfulness of God by – at a minimum – regular gathering together with the church on Sunday. This was not meant to be a convenient practice, just as God’s faithfulness to us is not convenient for him. But doing so shows that we acknowledge his faithfulness to us and desire to worship him in response in a regular way that he calls us to do.
My Papaw and Mamaw Overmiller married and settled in East Prospect, PA, a small town on the Columbia River. People in town made fun of them. Said they did everything together. They carried that as a badge of honor. They walked around town holding hands everyday they could. When they couldn’t, they rode stationary bikes in their basement together. In the early 2000s, Mamaw developed Alzheimer’s disease and was admitted to full-time care and could only lay in her bed and stare, sometimes making some verbal noises. But like clockwork, Papaw visited her at least 6 days a week to spend time with her, hold her hand, talk with her, and kiss her like it was their honeymoon. He loved her with all his heart and wouldn’t miss a visit with her for anything. Why? Because she had been faithful to him, he had committed to be faithful to her. He could have logically concluded that she didn’t need his visits anymore. After all, love is a feeling right, not a matter of physical presence. But that didn’t matter. He wanted to be there for her just as she had been there for him. That’s why they were married for 72 years.
Gathering regularly with the church on Sunday shows our response to the faithfulness of God to us.
To serve one another
Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works…exhorting one another
In this statement, we see a call to serve one another. And how can we serve one another when we are not regularly in one another’s presence? There are three aspects of service here mentioned.
By paying attention to each other’s needs
Let us consider one another
The meaning of this phrase is literally to “pay close attention” to one another’s needs. And the best way to do this is to spend time together regularly, as we do on Sunday and more.
By inspiring one another to loving behavior & good works
in order to stir up love and good works
To “stir up” or “inspire” here means something quite strong such as “to provoke” but only in a positive sense. The word is often used to speak of something negative, like stirring up a big argument, inciting a revolt, or provoking someone to exasperation or anger. But here it is used in a positive sense, instead. So, here it means to provide a strong encouragement, a very powerful inspiration, etc. It would be like helping a sleeping person wake up by throwing cold water on their face!
In other words, by coming to church regularly, you should expect to both be very inspired and stimulated while also very much inspiring and stimulating other people to become more loving people and to do more good works which serve and benefit others.
By encouraging each other to persist in thinking and doing right
exhorting one another
Third, we exhort one another when we come together. Not just the pastors do this, though we certainly have a big responsibility in this regard. But, to exhort means both to say things which confront wrong behavior and to say things which encourage good behavior. We should both do both for others and expect both from others. And it goes without saying that we can correct each other in love, without being mean or judgmental – and we can encourage each other in love, without flattery.
So, we should come to church regularly on Sunday to get a closer look at one another’s needs, inspire one another greatly to more loving behavior and good works, and to encourage one another with words to think and do right!
In 2018, a study by Jeffrey Hall in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships found that it takes about 50 hours of interaction to move from acquaintances to casual friends (which is one hour a week for one year). But to become closer friends requires 90 hrs. (almost 1.5 hrs. per week), and over 200 hours for best friends (2 hrs. per week).
Of course, people who are more introvert in personality may require less time than people who are extrovert. But, overall, it’s important to recognize that if we are going to cherish the church as Christ does, we must make time for regular gathering together. This becomes stronger as we gather together on Sunday in a committed, regular way and becomes even stronger as we gather together in other settings, too, such as Life Groups, one-on-one Growth Partnerships, and in other ways (doing children’s or music ministry together, doing activities together, etc.).
To obey God
There’s not a lot to say here because it is rather obvious. And I really hope that saying this doesn’t sound legalistic to you. But it’s helpful to realize that these things are stated as commands of one kind of another by God himself. Notice how the Apostle John speaks about Christ’s commands:
This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. (1 Jn 5:3)
When we believe and love God genuinely, we do not view his commands as burdensome requirements or inconvenient obligations which we must do reluctantly, as when a child slowly drags themselves to the kitchen to wash the dishes. Instead, we should view Christ’s commands a something which we are not only happy to do but desire to do strongly. And this should be one of them.
This is how King David felt about worshiping God together with the people of Israel at the Temple. Notice how it reads like people waiting outside the gates of a baseball or football stadium before a big game, and how exciting it is to go in with the crowd the moment the gates are open.
I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go into the house of the Lord.” Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! (Psa 122:1-2)
Is this the way you feel about obeying God by gathering together with your church? It should be! May it be!
To prepare for the return of Christ
And so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
This statement tells us that regular gathering with the church becomes more important over time, not less. Not just within the span of your lifetime but in the larger period of church history, too. The closer we get to the Lord’s return to this Earth, to rule and reign in person, the more important it is for us to be prepared. And being prepared well and not surprised or caught not paying attention and unready requires regular church participation – not more than ever.
When my mother was a little girl, her parents left the house to go flying with friend who had just earned his pilot license. They left her oldest sister in charge. She decided to turn her parent’s bed into a trampoline and refused to obey her sister’s orders to stop the obnoxious behavior. Then her sister told her that Mom and Dad were home – only minutes after they had left. My mother didn’t believe her and continued to jump on the bed. Then her father walked into the room. The flight had been canceled due to weather. She was unprepared for his return.
Have you heard about the Ice Bowl? If you’re a serious football fan, you probably have. The 1967 National Football League Championship Game between the Western Conference Champion Green Bay Packers and the Eastern Conference Champion Dallas Cowboys was the 35th championship game in NFL history. Game-time temps at Lambeau Field under the revised National Weather Service wind chill index implemented in 2001, average wind chill would have been −36 °F (−38 °C). Lambeau Field's turf-heating system malfunctioned, and when the tarpaulin was removed from the field before the game, it left moisture on the field, which flash-froze in the extreme cold, leaving an icy surface that got worse as more of the field fell into the shadow of the stadium.
Prior to the game, many of the Green Bay players were unable to start their cars in the freezing weather, forcing them to make alternate travel arrangements to make it to the stadium on time. Linebacker Dave Robinson had to flag down a random passing motorist for a ride. The referees for the game found they did not have sufficient clothing for the cold, and had to make an early trip to a sporting goods store for earmuffs, heavy gloves, and thermal underwear. "The officials were unable to use their whistles after the opening kick-off. As referee Norm Schachter blew his metal whistle to signal the start of play, it froze to his lips. At one point during the game, CBS announcer Frank Gifford said on air, "I'm going to take a bite of my coffee."
Despite this extreme cold, 50,861 fans attended the game.
May we foster this sort of commitment to Christ on a regular, weekly basis, in which we prioritize regular gathering together with our church family. By doing so, we strengthen our testimony of salvation, respond well to the faithfulness of God, better understand and serve one another, obey God, and better prepare ourselves for the return of Christ. May we at Brookdale break the trend of diminishing church participation and may we recover and restore this cherished practice for God’s glory.
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February
March
April
May
June
The First Two Woes of RevelationThe Blessing of WorkThe Four GospelsThe Book of ActsAnother Dramatic IntermissionThe Blessing of MarriageThe Making of a Godly Man, Family, Church & CommunityThe Two WitnessesPaul's Letters & TravelsThe Tragic Entrance of SinThe Sad Effects of SinThe Jerusalem Council and The Epistle of GalatiansAnnouncing the Seventh Trumpet
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