April 9, 2015 (Thursday)
I like what Mark Miller wrote in his blog this week about Easter. I quote: “Easter is still the largest attended worship service by far in our church. There is still something in this part of our nation – and I’m glad – that says, ‘We need to go to church today, even if we haven’t been in some time.'”
Last Sunday Bethel Baptist Church, Ingleside, had the largest attendance in a long time. We were greatly encouraged by the presence of members and visitors.
The local church is still the prime source for fellowship among Christian people. We can read books that inspire us, listen to recordings of great sermons by famous preachers, attend special events that are fantastic and spectacular in their witness for Christ, always tune our car radios to religious programs, fill our homes with Christian music, read our Bibles daily, and do many other things to enhance our spiritual lives, but none of these provides the one thing that is unique to a local church: fellowship.
Fellowship is not just a bi-product of worship; it is a key ingredient.
Our present study at Bethel of the Book of Acts has shown us that the early church members in Jerusalem, though numbering in the thousands, sought ways to meet together every day. They gathered in groups in homes, and they came together in large assemblies in the temple courts. They prayed together, learned together, sang together, shared needs, burdens, problems, and heartaches with each other, and found strength in fellowship. Their joys and moments of happiness were greatly enhanced by being able to share with fellow believers.
I cannot speak for everyone, but I know for a fact that it was a local church that found me, led me to Christ, taught me, encouraged me, and sent me out to preach God’s word to a needy world. I had to learn to sing the songs, study the Scriptures, share God’s word, even teach it sometimes, but the one feature of the local church that outweighed all other influences was being with real, live, flesh and blood people who loved the Lord: fellowship.
To everyone who got a little taste of that fellowship on Easter Sunday, I say with Mark Miller: make church attendance a habit, not just a hobby. It will enrich your life.