How great to say with David, “I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord”
(Psalm 122:1). Another psalm also urges, “Come, let us worship and bow down, Let us kneel before
the Lord our Maker” (95:6). Both verses are the attitude of a redeemed, transformed heart.
Worship is not a substitute for daily living, and we may find ourselves primarily or solely focused on
assembling to the neglect of Christian duty or evangelism. But, though those be true, we cannot lose
sight of the importance of fulfilling God’s command for His people to faithfully worship Him (John 4:24;
Heb. 10:24ff). More than that, as recipients of His grace, we will want to come before Him with what
He wants, giving Him our best from an enthusiastic heart. What can help us do that?
A–TTENDANCE (It puts us in the right position–for ourselves, each other, and God)
B–RETHREN (There’s a community, communion, and camaraderie in worship)
C–HILDREN (Is there anything sweeter than seeing and hearing them worship?)
D–ELIVERANCE (Delivered for a few moments from the profane, delivered for a lifetime by the
Prince of Peace)
E–FFORT (Hardwork, dedication, and preparation truly pay off!)
F–AITHFULNESS (Obedience, consistency, and holiness fuels acceptable worship)
G–OSPEL (Bible-centered worship highlights the best news of all time)
H–EAVEN (Worship better prepares us for it, reminds us of it, and gives us a foretaste of it)
I–NTEREST (See “attendance” and “faithfulness”; At some level, you can’t fake this)
J–ESUS (We lift Him up, obey Him, and center everything around Him in every service)
K–NOWLEDGE (We seek to know God more and understand Him better, in part, by worship)
L–ISTENING (To God, through His Word, and each other, through the various acts)
M–EMORIES (Young or old, each occasion provides an opportunity to make more of them)
N–OTHING (What’s more special, important, fulfilling, and encouraging)
O–PPORTUNITY (Different places and times have been forbidden from what we get to do
multiple times per week)
P–ARTICIPATION (Not just in the door and in a seat, but actively taking part)
Q–UALITY (Not measured by voice quality or dynamic speech, but the very best we can with
what we bring)
R–ESPONSE (Each time we assemble to worship, we are responding to God and His gospel)
S–ACRIFICE (You cannot properly define worship without it; It may be a sacrifice to come, but
it must be an offering when you do)
T–OGETHERNESS (Worship means fellowship and building our common bond)
U–RGENCY (Feeling a pressing need to be here, and then to act on what we hear)
V–ISITORS (These take note of how much worship means to us; They can see and sense it)
W–ONDERFUL (God knew we needed worship, and that can touch us deeply)
X–RAY (Worship should lay our hearts bare and show us ourselves)
Y–OU (The presence of everyone, including you, spells the difference!)
Z–EAL (Passion and enthusiasm is observable, by others and, most of all, by God!)
Maybe we cannot fully grasp all of why God wants us worshipping Him, but He, as our Creator, knew
we would need it to draw us closer to Him and each other. Let’s never let anything occupy a higher
place in our hearts!
Published with permission from ChurchOfChristArticles.com
Paul frequently compared the Christian experience to war. He refers to Christians as “soldiers” and
charges us to “fight the good fight of faith” (1 Timothy 6:12). In 1 Timothy 1:18-19 Paul charged
Timothy to “wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience, which some have
rejected, concerning the faith and have suffered shipwreck.”
We often run to Ephesians 6 to talk about the “full armor of God” and the weapons of our warfare, but
here Paul reduces the list to just two items we should be holding while fighting our spiritual battles –
“faith and a good conscience.”
Whether on land or sea, the compass is an essential item for determining direction. During the day
one might utilize the position of the sun and during the night one might use the position of the stars,
but when you have neither the compass becomes the pointer that helps ensure you are moving
forward in the right direction. For the Christian, our compass to avoid shipwreck is both faith and a
good conscience.
When Paul says “faith” he is not talking about a blind walk through the thick fog with your fingers
crossed, hoping you don’t run into something bad or go in the wrong direction. Paul defines faith in
Romans 10:17 as hearing God’s word. In other words, if you are using faith as your compass you are
listening to God speak through His Word; the Bible is your guide and compass.
In addition to faith we have the conscience. This too is an important element of the Christian
compass, although we seldom talk about it outside of the Romans 1 context which refers to Gentiles
prior to the Christian era as a people without a written codified law. Paul says the Gentiles had a law
of sorts written on their hearts, the conscience. However, we are usually quick to then point out the
conscience is not a very good guide as it can become seared, callused, or poorly managed. We are
quick to cite Jeremiah 17:9 and Proverbs 14:12 as evidence that man should not be left to guide
himself. We then become susceptible to dismissing the conscience altogether – “throwing the baby
out with the bathwater” so to speak.
Paul tells Timothy a “good conscience” is essential to fighting the good fight. Of course, the important
thing to note here is that the conscience must be “good,” which means it must be properly educated
and protected by the hearing of God’s Word. What a wonderful blessing for God to make us with an
“operating system” (to borrow from computer terms) and also gave us an “anti-virus” utility/diagnostic
tool as well.
Our lives are filled with situation that require us to make a moral decision. In these instances God’s
Word must always be our guide. In addition to knowing something is wrong, the conscience is there
to ensure it feels wrong too. If your gut is uneasy and your mind is flashing yellow lights, you would
be wise to pull back from action “for whatsoever is not of faith is sin” (Romans 14:23).
If we stop listening to God and begin to ignore our conscience there is only one outcome waiting for
us on the other side – Shipwreck!
This is an important question every member should be asking themselves. Philippians 2:13 says
God wants to work in you so that you may do “His good pleasure.” 1 Corinthians 12:18 tells us “God
has set the members, each one of them, in the body as it pleased Him.” Each member of the body of
Christ is expected to supply something (1) to God’s glory and (2) for the good of the entire body. Yet
all members do not have the same function (Romans 12:4). What is your function? What are you
doing to support the Lord’s Church? Here are a few things you can do:
- Attend Regularly – You are missed when you are not present at church assemblies. You are
part of the family and we love to see you!
- Give Generously – Consider God’s work when you evaluate your financial standing, but this
goes far beyond giving money. Give of your time. Give of your talents.
- Love Passionately – Think of others! Do something nice for someone else. Seek opportunities
to express your love for others, and enjoy that moment when you put a smile on someone else’s
face.
- Bring Others Consistently – Is it really that painful to tell someone you are a Christian and
follow that up with an invitation to come visit the church? Try it! You’ll be surprised how
many people say “yes.”
- Volunteer Joyfully – Pick up the weekly bulletin and find something you can help accomplish.
Teach a kid’s class. Bring communion to a shut-in. Visit someone in the hospital. Ask the
elders where you can assist.
- Fellowship Purposely – Commit to participating in church functions. It’s an absolute joy to
participate in functions where EVERYBODY attends. Don’t “try to make it.” Just commit and
be there.
- Pray Fervently – Here’s where the real power of Christianity can be found. Pray every day and
bring God into everything you do. Pray for others also.
- Encourage Faithfully – When you park your car in the church parking lot, before you exit the
car, think of someone specific to encourage and think of the exact words you want to say. Then
go do it!
- Work Energetically – Try very hard to go about your business with a smile on your face and
with purpose in your step. Make a to-do list and start checking off the boxes as you accomplish
what you’ve planned to do. It is very satisfying to know you’ve done something for the Lord.
It will feed your energy level.
Paul says “the whole body is joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to
the effective working by which every part does its share, causing growth of the body for the edifying of
itself in love” (Ephesians 4:16). Your contribution, however great or small, is very important to the
health of the church. We need you!
I was speaking to a man this past week about the topic of homosexuality. He owns a foster-care agency that specializes in hard-to-place foster children. These are usually teenagers with criminal records, some are pregnant, and some have declared themselves to be “gay.” The man I am talking to is not a Christian, but he impresses me as being very kind and sensitive toward others. He has been attending mid-week Bible study for a number of years and his comments during previous classes have always evidenced his concern for others and a desire to help those who are hurting or disadvantaged in life.
Our conversation was a good one and it ultimately ended with a question of how a Christians should respond to the following scenario. Imagine a young boy or girl who has been abused their entire childhood. The child is then taken by Child Protective Servicesand is now very confused about life, questioning whether they have any value or purpose in this life. These teens are also constantly moving from court hearing to court hearing, foster home to foster home, school to school. Sadly, the suicide rate is very high among this population of teenagers. While having conversations with “gay” teens the man I was conversing with said he wants to give them a message of hope. He told me he wants to tell these teens that God loves them “the way they are,” and that in spite of the horrible circumstances they’ve experienced in this life God has prepared a place in heaven for them. I could see in his face the desire to be sensitive toward these hurting teens and not say anything to further devalue them or in any way push them back into suicidal thoughts. He then asked if I thought God would receive practicing homosexuals into heaven if they turned out to be otherwise “good people.”
As you can see, there are several subjects to unpack here and space limits us from hitting every point, but I want to focus on two things. First, the New Testament clearly teaches us that God loves all people and that Jesus died for the entire world (John 3:16). God’s desire is that all would be saved and that not a single soul would be lost (1 Tim 2:4, 2 Pt 3:9). But a second and very important part of God’s message is that salvation comes through knowing the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4 says God desires all men to be saved “and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” Jesus said it is the truth that will set us free (John 8:32). Our obligation then is to present the truth, not a sugar-coated version of it, not any alteration of it whatsoever (Gal 1:8). And since the Bible condemns the practice of homosexuality (Romans 1:24-32), we must take the time to consider loving ways of communicating this. We are obligated to love our neighbors in every scenario, even this one. Communicating the truth in a way that shows compassion and a desire to point teens like this to a lifestyle that honors God is also our obligation.
If you are dealing with an obnoxious, in-your-face kind of person on a topic like this, I would say, “Answer not a fool according to his folly” (Prov 26:4). But when you have a hurting individual seeking validation of their worth before God, assure them that the cross is proof that God loves them (1 Cor 6:11). Be sensitive to all they’ve been through in life, and then speak the truth in love (Eph 4:15). These are not easy conversations and they require forethought and planning to be effective. The truth can be difficult for some to hear, but when it is spoken with love, we find an effective combination!
There may be some things in the Bible which are difficult to understand, but there are others which are so simply stated but often are easily overlooked. Two of these truths are that Jesus established the church and that He never wanted it to be changed.
Read Matthew 16:18 and notice how easy it is to understand the promise Jesus made before He died about what was about to happen. “I will build My church.” Even a child can grasp these words. Continue to read the Bible, and you will see exactly what happened. Just days after He ascended into heaven that church became a reality, and men were added to it (Acts 2:38-47). We must never overlook this truth so plainly stated.
Read the words in Matthew 16 which follow His promise to build the church. He said to Peter, “Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.” Two chapters later, He expanded this right to reveal God’s message bound upon all men to include others (Matt. 18:18). For the church to exist, there was a new testament which was about to be revealed, but when that truth was bound on this earth it was bound in heaven. We must not overlook this truth so simply stated.
To see how firmly this new way of living was binding on man, read the words of the apostle Paul. “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ” (Gal. 1:6-7). The truth was so firmly bound on mankind that to change it is described as a perversion.
Then, read the next verse to see that the gospel could not be changed. “But even if we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you, let him be accursed.” Do you see how easily these words show that the Lord never gave any man, including the apostle Paul, or any angel from heaven to change the truth that was revealed?
Yet, it is so easy to overlook these two truths. God first gave that Old Testament to the Jews and only God Himself could change it (Deut. 4:2; 12:32). When Jesus gave us the New Testament, He gave this same message—do not change it. How tragic it is that since Jesus left the earth men have changed the church and changed the truth bound on us in so many ways.
What would happen if all those who believed in Jesus decided to return to the simple truth given by Jesus and the apostles? What would the church look like if we established that first-century church in our day? Think about it!
Published with permission from ChurchOfChristArticles.com
Solomon, the wisest man of the Old Testament, had so much to say to young people about their lives. A quick search of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes shows that he mentions child, children, son, sons, young and youth over 85 times in these books.
Evidently one of the purposes Solomon wrote these books was to give instruction to his children. He uses the expression “my son” 23 times. He wanted his son to live a life filled with wisdom. Take time to think about his closing words to young people found in Ecclesiastes chapter twelve.
“Remember now your Creator…” These words presuppose that young people would be taught about God when very young. You cannot remember what you have never learned. God’s plan is for children to learn about Him from infancy (2 Tim. 3:15).
“Remember now your Creator…” There is an urgency in these words. It is foolish to wait to do right. Hearts are open and tender in our early years, so do it now! It’s always right to do right, right now! Failure to do this is so foolish.
“Remember now your Creator…” lt is true that He is the Creator of the entire universe, but this concept can be so impersonal and vague. It is imperative that young people realize He made them, individually and personally.
“Remember now your Creator…” He is the Almighty God, the origin of any reality you know. Paul described this in these words, “For in Him we live and move and have our being” (Acts 17:28). God has shown this so clearly that there is not a single person who cannot know of His majesty and power (Rom. 1:19-20).
“Remember…before the difficult days come…” One cannot be wise and not make preparation for what lies ahead. You cannot wait until those days arrive and then deal with them. It is in our youth that we must prepare.
“Remember…before the difficult days come …” There is a strong tendency for young people to live only in the present and fail to look to the future. Solomon speaks of the years when trials will come, and you may be unable to cope with them. Life is not always lived on the mountains of carefree happiness. On the other side of those mountains are valleys of trials.
“Remember…before the difficult days come and… when you say, “I have no pleasure in them.” Very few young people realize that it is in our youth that we set the course for the rest of our lives. There is one decision that we must teach our young people to make. That decision is “Remember now your Creator in the days of your youth, before the difficult days come and years draw near when you say, ‘I have no pleasure in them.’” God help us to seriously think about this!
Published with permission from ChurchOfChristArticles.com
