CHURCH MEMBERS NEED to be close to church members…
Anytime a Christian creates distance between himself and the church, he is under a great threat of falling away from the faith. Some folks prefer to not be too involved with the work of the church, choosing rather to fall somewhere between “visitors” and “members”. They come on Snday mornings to worship God, which is good in itself, but have little or no other interaction with the other Christians in the church for the rest of the week.
Take a valuable history lesson:
When ther great nation of israel prepared to cross the Jordan and take Canaan away from the enemies of God, and thus be blessed, two of the twelve tribes stalled. 1 “Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of livestock; and when they saw the land of Jazer and the land of Gilead, that indeed the region was a place for livestock, 2 the children of Gad and the children of Reuben came and spoke to Moses, to Eleazar the priest, and to the leaders of the congregation, saying, 3 “Ataroth, Dibon, Jazer, Nimrah, Heshbon, Elealeh, Shebam, Nebo, and Beon, 4 the country which the LORD defeated before the congregation of Israel, is a land for livestock, and your servants have livestock.” 5 Therefore they said, “If we have found favor in your sight, let this land be given to your servants as a possession. Do not take us over the Jordan” (Numbers 32:1-5).
The request regarding cattle sounded reasonable, as do most arguments which excuse compromise, but it was compromise none the less. Their loyalty should have been to God’s people. In other words, they said, “We like it here in the suburbs of Canaan. You all go in and fight all the battles of Canaan, and we’ll just be content to build our houses here.” Moses said, “No way!” “Shall your brethren go up and fight while you sit here in comfort?” No. You come fight the battles of Canaan, and then if you choose, you may come live here in the suburbs of God’s Canaan land.”
And so they did. Weren’t they like some Christians today who are half-hearted in their loyalty to the Lord’s church?
Let’s look at another scene, after many years have passed. Israel has had times of great faith and obedience, but many more of idolatry and disobedience. Ultimately, a divided Israel would fall into the hands of the idolatrous enemies, Assyria and Babylon, because of their worldliness in bowing to the gods of the heathen. That fact is widely known. But I want you to see something else. Which tribes in Isarel went down first? We see in 1 Chronicles 5:25-26 that is was Reuben and Gad.
As history progressed, it appears that they bowed first to the gods of the nearby peoples; and now they are the first to go into captivity. Half-heartedness in the united work of God’s people always seems and easy way to be religious, but it costs, not pays.
The solution is to grow out of it! Never be satisfied with keeping your distance from the activities of the Lord’s church. Attend all the services of the Lord’s church. Find a good work you can enjoy doing, and get at it. Take advantage of opportunities to be around other Christians.
Be close, stay close, and let’s help each other go to heaven. Glenn Colley
“Again, if two lie down together, they will keep warm; but how can one be warm alone?” Ecclesiastes 4:11
–Mike Benson