And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
--Hebrews 10:24-25
I heard about a man who wanted to sing in the choir of a certain church. So he went in to meet with the pastor, who asked him, “Are you a member of this church?”
The man said, “No, I’m not a member of the church.”
The pastor said, “Well, are you a member of any church?”
And the man replied, “No, I’m not a member of any church. But I am a member of God’s invisible universal Church.”
So the pastor quipped back, “Well, why don’t you sing in the invisible universal choir then?!”
When we think about church, there are two separate and equally important aspects of church. There is the invisible universal Church to which all believers in Christ belong. And there is also the local church, the visible representation of that invisible reality.
Now yes, it’s possible to be a part of the universal Church without belonging to a local church. But as you see in today’s passage, assembling together is a mandate from the Scriptures that we’re to take seriously!
So if you’re not involved in a local church where you’re meeting with others and growing together, find one and get plugged in. You’ll not only be fulfilling the biblical mandate to assemble together, but you’ll build lasting friendships that will lift you up!
THE BIBLE IS CLEAR THAT BELIEVERS ARE TO MEET TOGETHER. SO IF YOU AREN'T YET, GET CONNECTED WITH A LOCAL CHURCH AND BUILD RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER CHRISTIANS LIKE YOU!
Singing in the Shadows
Tuesday, January 07, 2020
by Dr. Paul Chappell
“And the multitude rose up together against them: and the magistrates rent off their clothes, and commanded to beat them. And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them.”
Acts 16:22–25
When Paul and Silas arrived in Philippi, they were the first people to present the gospel there. Among those they met was a young slave girl whose owners used her demonic possession to gain profit from fortune telling. After Paul cast the demon out of the girl, her owners were furious at the loss of their easy money and demanded the preachers be arrested. Despite the fact that it was contrary to Roman law, they were beaten and thrown into jail.
This was completely unjust, both on a moral level where they had done something that was good, and on the legal level, where they had not violated any laws. That reality did not make their wounds any less painful, or release them from the shackles that kept them from even relaxing within their cells. And the reality of that injustice also did not stop them from singing and praising God. Even though everything seemed to be going wrong, their faith remained.
All of us have good days and bad days. God is just as close and faithful in the bad days as He is in the good days. And the song in our heart and the praise on our lips does not depend on how things are going, but in whom we trust. When we realize that God never makes any mistakes, we can be joyful regardless of where we are or what we are experiencing.
Today's Growth Principle: We do not have to allow our circumstances to dictate the joy in our hearts and in our mouths. |
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