“If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments and abide in his love.”
John 15:10
So far, we have looked at the inherent difficulties of church, particularly the troubles that arise as the size of a congregation grows. As I thought about all this, the question kept coming up in my mind: What are we supposed to do in church?
I’m sure there is no other place to look for this answer besides the pages of our bibles. There is not a book or chapter covering this topic specifically; however, like all of our lessons, it is scattered throughout the bible.
Here’s commandments that I see we individual really have no choice but to obey. If it applies to me, it applies to us. If it applies to us, it applies to the church. When we meet in what we call church, we should be obeying. This list might not be exhaustive. I’ll add more as I run into them. Today, I’ll give you the summary. We’ll go into detail over the next few days.
• Wait and Watch for Jesus to Return. Matthew 24:42-47
• Equip and Build. Ephesians 4:11-16
• Be Holy as God is Holy. Colossians 1:22, 1 Peter 1:15-16, Matthew 5:48, Ephesians 5
• Make Disciples/Ministry of Reconciliation. Matthew 28:18-20, 2 Corinthians 5:18
• Study Scripture. Psalm 1
• Tithe. Malachi 3:10
• Sabbath Rest. Exodus 20:8-11
• Break Bondages. John 8:36
• Prayer. James 5:16
• Lord’s Supper. 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
• Love One Another. John 13:34-35
This is good stuff, folks! But, wait! You may say that is exactly what we do in church. To that, I say, show me the fruit. Yes, we talk about all this stuff. Correction. The pastor lectures us about it, but WE don’t talk about it. WE listen but forget as soon as we run out of the building. Folks, leading a spirit-filled life involves far more than we experience in church. A handful of people are doing it, but by far the majority is not. Some churches are better than others, but even those follow the 80/20 Principle.
Just imagine what it would be like if we took literally what James commanded of us:
James 1:22 But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.
Father, keep it coming!
Copyright © 2019 Scott Powers
Photo by Jeffrey F Lin on Unsplash