LOG LANE COMMUNITY CHURCH WEEKLY BULLETIN
Sunday, September 10, 2006
What the Church Believes - Regular Church Attendance
[Continued from 9/3/06 bulletin]

Why is regular weekly church attendance so important? Why can’t a believer stay at home and develop spiritually just through Bible reading and prayer?

Hebrews 10:25 gives the command in no uncertain terms:

Hebrews 10:25 (KJV)
²⁵ Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting [encouraging] one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.

Hebrews 10:25 (RVR)
²⁵ no dejando de congregarnos, como algunos tienen por costumbre, sino exhortándonos; y tanto más, cuanto veis que aquel día se acerca.

The New Testament church met faithfully on the first day of the week. Its members were instructed to bring their offerings to God on that day [1 Cor. 16:2].

Not only is Christian Fellowship in a local church good for our emotional health, it is essential to our Christian commitment. We are to encourage one another [1 Thess. 4:18], comfort one another [2 Cor. 1:3, 4], and bear one another’s burdens [Gal. 6:2]. Those who do not attend church regularly with fellow believers run the risk of failing in their Christian walk. We really do need each other. God wants us to fellowship with Him both individually and with other believers. Some followers of the Christian faith rationalize that once they have learned the basic lessons of the Bible it is no longer necessary to attend church. Others claim to be able to worship God alone without the distractions of the “hypocrites” who attend church. This logic reveals much about the spiritual health of the absent believer. It is not a matter of either going to church to grow spiritually or having devotions at home to grow spiritually. Both are essential to a healthy Christian life. And it is selfish to learn Bible truth at home and not share it with fellow believers to encourage and edify them as well as to receive edification. Paul told the Thessalonians, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing” [1 Thess. 5:11]. We cannot fulfill that instruction when alone.

Log Lane Community Church believes in the operation of the gifts of the Spirit in public worship. The Holy Spirit manifests the gifts through various believers, as He chooses, for the edification of the assembled body. Meeting together is absolutely essential for such edification. “All these [Gifts] are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines. The body is a unit, thought it is made up of many parts; and thought all its parts are many, they form one body” [1 Cor. 12:11, 12].

Attendance at church with a body of believers is also essential to our fulfilling the command of the Great Commission [Matt. 28:19, 20]. Although one can theoretically be a witness by himself during the week without attending church, in reality that does not happen. It is the dynamic of a group of believers, encouraging, challenging, and strengthening each other that will reach the lost for Christ.

We do not go to church regularly to be saved; we go because we are saved. The question is not “Can a believer maintain his Christianity and develop spiritually without attending church? Instead, the real question is “Can believers afford to lose all the benefits and rewards that come from obeying the inspired command of Scripture not to stop meeting together with fellow believers?”

Concerns:
It is the responsibility of local church leadership to plan and conduct services so that God can speak and manifest His presence to each individual gathered for worship. In the course of a service, each worshiper should be afforded opportunity to experience the loving call of the Lord to a complete commitment to the kingdom of God.

You may say, “I don’t like the singing or worship” or “I don’t feel the presence of the Holy Spirit.” What should you do in that case? Accept the spiritual challenge to intercede with heaven on behalf of the church. God responds to the persistent intercessory prayer of a righteous person [James 5:16]. We are all part of the body of Christ, sent to edify the group He has placed us in. Faithfulness in church attendance and intercessory prayer will produce an exciting worship atmosphere.

Practice Jesus’ Habits
Whitney Hopler

All of us have habits – regularly repeated behaviors that shape our lives, for better or for worse. The best habits are those that Jesus, God incarnate, practiced during His time on Earth. Since He designed life, He knew how to live it most effectively.

You can learn a lot from what Jesus taught, but even more from practicing what He did. The more you devote yourself to emulating Jesus’ habits, the more God will bless you.

Here’s how you can make Jesus’ habits your own:

Practice seclusion. Withdraw from everyday noise and demands on a daily basis to spend some time with God, to connect with him and recharge your emotional and spiritual batteries.

Practice prayer. Choose to pray regularly; don’t wait until you feel like doing so. During prayer: praise God, thank God, confess your sins to God, ask God for something on behalf of other people, and present your personal requests to God.

[Continued in next bulletin]