Every Sunday Resurrection Sunday

16Apr07

We had about 150 more people in attendance on Easter than on a “normal” Sunday morning.  I realize that a certain number that attended are family members of our regular attenders.  But, part of that number is that most members all come to church at the same time because we don’t want to miss Easter Sunday.  The challenge is for us view every Sunday as extremely crucial  to our spiritual lives.  Not because there are special events, activities, etc.  We should come ready every week to corporately worship our King.  To sing, pray and hear His word proclaimed as a body is at the core of our Christian faith.  We should come every week to celebrate the reality of the risen savior.

What should be normal for believers is that almost nothing can keep us from our church family on Sunday.  The writer of Hebrews proclaims, “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.  And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:23-25)

Now this passage gives us three positive commands and in the middle of the passage he tells us one sure fire way to fail in these matters. 

First, he says to hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.  This is in the present active form which literally means – keep on holding fast the confession of our hope.  If we neglect the assembly we put ourselves in danger of losing hope, of being discouraged.  God gave us the body so that we maitain hope in our faith and in the faithfullness of our savior.

Second, the writer says for us to consider something.  We are to consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.  WOW, here is a revolutionary thought!  I am not to attend on Sunday simply for myself.  I am to attend considering how to stir up my brothers and sisters in Christ to love and to do good works.  I am to be stirred and I am to stir!  This literally means that I am to provoke, incite, stimulate, and sharpen others while they do the same to me.  We do not come to be passive recievers but to be active engagers.  There is no way I can accomplish this if I am there only half the time.  There is no way I can be stirred-up if I am gone all the time.  WOW – this is getting good.

Finally, he says we are to encourage one another.  If we put this in the negative it goes like this, “When I neglect my church it is discouraging to my brothers and sisters in Christ.”  When I fail to be committed to the body, not only can I not encourage the body, but I become a source of discouragement to the body of Christ!

Have you ever thought about church attendance in these terms? If not, ponder all the possibilites and the impact you can have in your local church body by following these three exhortations.

- Tad Thompson

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