Christian Foundations 3 - GrowthSample

CHURCH IS IMPORTANT 

Hebrews was a letter written primarily to Jewish Christians, so it has lots of references to the Old Testament. This may make today’s reading a little difficult to understand if you don’t know much about the Old Testament. Sorry. But I have chosen a reading from Hebrews because the letter addresses people who have stopped growing in their faith and are beginning to give up. The writer of Hebrews has some really helpful things to say about the dangers of slacking off and the ways to keep growing. Here is a taste.

Read: Hebrews 10:19-25

Journal

1. What is God saying to me? Which verse is most significant?

2. What do I want to discuss/read further?

3. What do I need to do?

4. How has involvement in your church family helped you so far?

Reflect

Church was very different back in the time the New Testament was written. To start with, people had no weekend, so meetings of the church were probably at night after work. The churches were small because they usually met in homes, and what happened in a meeting of the church was very flexible. Our structured, well-resourced church services in a special building on a Sunday were a later development. When you picture a New Testament church service think more of a small group meeting during the week for a meal in a home with some flexible activities (like singing or prayer or preaching or prophetic words) around the meal.

But some Christians were abandoning these meetings. Maybe they didn’t find them helpful. Maybe they felt that they could pursue the Christian faith better by themselves. Maybe they were just too busy to go out at night. Maybe they weren’t getting on with others in the church. You’ve probably heard much the same reasons for Christians not going to church these days.

However, the New Testament never tolerates the idea of a Christian without a church family. It’s together that Christians are forged into the likeness of Jesus. It’s together that Christians impact their world. It’s together that Christians are able to use their gifts collaboratively. Christians are meant to be like a choir, they are not soloists.

You may not always like the church services or get on well with every church member or agree with everything that goes on. But you are the church and apart from this group of God’s people, you are destined for the spiritual scrapheap. So give your church your support and let your Christian family encourage you and forge you and challenge you. And you do the same for them. You need them and they need you. “Let us not give up meeting together."

Pray

Thanks for my church, Lord. They’re ordinary people like me, but you are working on and through us together and we desperately need each other. Help me to throw myself into loving and serving this special group of people in which you have planted me.

Respond

List three ways in which your church is helping you grow in Jesus.