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Is the Church Important to You? Ann and Donnie Gaines The church was certainly important to the Lord. In Ephesians 5:25 we read, "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it." Christ proved His love for the church by giving His life for it. How can we prove our love for the church today? We prove our love for the church when we attend every service possible (Hebrews 10:25). When we attend, we make a contribution to the Lord's work. Some members of the church come when the please and stay home when they please. Are they proving by their actions that the church is important to them? No doubt, they know what they are doing is wrong. By their actions they are saying that the church is not important. We prove our love for the church when we give liberally. We are commanded to give of our means "upon the first day of the week" (1 Corinthians 16:2). 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 admonishes us, "He which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity; for God loveth a cheerful giver." We prove our love for the church when we make a real effort to invite others to come to the worship services. Just one invitation may determine whether that person is saved or lost on the judgment day. When we make a real effort to invite others to the worship service, we are proving our love for the Lord's church. It only takes a minute or two to ask someone to come to the worship services. Jesus is interested in all people. Luke 10:19 says, "For the Son of man is come to seek and save that which was lost." We prove our love for the church when we do everything possible to make it grow. The church will grow and prosper when we are 100% converted to Jesus Christ; when we withhold not from the Master; when we do what we can for Him; when we love the Lord; pray, give, study, and live every day for our Lord. Think of what the church could do if every member were like this. Let us pray that the day will come when the church will become important to every member. |
