Third Commandment
Remember the Sabbath Day byThird Commandment Remember the Sabbath Day by keeping it holy.
Exodus 20:8
A daughter of a minister who asked, why should I keep going to church? At times she felt discouraged. She understood why but she recognized that many Christians, like her at one time, had been offended by another sinner. She understood how sad it is that situations like this which happen far too often in a church, much more the sinful world. At times like this a church can lose both the offender and the offendee, or even one who had taken offence when no bad motive was intended.
Here are the basics about going to church. God does command attendance, for your good, just like all the commandments. Worship weekly with others. Those others are the sinners God has brought together. God adopted them as your brothers and sisters.
What are we supposed to get out of worship? There are all kinds of opinions on how the music should be, how good or not so good the preacher is, how some people come to impress and that is really their motive. Some come to have an honored position. “They don’t spend my offerings right, they don’t” … fill in the blank …” How often do we choose just not to understand our fellow church member as we understand ourselves? How often are we content to complain rather than to participate and improve us all? If we impute bad motives on another, where are we at? Could there be such bad motives? Yes. Scripture gives ample examples. But amazingly we don’t apply bad motives to our own imputing thoughts. Joy at worship is always obscured when we find every reason to complain about the pastor or the usher or this person or that person or that program. If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will be destroyed by each other. Galatians 5:15.
When we are so focused on others and not ourselves, when we lose focus on Christ and his forgiveness, first and foremost forgiveness of me, is it not a wonder that church becomes a burden? The solution to our spiritual sadness is not to pull away from church. The solution is to recognize and understand what the Spirit does for you and through you in church and dive in with everything you got.
As your pastor I intend this church to be a hospital for sinners and not some haven for saints. Offences will be given. One will sin against another. Then we can take one of two courses of action. We can puff ourselves up and selfishly demand that our emotions are healed. Or we can be the selfless healer as Jesus was and promote repentance and forgiveness. That is the heart of worship, isn’t it? It is the theme given to John the Baptist and the theme Jesus took up for his ministry; repent for the kingdom of heaven is near.
So let us worship in our everyday. We honor God as we strive to live godly lives. We honor God when we deliberately and regularly meditate on God’s love daily in prayer, meditation and devotion. We practice faith when we are peacemakers and those who forgive. Do not neglect the 3rd commandment itself which God describes as sacred assembly. He wants you to show up at church. He wants every part of his body to love, support and encourage every other part of his body. He nourishes each part of his body with his blessing of his word through faithful preachers, weekly in sacred assembly.
So get in that good habit. Sadly, many think they can “worship in nature.” True, they can. But they neglect God’s Commandment and themselves when they regularly neglect the rest of the body that is intended to support them. God says worship weekly with others.
Here is what God wants from your church going. Christ wants to shine through you for the benefit of others. Christ wants to be proud of you as his child while you, spiritually injured and burdened as you are, give a “spiritual hug” to another who is undergoing temptation or a trial while he works through you. He wants you all to participate and not just sit like a log. Christ wants you to know him better through preaching and doctrine. Christ wants you to find the joy of his forgiveness.
God wants you to be a redeemed body that is working together for the good of all. Individual responsibility is still required by group strength is provided in worship. We need to examine ourselves if our words and actions truly accomplish that. I can think of times when how I did something hurt another. I can also remember times when I apologized & it was taken with grace, & other times when it was not graciously received. Do we want to be that later & not the former?
Worship is where God gives you a real opportunity to practice your faith in a space where you know there are people who claim to recognize their sinfulness and profess forgiveness. Worship is where God strengthens you. Here in the faces of your fellow members is the supporting face of Christ. Here is where God begins to perfect us for heaven. Here in worship we honor and love God by loving and supporting his people. Here in sacred assembly we learn how to find forgiveness for ourselves while passing that same forgiveness to others. Make worship in sacred assembly your habit; personally, publicly and weekly. Pastor Tim Kuske