How many times have you been encouraged by a quick word from another Christian? How often have you shared your burdens with another Christian in a short conversation and discovered they were praying for you a month later? When you first visited the church you currently attend, wasn’t it helpful to see people there you already knew? You have the opportunity to be the same blessing to others.
The Sunday you want to sleep in could be the Sunday one of your neighbors decides to attend and feels more comfortable because he sees someone he knows. The week you gather around the table with other Christians for lunch instead of running home to catch a football game might give you the opportunity to encourage someone who has been suffering in silence. This week, you may get the opportunity to be a strong shoulder for a hurting friend because you gathered with your group instead of scheduling something else.
BEFORE WE SKIP CHURCH, WE NEED TO REMEMBER THAT GOD USES MEANS
God could accomplish all of his purposes without us, but he works through means. The Lord uses our lives to accomplish the spread of his kingdom and to build up his people. His ministry of encouragement takes place through ordinary Christians praying for and helping each other. He often brings comfort to his hurting children not through an angel from heaven, but through the people he redeemed.
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In two years, you may not remember the sermon you heard when you gathered with the church this week, but a hurting or discouraged friend will remember the kindness you showed them. Today, begin to see the church as something more significant than a place where you go to get the religious things you need. Start viewing the church as a people to whom you belong and who need you so they can grow into the image of Christ. If you belong to Jesus, he has gifted you to build up his people and his kingdom. Gather with his people this week not only thinking of yourself but also about how you might be God’s means of building up another.
This article about the selfish reasons we skip church originally appeared at Southern Equip, the ministry resource site of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, under the headline Three Ways to Show Church Members the Value of Regular Church Attendance. Used by permission.
