10. I want to grow! Weekly worship attendance is the most important behavior to spark spiritual growth! Weekly, you are exposed to God’s Word & God’s People. It resets the clock of your priorities on what’s really important & what kind of person you want to be.
9. I want to do what God says! Gal. 6: 10 "Let us do good to all people especially to those who belong to the family of believers.” Also, God says, “serve one another in love”…”Submit to your spiritual authorities… "Take the Lord’s supper"… "Get teaching" …"Worship the Lord in the beauty of Holiness"…”Don’t give up meeting with one another..”
8. I want to be around people who sharpen me. People who have similar goals, values,etc. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another…” I want to be sharpened by folks pointed in the same direction as I.
7. I want to live a longer life. Secular surveys show that people who attend church at least 3 out of 4 weekends per month live on average seven years longer than those who don’t.
6. I want to train my children well. They can learn math in school, but only about the love of God through my family & God’s family. Don’t we all want our children/grandchildren exposed to God??
5. I want to strengthen my marriage. Professor Bradley Wright at University of Connecticut has found that Christians who rarely attend church divorce at a 60% rate, but Christians who attend church regularly divorce at a 38% rate. I don’t want to be in either category, but this study makes me want to make church attendance part of my family routine!
4. I want a better outlook on life. Studies show that people who attend church are more optimistic & hope-filled than non- church goers! I want that!
3. I want rewards in Heaven. Matt. 6:19-21 Don’t lay up treasure s on earth, where moth and rust corrupt, and thieves break through and steal….but lay up treasures in Heaven."
Rev. 3:21 and Matt 19:29 also speak of rewards for Christian service!
In fact, there are at least 30 commands in Scripture that cannot be carried out unless you’re an active member of a local church! Encouragement, support, and teaching found in the local church cause us to reach our God-given potential and receive rewards mentioned in Bible.
2. I want to be part of something bigger than me! I want to invest in something that will last for eternity! The Church!
And the Number ONE reason--- More people come to Christ in church services than anywhere else on earth! Every Christian should want to be a part of a soul winning church.
Facing 2007 with confidence and hope Did you know that the Chinese symbol for `Crisis’ is a combination of two words- “Danger” and “Opportunity” ? I believe God wants to move us forward in the face of crisis, seizing today’s opportunities, and not fearing the danger of this hour. Jesus said that a sign of the end times would be “men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth” (Luke 21:26) . Our Lord’s prophecy is being fulfilled in our days. But as followers of Jesus Christ, we enter 2007 with great hope. We rise above all fear because we have some “inside information!” Let these truths from God’s Word assure you today as you face the New Year with its challenges and possibilities. Throughout 2007, always remember . . . · God is at work in the world . Paul said God “works all things according to the counsel of His own will” (Ephesians 1:11). He knows the end from the beginning and is fashioning all of history toward a great event –...