church attendance – Page 3

Posted in Church attendance, Life Inspiration, Life's Failures, salvation

The Old Man is Dead!

Written by talk2shari Published April 16, 2015 Discussion Leave a Comment

Romans 6:6^~Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin.

I may not recall the first time I heard the song, “The Old Man Is Dead,” but I can recall that every time I hear it my soul is deeply stirred within. It’s a powerful message for the believer when they understand that their guilt is buried deep in the grave of the past, never to be remembered by the Savior. David said in Psalm 103:12 ~ As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. And yet I see so many children of God living in defeat day after day. I’m not talking the occasional “oops” that can happen to any of us at the drop of a hat, but I’m talking about a continual drifting away from God until He is so far removed the conviction is nigh on gone… but not quite.

There’s something about the scars of a crucifixion that run deep. And even though ours is a spiritual crucifixion, not a literal one as Christ bore, the scars are still there. That day of salvation when reminisced upon cannot help but bring with it a desire to be that clean again. For those who have gotten themselves away from Christ, and are back out in the world of sin it’s like the zombie apocalypse in your own life! The old man was dead and you resurrected him (or her as the case may be.) Now you’re walking around with your sins hanging out all over for all the world to see. They can’t be in you, because the Holy Spirit dwells there, you’re forgiven! But because you’ve chosen to go back into the world you have this dead junk hanging all over you, dragging you down day after day, bringing no pleasure whatsoever but you’re stuck. You know the world sees you as a sinner, not as a saint; and if you go back to church they’ll see you as a hypocrite. So Satan has you where he wants you, hanging out with zombies.

So what’s the answer?

There is only one answer to getting rid of the zombie crowd and that’s the blood of Jesus Christ. It miraculously will wash away the sin of alcohol, sex, drugs, and any other immoral act you could have possibly committed when the zombies reigned. But don’t try to go it alone. You knew it was coming… you need church! There’s a reason Christians hung out together in the Bible and they still hang together today, because there’s safety and encouragement in numbers, and you’re in need of both. You’ll need the safety of their prayers and the encouragement of their company.

I pray you’ll hear the message today whether you stumbled upon this blog, or if someone sent it to you because they know you’ve been hanging with zombies. Have you distanced yourself from God, but you can still hear His faint cry… come home. Or perhaps you’ve never gotten rid of the old man at all, and you’ve got sin inside and out. Christ has got that covered too. When He was crucified He went to Zombieville and took the keys to death, hell and the grave. All that junk and heartache you’ve been carrying around will just fall off when you speak the name of Jesus, and ask Him to save your soul and come into your life. It’s true!

Tell the old man to get packin’… you’ve got new friends!

Posted in Church attendance, Eternity, Heaven, Life Inspiration, salvation

Breaking up is hard to do

Written by talk2shari Published April 12, 2015April 12, 2015 Discussion Leave a Comment

How quickly people fall away from the Lord and call it a “new direction” or perhaps they just don’t call it anything. They just ignore the fact that they are out of fellowship with God and pretend that they’re decisions will have no ramification in eternity. If I began to make a list of the friends and family who have fallen out on God I would soon run out of lines on a sheet of paper or perhaps I could write a book about each one and what a difference they made in my life at a crucial time in my spiritual growth, it would be easy to write because it would be truth and my days with them seem like yesterday and yet also another lifetime away. How exactly does one go from standing and testifying about what the Lord has done to walking out on God? And how does it not scare the pants off of them because at one point they knew what God had saved them from. They had a burden for the lost in their family, they cried out at the altar of grace for God to save their children and their family and then one day that just didn’t matter. It makes me nauseous and ever conscience that I could be there tomorrow.

Matthew 24:42-43

Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that if the goodman of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he would have watched, and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.

There is a bluegrass song about Matthew 24 that I used to sing with friends and it was always a reminder of the need to be ready; a favorite sung at revivals and funerals. Revivals and Funerals – the opposite ends of the spectrum. One speaks of new life and the other of death, and yet if the death is that of a saint of God their eternal life just began. Both of those services draw us into the realization that changes could possibly need to be made. Nobody likes the separation that comes with death, but it serves to remind us that it comes to all lest Jesus returns before it and we need to make preparation; not only for us but for those we influence. It’s funny how Jesus is welcome at Weddings but not in the marriage, He’s given the glory for the blessing of a child but then those same children are not raised to know Him. His Name is spoken often in the message of a funeral but how often was His name spoken by the one who died? Someone’s family member is sick or injured and prayer requests abound but few or hollow praises are heard when the heartache is done and all is well.

Yes I’m going there this morning.

I’m frustrated and this is my only place to vent without going toe to toe with someone I love, or perhaps I should. Maybe it would knock some sense into them. Being the Jesus Chick doesn’t always get you a fan club, sometimes people would like to club you. They tolerate my saying grace over dinner just so it doesn’t lead into dinner conversations that lead into guilt. Oh, glory to God, now I’ve begun to meddle. I just need to get this off my chest and throw it out there in hopes that somebody will read it and determine to get themselves ready.

What spurred this thought this morning and broke my heart was the closing words in verse 43 “and would not have suffered his house to be broken up.”

So let me ask you… if Jesus comes back today will your house be broken? If the decision to claim Christ as Savior, Lord of your life has not been made by you or members of your family then your house will be broken. That’s where the rubber meets the road. Children don’t just magically get saved one day, seeds need to have been sown, life doesn’t always get better, sometimes it’s the worse that leaves you longing for the better of Heaven. This morning was not just a reality check for you, but for me. I need to do more, say more. Nobody will care if I talk about Jesus when we’re all in Heaven, but they’ll certainly care in Hell if I didn’t.

Continue on weary soldier…

Posted in Church attendance, Life Inspiration

Sunday Morning Blues? I think I know why!

Written by talk2shari Published March 15, 2015 Discussion Leave a Comment

Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. ~ Philippians 2:5-8

The Sunday Morning blues… why that thought has been on my mind from the time I got out of bed I do not know. But it got me wondering today why some folks lack the motivation on Sunday to go to church.

Possibly the first reason is because they’re not in their right mind…

Paul said “Let this mind be in you.” And what mind was that? The same one that was in Christ Jesus. The mind that causes us to want to be like God. Wanting to be like God is okay when it’s in the biblical aspect. It really hit me this morning as I read this verse that people who say “So and so think they’re God,” Implying that a person thinks more of themselves than they should, may not be getting who God is either. In reality if one “thinks they are God,” arrogance is nowhere in the picture! God made Himself of no reputation but took the form of a servant. Being in “that mind” is polar opposite of arrogance.

What must Christ have thought when He went from being God to being God fashioned as a man? Paul said that He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of cross.

If on Sunday morning you have no desire to be in the house of the Lord (I speak to you as though you were saved) you’re not in your right mind. You should want to be where God wants you, and that’s in His house with His people, those that He gave His life for. If you’re not saved there is still that desire to want to be where God is. God said in John 12:32 ~ And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me. There is a desire inside of you to know God, and to know God is to desire being with His people.

Sunday morning blues can sneak up on anyone. But when your mind is on Him…

He brings joy.

1 Peter 1:8 ~ Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoices with joy unpeakable and full of glory:

He makes the heart glad!

Acts 2:46 ~ And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart,

So… where is your mind this morning? There’s no room for the Blues in serving Christ! He deserves so much more and He wants so much more for you. He died that you might have life and that it would be abundant! So head on out to church and get ready to praise Him! He’ll meet you there!

Originally posted in April 2013.

Posted in Church attendance, Life Inspiration

Are You at His Feet Today?

Written by talk2shari Published November 23, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

Matthew 19:14

But Jesus said, Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven.

Early on in my salvation the Holy Spirit may have gone to bed a few nights saying “Wow! that was quite the workout!” It seemed that minute by minute He was guiding and instructing me in a better way to live and removing 34 years of bad ideas or misnomers of what was acceptable for a Christian to do and not to do. I remember sitting in a revival service one evening when Dr. Norris Belcher preached at our church, feeling as though every thought and sin in my life had been revealed. His sermon hit on everything the Holy Spirit had been dealing with me that day. I ask him when I shook his hand that night “Who opened my heart and allowed you to see in?” I don’t think he understood the magnitude of what had happened to me that night as he preached, but I certainly did. I discovered that sermons were supernatural events where, if you allowed, you could be ushered into the Lord’s presence and the light that shined during that time would illuminate every speck of dirt in your soul, and I loved it.

I wanted Him to show me what was wrong and I wanted to get it right. But not always. Many times I would flick the switch back to the flesh and say I’m not ready. It began during that time of my life that I couldn’t get enough preaching. I listened to preaching like many other Christians listened to music, it stirred my soul in a way it had never known and I couldn’t get enough. Not much has changed, I’m still a preaching fanatic. There’s an old time image of Christ with children all round His feet looking at Him adoringly, that’s how I envision myself during those early years, I sat in awe.

But just as we do in the physical realm, I grew up. I’m not just sitting at the feet of the Savior I’m also teaching as I had been taught; I teach Sunday School, I write and speak at ladies events when given the opportunity. Sometimes I get so busy doing life that I forget to spend time at His feet. I go to church, I take notes, I ponder the Pastor’s thoughts but I don’t always prepare my heart to hear the message as God would like.

As I prepare to go to church today, that is my heart’s desire… I pray the same for you.

Posted in Church attendance, Life Inspiration

I Want God Wednesday!

Written by talk2shari Published November 12, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

Craziest thing about wanting more God, we are without excuse for receiving Him. It’s officially Hump Day, that midweek celebration of the weekend being on the horizon. But for the Christian it should be a midweek refresher course on life until Sunday. We say we want more God, but Wednesday night services generally don’t reflect it by comparison to Sunday morning worship. You’ll note I didn’t say Sunday School… don’t get me started there. But back to Wednesday. I self-declared this “I Want God Wednesday!” Just because it focuses my mind on Him and I really need to get my mind off me; that’s what happens by Wednesday if I’m not careful. I get to worrying about the circumstances of life… laundry, bills, jobs, kids, grandkids and dogs and before long I’m not focusing on godly edification but rather worldly agitations. All the while God is there for the asking even on Manic Mondays and Tiring Tuesdays we just won’t receive the grace and goodness He desires to give.

Steven Furtick preached a sermon a few weeks ago at Elevation church with another grand revelation for me regarding the two spies giving the good report that spied out Canaan land, and the eight that gave the bad report. In that sermon he said that that ratio often reflected the congregation of the Lord in that eight out of ten people have a negative attitude and only two are encouragers. Truth? I don’t know, but it sounds right!

But in the book of Judges, Chapter 18, Verse 7-9, we find another set of five spies who were given the order to spy out the land promised to the Danites but they returned with a good report!

Then the five men departed, and came to Laish, and saw the people that were therein, how they dwelt careless, after the manner of the Zidonians, quiet and secure; and there was no magistrate in the land, that might put them to shame in any thing; and they were far from the Zidonians, and had no business with any man. And they came unto their brethren to Zorah and Eshtaol: and their brethren said unto them, What say ye? And they said, Arise, that we may go up against them: for we have seen the land, and, behold, it is very good: and are ye still? be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land.

So what’s the lesson for “I Want God Wednesday!”? Be not slothful to go, and to enter to possess the land. You want more of the goodness of God. Don’t be careless and over confident, else you’ll find yourself under attack and at risk of losing the peace God has afforded. God has given you the opportunity to live in a land that is “very good!” But you can’t afford to miss any opportunity to fellowship.

If life is hard… get to church.

If life is easy… get to church.

If life is bad… get to church.

If life is good… get to church.

I had “go to church” in those lines but changed it to “get. It’s a privilege to get to go to church. We need that fellowship with other believers and an opportunity to be encouraged by the Word of God. Church is our own little piece of the Promised Land until we get the full inheritance. Too many people are living after the manner of the Zidonians, so sure that all is well and they know not that the good times are about to end.

Do a little declaring yourself today. Make this your “I Want God Wednesday!” Get to church!

Posted in Life Inspiration

The Games People Play

Written by talk2shari Published October 13, 2014December 21, 2020 Discussion Leave a Comment

Another Monday following another Sunday; funny thing is they fall that way every week. It comes as no surprise and yet every Sunday Iâ€™m surprised by the people who think Sunday is merely a portal to a new week. They take serious that the Lord said it was a day of rest but consider the gospel as an option. My frustration mounts week after week, and yet I donâ€™t do a whole lot about it either. I witness and warn but they take me about as serious as a tinkling cymbals on that monkey I remember as child. Goofy thingâ€¦ it sticks in my mind this morning how he would clang the cymbals and dance around and serve no other purpose than making a noise. Even as a child I didnâ€™t like useless noises, there had to be a purpose. Just like playing online casino games at , I believe, every time you play a game you must think that you have a purpose, in online casinos, is to win.

Have I turned into that dancing monkey?

I began writing today thinking that my focus was going to be on alleviating my frustrations with people who donâ€™t attend church, and wouldnâ€™t you know it God would turn that thing right around to me. Ha! Heâ€™s funny like that too.

Luke 7:32-35

They are like unto children sitting in the marketplace, and calling one to another, and saying, We have piped unto you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned to you, and ye have not wept. For John the Baptist came neither eating bread nor drinking wine; and ye say, He hath a devil. The Son of man is come eating and drinking; and ye say, Behold a gluttonous man, and a winebibber, a friend of publicans and sinners! But wisdom is justified of all her children.

Can you see it? A prime opportunity to get on my high horse and rail on people who laid out of churchÂ yesterday and yet God said Iâ€™d just be like that monkey with the tinkling cymbals, all noise and of no useful purpose. While they may be playing games with eternity (a scary thought) making a lot of noise is not a way to get something accomplished, Iâ€™ve got to find a better way at getting through.

Jesus didnâ€™t play their games but he did show up on their court. He went to where they were and showed Himself friendly not judgmental. He knew they were playing games, he knew they didnâ€™t take eternity serious but when they needed Him He was there. I guess thatâ€™s my cue for the day, go to where they are and be the constant steady source for which the sinner see.

Be the one who cares. Be the one whose kind. Be the one whose wisdom is justified. The one that they look at and say I want thatâ€¦ that peace, that love, that understanding. No games, make Jesus real to them.

Posted in Christian Service, Grace, Life Inspiration

Another Lesson in Faith: Reset

Written by talk2shari Published October 1, 2014October 10, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

Faith. I say I have it, I truly try to live it, but it’s not evident unless it’s tried; and tried it is again and again. I try not to whine for my trying of the faith really is piddly by comparison to so many others I know. My trials of faith are for the most part about provision and my stress level is about a 3. I often wonder if my stress level is so low because I don’t have sense to know how much trouble I’m in. Insert grin here. I know that’s not the case. My God is Jehovah Jireh; my Provider! Its an awesome thing to know God as a personal friend and have that continual abiding presence in your life. I write bold but my heart is humble.

Three things about faith that keeps my stress level down:

1. Faith in God Alone

1 Timothy 1:4-6

⁴Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.

Godly edification comes from reading and studying the Bible, going to church and Christian fellowship. Those are the things that fuel faith in God alone. We were certainly meant to have relationship with people, but its those very relationships that can get our eyes off God’s design and onto the world agenda. There has got to be a stable force in ones life that you can hit the reset button and come back to that place where security lies and that is our relationship with God alone. Where you tune out the world and their agenda and get into the solace of the Savior and stop trying to control your own life. Let Him lead.

2. Faith unfeigned is untainted

⁵Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:

A pure heart in this world is hard to come by. We’re bombarded with the vulgarity of media that draws our minds in directions God never intended and each time it occurs it draws us further away from God and that security is now a broken trust in people and God because we’ve allowed our minds to view things in good conscience we shouldn’t have. Faith is hard to maintain when our focus is off of God’s design for us which is to serve. By this shall all men know that you are my disciples, if you love one another, John 13:35. By serving people in the relationships that God has entrusted us with our minds are refocused on Him and our soul revitalized. The world would have you believe that satisfaction comes in serving and appeasing self, when the truth is charity with a pure heart thrives on serving others.

3. Faith Janglers are everywhere, even in the church.

⁶From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;

The importance of knowing and studying the word of God cannot be stressed enough to me. I need to hear it everyday, else I take the lazy way out and trust men (and women) to fuel my faith. The number of people who call themselves Christians and yet never feel compelled to study the Word and attend church is staggering. And what happens is that the world fills their heads full of “vain jangling” (nonsense) and when trouble comes they don’t even know where the reset button is located. They trust in man’s ideals to get them through.

This is a new day for me, full of the unknown. Today I began unemployment again. It’s a good thing I work for God, His grant funding is called grace and He has an unlimited supply.

Reset! Ahhhh, there You are God…

Posted in Uncategorized

Organic Christianity… keeping it real in the youth ministry

Written by talk2shari Published September 8, 2014August 7, 2022 Discussion Leave a Comment

Organic Christianity…Something the Pastor said in passing yesterday that has been stuck in my mind and obviously needs to go from pen to paper. Pricey organic foods are all the rage in healthy eating, although for the most part I have to wonder if it’s merely a difference in labeling than foods, and no different than the others on the shelf. I’m not real trusting of marketers. I’m even less trusting of many who share the gospel; one of the many reasons I’m a KJV (King James Version) girl. Just give me the basics. Is that not what organic is… just the basics. No additives or preservatives, its good just like it’s grown!

At a youth leadership meeting yesterday our discussion was around ways to improve the youth ministry, it’s always a subject of debate on ways to engage youth in the service. I was engaged with youth yesterday in the service, my three grandchildren. Curtain climbers that they are… I however was not engaged in the Pastor’s message for the distractions and concerns about the babies distracting others. Children are not born with social graces… it comes in time. I’m not so sure I’ll live that long. Insert grin here.

But the debate is, how do we change how we’re serving the Lord and keep the basics?

Luke 9:34-35; a portion of the scripture of the transfiguration of Christ says “While he thus spake, there came a cloud, and overshadowed them: and they feared as they entered into the cloud.And there came a voice out of the cloud, saying, This is my beloved Son: hear him.”

According to commentary the appearance of Moses and Elijah symbolically represented the law and the prophets. But God’s voice from heaven – “Listen to Him!” – clearly showed that the law and the prophets must give way to Jesus. The One who is the new and living way is replacing the old – He is the fulfillment of the Law and the countless prophecies in the Old Testament. Also, in His glorified form they saw a preview of His coming glorification and enthronement as King of kings and Lord of lords.

The disciples never forgot what happened that day on the mountain when they saw the new Jesus, yet He was still the basic. He was still the same, yet visibly different; God doesn’t change. That’s what I want to see happen in our youth ministry. I want it the same, yet visibly different. I don’t want to get away from the King James Bible, or reverence of God’s house; after all a youth program should be a training ground for servants, not an entertaining ground ~ but there’s nothing wrong with something new! The problem with new is it pushes us out of our comfort zone, but I’m not really the expert on that because I have the personality that embraces “new.” I do however understand that everyone does not, and as a leader I have to be considerate of that and make “new” softer and flexible if I want an excellence in the ministry for which I’ve been called to serve in. Because it’s not about me, it’s about everyone.

Shane Duffy’s definition of excellence in the ministry is found in John 12:24

Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit.

Excellence is giving up something good for yourself to provide something great for someone else. Youth ministry is not for everyone, but it’s for someone. It’s a sacrificial ministry. And there have been times that I have felt as if I was sacrificed on the altar of insanity. It’s those times when people who have not been called to the ministry look at you like your crazy and say… “you want to do what with the kids?” Let me rephrase my statement about the youth ministry not being for everyone. It is for everyone, but in different capacities. If it’s your church you’re either a part of it, a supporter of it, lest you be a hindrance to it. It’s important that there are multiple people with multiple ideas involved else you get someone like me that goes to the extreme.

Perry Noble in a recent leadership podcast said this about extravagance….

Excellence is the overflow of attention and hard work where Extravagance is something you buy so it looks like there was hard work involved. If the average person doesn’t notice the difference, what we’re using becomes a toy, not a tool. We need to makes sure that what we’re using is a tool to reach people for Christ, not a toy to entertain. Spend money on what matters, otherwise it’s extravagance.

I love that! I needed that!

Because I love toys in the ministry. I like shiny things and far too often they’re just attention getters and take my eyes off Christ. If we want something new, it needs to be for the basic concept of drawing young people into a relationship with Christ, and families into to the church. You can visit their website for ideas. Just the basics… organic, grounded in the gospel Christianity…. With perhaps a side of bling…

Hope this helped you… it sure helped me today!

Posted in Uncategorized

It started with a kiss

Written by talk2shari Published July 19, 2014July 19, 2014 Discussion Leave a Comment

Betrayal. A hard pill to swallow, but when its family, Satan seems to find his way into that pool and will splash the water until there’s nothing left. It’s true in family related by blood or family under the blood. Division is his goal and usually begins with a kiss.

II Samuel 15: 5-6

⁵And it was so, that when any man came nigh to him to do him obeisance, he put forth his hand, and took him, and kissed him.

⁶And on this manner did Absalom to all Israel that came to the king for judgment: so Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel.

Absalom wanted his father’s throne but he knew King David’s followers were loyal and an immediate hostile takeover wouldn’t settle well. So he positioned himself between judgment and the King. The church has allowed much the same to happen; the son of disobedience has positioned himself between judgment and the King, and as churches get more and more liberal, desiring to please men, Satan gathers more into his way of thinking and we now have a breach in loyalty.

The Word is Watered

We want a social gospel. One that looks pretty but is without consequence.

2 Timothy 4:3 [Full Chapter]

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

We long to have our egos stroked and leave church feeling as though we can fight hell with a water gun but we don’t want the power of the gospel turned on us. Absalom looked pretty, he had chariots of horses that ran before him and he would stand in the gates and tell men what they wanted to hear, they would exchange pleasantries and before long business acquaintances became his allies and David’s enemies.

America continues to align itself with the world rather than with the Word. We want judgment for everyone else, but we want to judge ourselves. We don’t want preachers telling us how to raise our children, we’d rather give that power to the DHHR because obviously their way works. We don’t want to hear that we need to be in church when the doors are open because the doors to the world are open wider, and the end result is miserable homes and marriages across the country.

Morality is Marred

We’ve allowed government to skew the Word of God. Adolf Hitler said “What luck for the rulers that men do not think.” We’re allowing government to do our thinking for us. If they say their ideas are best for our country, so it is. And yet we’d never tolerate their ideologies in our home…. Yet. Little by little they’re getting a strong hold into the homes of America and adultery, lying and thievery are not “so bad.” Absalom started out with 50 horsemen and for a little while he ended up with a nation. David regained the throne but he lost a son.

It all started with a kiss.

We need to stop kissing up to the world and start getting our homes back on the right track. Hope to see you in church Sunday morning!

Posted in Christian Service, Church Unity, Life Inspiration

Church… No Big Deal?

Written by talk2shari Published June 8, 2014September 8, 2023 Discussion Leave a Comment

Why is going to Church such a Big Deal?

Yesterday morning, I was up early getting ready for the Baptist Church Ministry to perform in our local grand parade. We let our little light shine! I was excited, and so were the kids. I wasn’t just excited about Saturday, but Sunday too. My heart begins to stir this morning as I think about our services today. It’s exciting for me! But for so many others, Christian’s even, it ranks just above going to the dentist, or so their face appears when you mention it. They generally have a well-rehearsed excuse as to why they can’t go, or a reason Church is not top priority in their lives. I know I write about this a lot, and I’m likely preachin’ to the choir on this blog. Because if you care enough to read me, you must surely love Christ!

So why is a big deal for me? First and foremost because God died for me to have the opportunity. That’s a pretty big deal, but even before Christ did that Church was a big deal.

In Psalm 122:1 David said “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.” Many Christian’s can recite that verse from heart, but that wasn’t all he said.

It was in David’s time that Jerusalem was chosen to be the city where God would record His name. It was a Holy City and the people were excited to have the opportunity to worship where God put His name. It was a Jewish privilege which they too took for granted until it was no longer a “big deal” for them to have communion with God. I think there’s a few keys in Psalm 122 as to how we got to where we are concerning the lack of eagerness to attend church.

A LOST SENSE OF COMMUNITY

Vs. 2-3 – Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem.Jerusalem is builded as a city that is compact together:

Church time was a time when the community came together in support of not only God but one another. They were compact, a tight knit group that studies the Bible and american prophecy. That’s how church was meant to be, not these click centered social hours where families arrive at 11 o’clock sharp, sit in row 5, shake hands with rows 6 and 4, having “suffered through the long list of prayer requests”, enjoyed the singing, tolerated the preacher, until he said something that convicted them and then at 12 o’clock dull they were frustrated because the altar call was taking a little longer than it should, so they stormed past the preacher at the church door without so much as a hand shake. Woah… where did all that come from? I guess it was on my heart.

But communities as a whole have lost their need to support one another. We’re far too busy supporting our Facebook Community.

A LOST SENSE OF ACCOUNTABILITY

Verses 4-5

Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord.For there are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David.

How can one possibly tell their friends and family that they should have a right heart with the Lord, when those same friends and family know where they are on Sunday morning? And it’s not in church. That’s like a smoking physician telling a tobacco chewing farmer he needs to quit his bad habits… okay now I’m meddling.

A LOST SENSE OF CONCERN

Verses 6-8 ~ Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces.For my brethren and companions’ sakes, I will now say, Peace be within thee.

Peace. We’ve had it too good too long. Throw some heartache into the mix and people have a tendency to at least consider church. But then let it subside a day or two and their old habits kick in. I spent most of yesterday on the verge of tears during the festival. If I had dwelled on my thoughts I would have been like Jeremiah the Old Testament prophet. I seen oceans of apathy all day concerning God; with the exception of my church family that I fellowshipped with during the day.

David knew the power of the house of the Lord. He drew strength from it. I’m not prideful when I say this, mostly humbled, but I’m so glad I know the power in the house of the Lord!

Vs. 9 – Because of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good.

I’m going to do my best today to seek thy good Lord as I travel to my home church this morning and then sing in Doddridge County, WV for their West Fest festival this afternoon and hopefully be back in time to attend evening services! It’s important to me.

I’m Praying that our Lord’s services are blessed today, let me know how your went.