Together

Meditate: Acts 2:44

Half-truth from Hell: I can do this alone.

Probably the best place to start here is to ask, “Why would you want to?” See, it’s one thing when God calls you into a setting that isolates you from His Church; that’s a calling and we know that God is able and will take care of you when You’re following Him. In fact, most church planting or missions work depends on individuals obeying God to go where the Church isn’t.

That said, it’s usually not church planters or missionaries who say things like this. It’s usually people who don’t want to face up to the state of their own souls and are looking for a way out of explaining why they call themselves “Christian” even though they’re not willing to associate with God’s people.

Two quick points on this:

1. The Bible describes what we often call “becoming a Christian” as being “adopted” as God’s child. Doesn’t it seem strange that someone who’s really a part of a family would avoid spending time with that family (dysfunctional real life experiences aside-we’re talking about God’s family here!)
2. Heaven is the Christian’s ultimate destination, right? So what’s the Bible say about heaven? It’s not hanging out on a cloud playing a harp (big relief there,) and it’s not some human version of “Paradise” where our every wish for comfort is fulfilled (sorry to disappoint you.) The Bible shows heaven as this massive worship session where all the believers (the Church) will be assembled around God’s throne, giving Him glory and honor.

So, if the first point doesn’t appeal to you, how can you possibly get excited about the second? Brothers and sisters, we’re going to be spending a lot of time together-we might as well start getting used to one another now.

• Am I part of God’s family? Do I seek out opportunities to spend time “with the folks”?
• How about this eternal worship service? Excited? Hesitant? Bored at just the thought of it?

Pray:
Praise: You alone are worthy to receive glory and honor and blessing.

Confess: (Be honest!) Lord, I feel ____ about all this.

Thank: In Your mercy, You haven’t stopped working with me.

Ask: Search me and know my heart. Try me and know my ways.

Digging Deeper: Revelation 5

Posted by email from Ferndale Tonight (posterous)