Circuit Thoughts

Please tell me you weren’t a C & E Christian this past week. C&E stands for Christmas and Easter. The Sunday following Easter especially is often the lowest attended Sunday of the year. For some reason we have become convinced that we only need Christian fellowship twice a year. Unfortunately, that is a lie the devil has made sound like the truth. Solitary Christianity is not a thing. We are meant to be in communion and stay in communion.

But, if you are a Christian who only attends on Easter, then do I have a history lesson for you. It seems that after Pentecost, the church continued to grow. However, it was still considered a Jewish sect. Those who followed Christ also followed the Temple. So, they celebrated Sabbath on Saturday’s just like everyone else. However, Sunday was a workday, so they gathered every Sunday before work started and worshiped together. They chose Sunday to commemorate the third day that Jesus rose on. In essence they turned every Sunday into Easter.

After the fall of Jerusalem, the center for the church moved. The Jewish church was now led by Gentiles who had no understanding of Passover or Sabbath, but they knew about Sunday. Therefore, we have Sunday service to this day. This also means that if you go to church only on Easter, then you go an average of 52 times a year.

I find that interesting, but more importantly, we are admonished by the writer of Hebrews to attend Worship together…”And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24-25)

Gather and encourage, that is how a church survives until Christ’s return and that is what we are admonished to do.

Look, I realize that as a Pastor, my job is to be there on Sundays. But I don’t do it because it is my job, I do it because it is a privilege. I am blessed to be called to serve God in this capacity. We are blessed to live in a country where we can worship in the open and pray together without fear. There aren’t many countries who can brag about that, and the number is getting smaller.

Church is more than just a building; it is a lifeline. We are here to do more than just worship. We are here to “provoke and encourage”. Thus, it is even more important for you to be in the church of your choice.

It is also important that every week, you bring someone with you. Do you realize that if everyone who went to church this week, brought someone with them next week, the church attendance would double. Imagine doing that every week.

Folks. The bottom line is you and I need to be in church. But more importantly, we need to bring others to church.

See you in church.