Know Your Bible

VOL. 14 July 12, 2015 NO. 18

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MUST I ATTEND EVERY SERVICE OF THE CHURCH? 2

Personal Reasons for Attending All Services

There are certain duties that I owe to myself in attending every service of the congregation where I regularly worship. We shall list some of them here.

1. God's people are a called-out people from the world. They are called out for a purpose; that purpose being to serve God in spirit and truth. Having been called out of the affairs of this world, we have certain obligations to the institution into which we have been called. These obligations continue as long as we live on this earth. Could one continue in these obligations and be absent one or more times each week from the assembly? Could I claim to give my full support to that institution into which I have been called when I fail to attend the appointments? It is folly to make sure a claim, and yet a great many do.

Many young men have answered the call of the government to enter the armed forces. They are a called-out group; called from civilian life to military life. Do these called-out have any obligations to the forces into which they are called? We know they do. They are compelled to conform to every command alike. The church is called-out on the same principle. Every member is a soldier of the cross, each having the same duties as to attendance and worship.

2. Food is essential to our physical bodies. The same is true with our spiritual being. It must be fed the good things of the word of God that it might grow. I must digest all the spiritual food possible to grow properly (I Pet. 2:2). This food can be had at every service of the church. When I miss a service, I deprive myself of the spiritual food that is so vital to my spiritual growth.

Some say, "I can get that food at home by reading my Bible and praying and singing God's praises." That is true to a great extent. But how many do it? Where is the man who fails to attend Sunday evening service who will do that? If he has enough desire for the spiritual food to read his Bible and worship otherwise, he would have enough care to attend the Sunday evening service as well as all others. It is not a matter of what we are permitted to do in this respect, but what do we do? If a Christian really desires the spiritual food for his soul, he will attend every service of the church.

3. The Lord keeps a complete and perfect record of all my works. That record has my failures as well as my good works. When I appear before the judgment seat of the Lord, that record will face me. Could I claim to have been faithful over that which has been given me if I fail to attend the services of the church? Could I say: "Lord, I have kept the faith"? I am certain I could not.

If you were confronted with a record of your attendance for the past year, you may be astonished at the number of times you were absent from services. Yet a more accurate record will face you in the judgment. It behooves us then to take care that we keep the record as clean as possible for the judgment. Our excuses there will be of no avail. I ought to attend every service because God keeps a perfect record, and I will be judged according to all that I have done in the body, whether it be good or bad (2 Cor. 5:10).

4. We ought to attend every service because we need a closer association with other Christians. How can we be of the same mind when there is no fellowship between us? The encouragement received at at mid-week service is worth more than the association of a thousand men and women of the world. How can we love each other as we are taught to do in the Bible unless we are together more?

The idea that the less we are together the more we love each other is not true. Paul taught that evil companionship will destroy good intentions. The opposite of that would be good companionship will build character and reputation. Those who are weak will grow stronger in the fellowship of strong characters. We ought to attend every service of the church because there will be found the best people on earth.

5. When I attend every service of the church it helps me to overcome temptations. Sin enters by yielding to temptation. To defy sin we must resist the temptations that come to us daily. These temptations are the weapons in the hands of the devil to destroy us. There are enough temptations that come to us without inventing more. By being absent from any service we expose ourselves to the temptations of the devil to add more sin to that which we are already committing. It is easier for us to neglect other duties to God.

A failure to attend any service when we are able to do so is yielding to a temptation of the devil. If we resist that temptation all others become weaker and weaker. Just remember, when you neglect to attend a service you are playing right into the hands of Satan himself.

6. Another personal reason for attending all of the services of the church is that I do not miss work, school or play unless I absolutely can not help it. Most men go to work six days every week. They do not think of missing even one day. Is a man's daily work more important than the Lord's work? Should I put the temporal things of life above the spiritual things that are eternal?

The average man puts in about 40 hours each week working. Few congregations have more than four services during the week, lasting about one hour each. It takes not more than 8 hours, counting the time going and coming, to attend every service scheduled in the average congregation. Is that too much time to give to our spiritual development? Consider this seriously. One can not be considered very faithful to the Lord who will put the material things above worship.

We have considered thus far only those things that are personal, or that involve our own person, for attending every service of the church. If there were no other reasons, these are sufficient. But let us turn to others.

(To Be Continued)

—H.E. Phillips

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***SENTENCE SERMONS***

Don't put a question mark where God put a period.

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God promises a safe landing, not a calm passage.

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He who angers you, controls you!

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You can tell how big a person is by what it takes to discourage him/her.

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TRENDS…

Interesting Trends Among Americans:

American’s opinions of the morality of various behaviors and policies according to recent Gallop polling (published 5/26/10):

Morally Acceptable Morally Wrong

Abortion 38% 50%

Homosexual Relations 52% 43%

Fornication (unmarried) 59% 38%

Physician Assisted Suicide 46% 46%

Gambling 61% 34%

Cloning Animals 31% 63%

Medical Testing of Animals 59% 34%

Adultery 6% 92%

Observations:

Some of these percentages show how far away our thinking can become when we fail to read and believe in the scriptures.

Source: Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs survey, conducted May 3-6, 2010

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Morning Worship ……..…….….…...... 11:00 AM

Evening Worship …………...……........ 6:00 PM

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