Did you ever think that your presence in church is a ministry?
Listen:
“We sustain a loss when we neglect the privilege of associating together to strengthen and encourage one another in the service of God. The truths of His word lose their vividness and importance in our minds. Our hearts cease to be enlightened and aroused by their sanctifying influence, and we decline in spirituality. In our association as Christians we lose much by lack of sympathy with one another. He who shuts himself up to himself is not filling the position that God designed he should. The proper cultivation of the social elements in our nature brings us into sympathy with others and is a means of development and strength to us in the service of God.”
God came to His garden for a visit, and the members were not in the usual place of meeting.
God called out, “Where are you?”
As was true for Adam and Eve in the opening sentences, God desires to meet with us. Not just for His pleasure. But because the human psyche needs the stimuli of “associating together to strengthen and encourage one another in the service of God.
In addition, the members, not just the ones staying home, but all of the members “sustain a loss” due to the disuse of the privilege.
-To Be Continued next week-