It is amazing what we sometimes hear from people after they have just been to “church”, to worship, Bible class or to a devotional of some kind. What we hear sometimes is, “I just didn’t get anything out of worship today” or “I just didn’t get anything out of that sermon or that devotional”. How does this happen? How does someone attend a worship service, Bible class or a devotional and not get anything out of it?
Let me ask this, do any of us, you, ever go to the bank? So, you just go to a bank, ask for money and they give you whatever you ask for, right? Uh, no! There is only one way one can get money from a bank, you have to put money in it before you can get anything out of it, checking account, savings account, etc. In other words, you must invest something in it in order to get something out of it.
Now, let’s apply this same logic to one’s attending any service of the Lord’s church. If one wants to get something out of it, he/she must invest something in into it. Our God says we must involve ourselves, devote ourselves in these things. Consider the following scriptures:
“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;”(Colossians 4:2)
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;” (Romans 12:10)
Notice we are to “devote” ourselves to prayer and each other. This involves much more than just the act of praying. We see an example of what I am talking about in those new Christians when the church was first established in Jerusalem. Notice what these brethren did as Christians. “And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42). Were these brethren investing anything in their coming together to worship God? They were simply doing what Peter describes in 1 Peter 4:10 where he says, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” The brethren in Jerusalem were obviously not there, did not show up just to see what they could get out of worship and Bible study. They were there for each other, to help each other, to encourage each other. They were putting themselves fully into that time of worshipping God together. What were the results of fully putting themselves into these services together? Notice Acts 2:47, “praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” What happened, God was honored and praised, a tremendous reputation for the church spread among the people and souls were being saved on a daily basis. What we see here is a demonstration of Gal. 6:7 where Paul says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” Want to get more out of worship and Bible study, maybe we need to put more into it!
Until next week, I love you all,
Dan
Let me ask this, do any of us, you, ever go to the bank? So, you just go to a bank, ask for money and they give you whatever you ask for, right? Uh, no! There is only one way one can get money from a bank, you have to put money in it before you can get anything out of it, checking account, savings account, etc. In other words, you must invest something in it in order to get something out of it.
Now, let’s apply this same logic to one’s attending any service of the Lord’s church. If one wants to get something out of it, he/she must invest something in into it. Our God says we must involve ourselves, devote ourselves in these things. Consider the following scriptures:
“Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;”(Colossians 4:2)
“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor;” (Romans 12:10)
Notice we are to “devote” ourselves to prayer and each other. This involves much more than just the act of praying. We see an example of what I am talking about in those new Christians when the church was first established in Jerusalem. Notice what these brethren did as Christians. “And they were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (Acts 2:42). Were these brethren investing anything in their coming together to worship God? They were simply doing what Peter describes in 1 Peter 4:10 where he says, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” The brethren in Jerusalem were obviously not there, did not show up just to see what they could get out of worship and Bible study. They were there for each other, to help each other, to encourage each other. They were putting themselves fully into that time of worshipping God together. What were the results of fully putting themselves into these services together? Notice Acts 2:47, “praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.” What happened, God was honored and praised, a tremendous reputation for the church spread among the people and souls were being saved on a daily basis. What we see here is a demonstration of Gal. 6:7 where Paul says, “Do not be deceived, God is not mocked, for whatever a man sows, this he will also reap.” Want to get more out of worship and Bible study, maybe we need to put more into it!
Until next week, I love you all,
Dan
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