Yesterday a friend of mine posted this heading on Facebook. It is a reality. You can’t cancel church, but you can cancel a service. That is what we have done for a time at First Baptist Church. We have canceled a few services, but Jesus still reigns over His church wherever it is.
Actually, for a few weeks we are existing just like the Church in its original form. You remember what the book of Acts tells us in chapter two? “44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
They began their Church life meeting in the temple and in their homes. It wouldn’t be long before they were routed out of the temple by persecution, but that didn’t cancel church. They went on meeting in homes for the next 300 years and the Gospel spread across the world. Today houses are used around the world as places of worship.
I saw this week where Saddleback Baptist Church in California has an average attendance on Sunday of 30,000. It also has 8,000 house groups that meet during the week with an average attendance of 40,000. There is power in sharing your house for Christ.
So, I pray that your home will not be a refuge from the world for these days, but a house of worship. You may gather your family for times of prayer, Bible reading/discussion and singing. You might invite a small number of neighbors to join you. Or, you could just ask your neighbors how you could pray for them and let them know that at night you will be praying for them. According to the Old Testament, faith instruction was to begin in the home. Has God brought us back to that?
We have canceled some services, but Church has not been canceled.
YOU CAN’T CANCEL CHURCH
Yesterday a friend of mine posted this heading on Facebook. It is a reality. You can’t cancel church, but you can cancel a service. That is what we have done for a time at First Baptist Church. We have canceled a few services, but Jesus still reigns over His church wherever it is.
Actually, for a few weeks we are existing just like the Church in its original form. You remember what the book of Acts tells us in chapter two? “44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”
They began their Church life meeting in the temple and in their homes. It wouldn’t be long before they were routed out of the temple by persecution, but that didn’t cancel church. They went on meeting in homes for the next 300 years and the Gospel spread across the world. Today houses are used around the world as places of worship.
I saw this week where Saddleback Baptist Church in California has an average attendance on Sunday of 30,000. It also has 8,000 house groups that meet during the week with an average attendance of 40,000. There is power in sharing your house for Christ.
So, I pray that your home will not be a refuge from the world for these days, but a house of worship. You may gather your family for times of prayer, Bible reading/discussion and singing. You might invite a small number of neighbors to join you. Or, you could just ask your neighbors how you could pray for them and let them know that at night you will be praying for them. According to the Old Testament, faith instruction was to begin in the home. Has God brought us back to that?
We have canceled some services, but Church has not been canceled.
Let the Church be the Church,
Pastor Powell