We’re In This Together

“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Hebrews 10:25

            How do you remain close to God? What do you put in place to make sure your life with Him doesn’t become stale or start to slide away from Him? What practices are in your life just because you love God and want to know Him better? There are a few different aspects to the Christian walk that are vital. Things like prayer, and praising God, and immersing yourself in His word. When we neglect those things, we can be sure we will eventually fall into sinful thoughts and attitudes, which then lead us to sinful behaviors because we will no longer have the mind of Christ. We will harden ourselves against the voice of God and will become immune to the leading of His Spirit. It doesn’t happen instantaneously. Rather, it’s a gradual fading away from Him and His presence.

            Another practice that keeps us close to God that I see diminishing more and more in our society is church attendance. Maybe it’s because we use that word “attendance” when we actually mean something much more. We attend a concert, or a lecture. We sit passively and observe. Oh, maybe we sing along with the musician, or we take notes at the lecture. And maybe we even learn some new insight. But in reality, we could leave those events without ever truly engaging our hearts and our minds. We can do the same with church attendance. Go. Sit. Listen. Repeat the next week. That’s not what I’m talking about. What I really mean is church involvement. God doesn’t want us to go to church every Sunday just so we can sit in a pew and then leave. He’s asking more than that. And He’s offering more than that.

            I don’t want to sound legalistic about this. It’s not like God is wanting us to attend church so we can mark off a box. Rather, He knows that we need community. We need one another to fellowship with, to share our burdens with, to care for and pray for one another, and just to do life together. Now that it’s possible to watch many of our churches online, there’s great temptation to do just that. Online participation is better than nothing if we’re not able to attend. For example, if we’re sick or out of town. But it should never be used as a replacement for attending and participating when we’re able to do so. If you think I’m sounding holier-than-thou on this topic, let me confess that this is something I struggle with. Some weeks, online worship can be a huge temptation. That’s why I’m writing on this topic. I have made the commitment to change in this area and want to encourage others to do the same. I think of an old Keith Green song that says, “Jesus rose from the dead, but you can’t get out of bed.”

            I’m excited for this journey of getting back to where I was before. I’ve made the commitment to attend in person every single Sunday when possible. While I’m there, I hope to connect with those I know, and meet some new people. I want to let God use me to speak into their lives and open me up to hear Him speaking to me through them. I’m expecting new opportunities of service to open before me as well as new chances to learn more about God in community with others. I know I’m going to be greatly blessed. God knows we can’t do this alone. He made us to need one another. Ultimately, we need Him. May our focus always be to connect with others with the intention of drawing closer to God – together.