Can I miss Sunday worship?
Heb 10:25 says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
Recently while I was preaching among the youth in a church, one young girl who was an active participant of that church, an excellent volunteer and a sincere girl came to me for prayer regarding a new job offer. The position, salary and other emoluments were excellent but the worry was that if they might call her for work on Sundays. Big challenge! I posed a question to her: ‘what would be your reaction if you were called for work on Sundays?’ I just waited for her to say, “come what may, I would never give up God for anything in this world” but instead she gave me a sheepish look and said “ I don’t know what to do”. Friends, I want to state here, ‘God would honor those who honor Him!” Sure, He would!
Stay in the church. Every time you stay at home while church is going on, you are opening up a way for Satan to attack you. Heb 10:25 says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” I repeat, do not forsake church! Go to church to hear the Word. Put your kids in the Sunday school. Get the Word into them at an early age. The muslims teach their children kuran from the age of five! Are you listening? While Christianity cannot be taught in public schools, Islam and other religious views are. There are several ashrams in the Himalayas and other parts of the country, where young children are taught hindu vedics. It is we as Christians who do not give the church and His Word due importance. How would our children be able to combat the evil forces of temptations that would throttle them in the coming evil days? They need to get the Word into them!
We have a severe warning from God regarding the Sabbath day: Exodus 31: 14 ‘You shall keep the Sabbath, therefore, for it is holy to you. Everyone who profanes it shall surely be put to death; for whoever does any work on it, that person shall be cut off from among his people.’ This scripture is ‘strongly worded’ because God wanted to emphasize the importance of being in His House. Now, I am not talking about ritually following the commandment and church attendance, but here I am talking about honoring God and His Word.
Spiritual lethargy and complacency which I see all around, has propelled me to write this devotion today. Jeremiah 17:27"But if you will not heed Me to hallow the Sabbath day, such as not carrying a burden when entering the gates of Jerusalem on the Sabbath day, then I will kindle a fire in its gates, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched."
Observe the above scripture carefully, the Lord said ‘I will kindle a fire in its gates and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem!’ God would punish the officials and the princes inside the palace for not warning the people against their sins! Pastors! Preachers! Christian leaders! Be warned! We got to warn against this toxic poison of ignoring His House!
• If we neglect His House, our house would be on fire!
Bomb Blast! We read of them every day! Beware! Sunday service is not a choice but we are commanded to be in His presence. When I questioned a middle aged man with two kids about his church, he gave me a blank look and said that he goes to church occasionally. A busy Physician told me that he visits church once a month and there are others who have never entered the Holy Sanctuary. How daring! Go to church as a family!
