Articles / Blog
…Every member of the body has a responsibility to participate when the message of God’s word is being delivered. Edification is a group activity and at no point in our service does it rest on the shoulders of one man. All of us must open our hearts to be built up and express our honor for God by actively listening to His word. In this article, we will examine practical ways that we can effectively engage in the sermon portion of our assembly, both from the "pulpit" and the "pews"…
As we strive to effectively worship God and edify one another in our assemblies, there is one tool that is indispensable to these goals—the word of God. An assembly where the scriptures are relegated to the sidelines and left unopened on the pews cannot honor God and cannot bring us closer to Him. God’s word must be kept as the focal point of our service and thoroughly embraced in every aspect of our assemblies…
…Worship, is first and foremost an activity of the inner man. However, this does not mean the outward aspects of worship are to be ignored. Our words and actions reflect the attitude of our hearts… We must make sure the way we conduct our services effectively demonstrates the reverence and devotion of our hearts. The purpose of the inner man must shine through in the external aspects of our worship. We must seriously consider how our assemblies can most effectively aid the inner man in accomplishing the goals of worship and edification…
When we assemble to worship the Lord, the attitude of our hearts is of utmost importance. Worship is first and foremost an activity of the inner man… Our service to the Lord has to be more than just outward rituals and going through the motions. Our worship assembly cannot be pleasing in God’s sight unless we approach Him with hearts of genuine reverence…
If we properly understand the purpose of our assembly, we should also understand its great importance. There should be no greater goal in our lives than those we are aiming for in the assembly—the glorification of God and furtherance of His kingdom. We cannot claim to have the Lord as our highest priority, if the assembly of His church is commonly pushed aside by other activities in our lives…
“But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet and the people are not warned, and a sword comes and takes a person from them, he is taken away in his iniquity; but his blood I will require from the watchman’s hand. Now as for you, son of man, I have appointed you a watchman for the house of Israel; so you will hear a message from My mouth and give them warning from Me” (Ezek 33:6-7)…
Everywhere Paul went preaching the gospel he encountered opposition. In Philippi he and Silas were thrown into prison and in Thessalonica they had to flee by night to avoid an angry mob. Yet they continued to preach boldly regardless of the dangers they encountered (1 Th 2:2). Paul explains the reason for this continued boldness in the face of rejection to the brethren in Thessalonica…
“For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven, And do not return there without watering the earth And making it bear and sprout, And furnishing seed to the sower and bread to the eater; So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; It will not return to Me empty, Without accomplishing what I desire, And without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it” (Is 55:10-11)…
How valuable is a single soul? How much time is it worth? …time talking with others about Jesus? …time inviting people to our assembly? …time engaging in personal Bible studies?
How much effort is it worth? …effort equipping ourselves to teach others? …effort getting outside of our comfort zone to talk to others about the gospel? …effort reaching out to our friends and neighbors? …
“My mouth shall tell of Your righteousness and of Your salvation all the day long; for I do not know the sum of them” (Ps 71:15).
We tend to talk about things that we are excited or passionate about. Our conversations steer towards these topics with ease. Maybe its our children or grandchildren, our favorite sports teams, politics, or the newest movie in theaters. Since these topics are often on our minds, they frequently show up on our lips as well.
This principle should be no different when it comes to spiritual matters…
“For the word of the Lord has sounded forth from you, not only in Macedonia and Achaia, but also in every place your faith toward God has gone forth, so that we have no need to say anything. For they themselves report about us what kind of a reception we had with you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve a living and true God…” (1 Thess 1:8-9).
We all have certain roles we are comfortable fulfilling and situations in which we find ourselves at ease. On the other hand, some tasks may call for skills we are still developing and other circumstances may push the limits of our past experience.
There is nothing wrong with having a “comfort zone.” But it is foolish for us to set these boundaries in stone. Jesus often calls us to exceed the limits of our comfort zone. He calls us to multiply our talents and move on to higher ground in our service. He calls us to be courageous in the face of opposition and persevere in the face of affliction. He calls us to reevaluate the status quo and explore more effective ways to accomplish His will and work in our lives...
“Now it came about when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, a man was standing opposite him with his sword drawn in his hand, and Joshua went to him and said to him, ‘Are you for us or for our adversaries?” He said, “No; rather I indeed come now as captain of the host of the LORD” (Josh 5:13-14) ...
“Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, he will not give him a snake, will he? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him!” (Matt 7:9-11).
How much confidence do you have in God’s love for you?...
