Muncie Times, Muncie, Delaware County, 19 August 1999 — Page 44

The Muncie Times, August 19, 1999, page 44

RELIGION

Regular church attendance is part of Christian life

“And having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, hating our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 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.” Heb. 10:21-25. As we are presently living in a time of great pleasure and an abundance of idleness and the fullness of bread, we find that a great number of people think it is not necessary to come to the church assembly. This attitude will lead you in the temptation and snare of the devil. This will result in the same perdition that Sodom and Gomorrah ended up with. Behold, this was the iniquity' of thy sister Sodom, pride, fullness of bread and abundance of idleness was in her and in her daughters, neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty, committed abomination before me: therefore I took them away as I saw' good.” Ezek. 16:40-50. I heard a question asked

Bishop WJ. Duncan, D.D.

before, saying: “Do you have to go to church to be saved?” My answer to this is: “if you are saved you. will go to church.” Wherever a man’s treasure is, there will his heart be also, as Jesus has said. Matt. 6:21. In the Old Testament it was required that people should come together for instruction and worship. Note this: “And the Lord spake unto Moses saying. Take Aaron and his sons with him, and the garments, and the anointing oil, and a bullock for the sin offering, and two rams, and a basket of unleavened bread; And gather thou all the congregation together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Moses did as the Lord commanded him; and the assembly was gathered together unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And Moses said unto the congregation, this is the thing which the Lord commanded to be done.” Lev.

8:1-5. “And Ezra, the scribe, stood upon a pulpit of wood, which they had made for the purpose;...And Ezra opened the book in the sight of all the people: (for he was above all the people) and w'hen he opened it, all the people stood up: And Ezra blessed the Lord; the great God. And all the people answered, Amen, Amen, with lifting up their hands; and they bowed their heads, and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.” Eza 8:46. The reasons why these people w'ere required to come was because they needed instruction of all that w'hich the Lord had said unto them. There were three men’s day services that all males were to attend each year. Deut. 16:16. There were seven yearly feasts that Israel w r as to observe, along with the regular Sabbath. In another place it is said: “For the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they

should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of hosts.” Mai. 2:7. In the New' Testament God has ordained that w r e should assemble ourselves together. “Now concerning the collection for the saints, as I have given order to the churches of Galatia, even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” ICor. 16:1,2. This w r as to be done weekly. That is every Sunday, for Sunday is the first day of the week. In another place it is said: And upon the first day of the w r eek, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow' and continued his speech until midnight.” Acts 20:7. Again the disciples were gathered together on a Sunday. This time, of course, w as on Sunday night. This practice started with the Apostles after the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. “Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors w'ere shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them Peace be unto you...But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came.”Jhn. 20:19.

When you don’t go to church you w’ill miss Jesus when He comes. Just like Thomas did when he didn’t attend for whatever reason. When his fellow disciples told him, he did not believe. But the next Sunday he w'as there at the assembly. The scripture said: “And after 8 days again His disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace be unto you. Then saith He to Thomas; Reach hither thy finger and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side; and be not faithless, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said unto Him, “My Lord and my God.’’John 20:26-28. The early people went to church more than w r e do. Note this: “And they continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. Praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved.” Acts 2:46-47. We should not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. But every time we get a chance we should be at the house of God to give or receive from the Lord. Remember this: “If you are weak you need the church, but if you are strong, the church needs you.”

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