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“Is Faithful Attendance Important?”
Is Faithful Attendance Important?
Gary Colley
It is quite strange to hear some members of the Lord's church express their thoughts about attending all services of the congregation. They have been purchased with the blood of Christ, separated from the world to live according to Christ, enlisted in the army of the Lord, commanded to be lights in the world, and instructed to put the Lord and his work before all other interests. But in some way we have convinced ourselves (deceived, a better word) that faithfulness in attendance is only optional, except for the Lord's supper on Sunday morning, which we do not see as too pressing even then.Please think seriously and look again, before Judgement day comes, to the real truth of the matter:
- Faithfulness is the seventh fruit of the Spirit. This fruit is produced in our lives only when we follow the Holy Spirit's teaching (Gal. 5:22).
- Faithfulness means dependable, constant, reliable, honorable and loyal. Could this be said of our attendance when we only attend once a week?
- Faithful attendance is directly commanded along with holding fast our confession and considering one another as we should (Heb. 10:23-25). Are we practicing the Golden Rule concerning other's interest (Matt. 7:12)?
- Faithful attendance causes the church to be seen as "a city that is set on a hill"; while unfaithful attendance puts our influence "under a bushel" (Matt. 5:14-16).
- Though we are commanded to seek the lost, do we realize that no one can influence any of the lost to be saved while not being faithful (1 Peter 3:1-7).
- Those who substitute faithful attendance for people and/or things of the world will soon have corrupt morals (1 Cor. 15:33).
- Unfaithfulness to all services keeps one from growing "in grace, and the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ" (2 Peter 3:18).
- Children, whom we are charged with training, will grow up undisciplined in honorable loyalty to the Lord (Eph. 6:4).
- Unfaithfulness in attendance expresses a lack of concern for our souls and ignores those charged with watching and giving an account for our souls in the Judgement (Heb. 13:17).
- Unfaithfulness causes us to miss the fellowship, strength, comfort and peace intended by God in the church (1 John 1:7; Phil. 4:6-8).
- And worst of all, unfaithfulness will cause us to miss Heaven with all its joy, peace and eternal bliss, because sin will not enter there (Please read James 4:17).
One hour with the people of God in worship unto God is more profitable to a citizen of Heaven than all the fleeting pleasures or cankering gold of this world. The bottom line is really found in whether we love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all our soul, and with all our mind (Matt. 23:37).
