We last looked at the theme Make the Church Great Again. Today as promised we look at Stronger Together. It is a fact that we can be, and should be Stronger Together. As Paul pointed out in Ephesians 4:3,”Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”. For the Church to be truly great she must maintain “the unity of the Spirit”. Why? Because God says we are stronger together. Please note that this unity is the unity of the Spirit, it is already given we must maintain that which He has already given. This is not something we engineer, it is merely for us to maintain. We did not create it, we did not build it, we did not think of it, it is of the Spirit. The next time you hear a sermon about church attendance, don’t greet it with apathy. The preacher is not just talking about your attendance, he speaks to the heart of the matter. It is a show of unity.
Now you may ask how is it a show of unity? That is a fair question. But first we might ask what is the purpose of the assembly? It is at first glance and thought to worship God, and that is a good reason but it is not the only reason. The gathering of the saints of God has a power in showing the united belief that Jesus the Christ rose again on the third day. Do you think in God’s perfect plan Jesus accidently arose on Sunday the first day of the week? Jesus arose the first day of the week and that is emblamatic of a new dawn, a new day, a new life and a new lease on Life.
To the believer we are proclaiming the Christ rose from the dead. God started the church on the day of Pentecost. It is the blood bought church that Jesus died for. There are no accidents in God’s redeemtive plan for man. Jesus arose on the first day of the week. The church gathered together on the first day of the week to partake of the Lord’s supper, commerating his death until He comes again. Your attendance shows your faith. Your attendance shows that you believe that Jesus is the Christ risen from the grave. You proclaim this united with Brothers and Sisters as you partake of the Lord’s Supper week after week.
Your worship of God is an acknowledgement that He has done something marvelous in your life. You are telling not only God but the world that I belong to Jesus. He is worthy of my time. He is worthy of my heart. He is worthy of my life. I love Him with all of my heart, soul, mind and strength and when I take the bread and drink the cup I am declaring to a fallen world that Jesus is Lord and He is coming back. When I sing with others in the worship service I am praising God that He has redeemed me from my wicked life, that I trust Him to deliver me in that last great day.
As you hear your preacher speak about attendance, what is the message? It is about encouraging one another in days of trial, temptation and tribulation to “fight the good fight”. His message is about loving one another in a way that the world can see is different from the way they love. When you attend worship, you are an encouragement to a brother or sister, your smile, your kind words, your optimism in life and sharing what God has done for you helps them in their struggle. The preacher is not interested in you as a number, he is interested in you as a soul.
I have not forgotten your earlier question of how your attendance is a show of unity. But as you unite in song do you feel as one with the church? When you partook of the Lord’s Supper, did you feel the communion with the Lord, and His people? When you participated in prayer, were you not united with other believers lifting your heart up in prayer? Then there is the contribution, wasn’t there a sense of unity as you all searched your hearts and gave back to the Lord joyfully knowing God loves a cheerful giver? And finally, were you encouraged, were you spurred on toward perfection when you attended? Didn’t you want to do more good?
I hope you did. This may have been your text if you were paying attention: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” (Hebrews 10:24-25) Think on these things as you contemplate how we are stronger together.
Steven Webb, evangelist
(c)2016
Unity of the Faith 