We live in a dangerous world. Terrible things can and do happen to us during our lifetime; and the current pandemic is one of them. People have died and are continuing to do so. Many have lost either their jobs or their businesses and there is much suffering in our country.
There is another aspect to our current situation that is not mentioned very much – if at all. Specifically, when Christians do not go to church regularly, they have a tendency not to miss it after awhile. This can and in some cases does in fact cause some to fall away from their commitment to Jesus and their fellow Christians. When I think of this, I remember the words of Jesus’ parable…
Matthew 13 ( World English Bible )
1 On that day Jesus went out of the house, and sat by the seaside.
2 Great multitudes gathered to him, so that he entered into a boat, and sat, and all the multitude stood on the beach.
3 He spoke to them many things in parables, saying, "“Behold, a farmer went out to sow. "
4 "As he sowed, some seeds fell by the roadside, and the birds came and devoured them. "
5 "Others fell on rocky ground, where they didn’t have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, because they had no depth of earth. "
6 "When the sun had risen, they were scorched. Because they had no root, they withered away. "
7 "Others fell among thorns. The thorns grew up and choked them. "
8 "Others fell on good soil, and yielded fruit: some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. "
9 "He who has ears to hear, let him hear.”" ……..
16 "“But blessed are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. "
17 "For most certainly I tell you that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which you see, and didn’t see them; and to hear the things which you hear, and didn’t hear them."
18 "“Hear, then, the parable of the farmer. "
19 "When anyone hears the word of the Kingdom, and doesn’t understand it, the evil one comes, and snatches away that which has been sown in his heart. This is what was sown by the roadside. "
20 "What was sown on the rocky places, this is he who hears the word, and immediately with joy receives it; "
21 "yet he has no root in himself, but endures for a while. When oppression or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. "
22 "What was sown among the thorns, this is he who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. "
23 "What was sown on the good ground, this is he who hears the word, and understands it, who most certainly bears fruit, and produces, some one hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty.”"
No one just wakes up and says to themselves: “Today, I make the decision to no longer be a faithful Christian”. What happens is that “things” (thorns) get in the way. Those thorns may take the form of a job, a relative, sickness or even restrictions placed on us by the government to reduce the spread of the pandemic.
The sign at the top is true- once you start missing church is becomes increasingly easier to miss church. This is VERY DANGEROUS and has the potential to endanger your eternal soul.
Now, worshiping via the internet is a substitute, but not a very good one, for we are communal creatures- which is another way of saying that we really do NEED ONE ANOTHER!
Examine yourselves; are you staying home and worshiping with the computer for genuine health concerns, or has it become a matter of convenience? Do not let the “cares of this age” keep you from doing your best to attend every worship service and every Bible study. I believe that pleasing God and loving my brethren are among the highest priorities in my life: can you say the same?