In order to carry out her mission, God’s local church requires three things from her members: attendance, service and giving.
Regular attendance at church keeps us in fellowship with God and with one another. It is true that we can commune with God anytime and anywhere. But our Lord instructs us to honor him in a special way each Sabbath. To go fishing on the Lord’s Day and pretend that we are focused on him is an insult to the Savior.
When we worship regularly, we draw nearer to God and he draws nearer to us. As we honor him through our obedience, he honors us by revealing more of himself and his plan to us.
Our church family is on a spiritual journey. When we are away, we miss part of the story. When we are consistently present, God gives us insights that build upon one another. Sporadic attendance leaves gaps that deny us the full picture.
Regular church attendance also enables us to maintain stronger relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ. The familiarity we gain by regularly worshiping together enables us to encourage each other in our Christian walk.
Faithful service at church keeps us growing as a church family and as individual believers. Church is not a spectator sport. When we attend sports events, movies, and concerts, we expect gifted professionals to do all the work while we sit back and enjoy. Church is different.
Every follower of Jesus has the same indwelling presence of God. But each believer is given different spiritual gifts. These abilities are given by God for the growth of his church. In the Body of Christ, everyone is vital to the health of all the others.
As we serve faithfully in the local church, we grow stronger in our personal faith. Service in the church enables us to see God’s hand at work in a variety of circumstances. As a result, we move closer to the heart of God.
Steady giving keeps us grateful to God and invested in his Kingdom. When we pay for products and services in the world, we look for the most ‘bang for the buck.’ Tithes and offerings are different.
Giving to the church is based on our understanding that everything we have already belongs to God. What we give is an act of worship, acknowledging God as our Maker and Sustainer and reminding us that what remains in our hand is his blessing, not our due.
By consistently giving to God’s work in the local church we gain a sense of ownership and pride in the Lord’s work. Giving to God’s work is an expression of confidence that his Kingdom is worthy. It is of the highest value.
Our tithes and offerings finance the ministries of the local church, reaching lost souls with the gospel and strengthening saved spirits with the Word. God is giving us the opportunity to store up treasure in heaven, an investment that cannot be lost or stolen.
God is carrying out his Kingdom work in this age through his church. He has promised that his church will be victorious. Not even the gates of hell will be able to stand against her. We share in God’s triumph through his church by regularly attending, faithfully serving, and steadily giving.
May God’s Holy Spirit inspire and empower us to support his church and share his victory,
Brother Richard
brotherrichardsblog.com 