Why Go To Church?

If you're spiritually alive, you're going to love this! If you're spiritually dead, you won't want to read it. If you're spiritually curious, there is still hope!

Why Go To Church?

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all."

This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor. It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher:

"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me,
I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals. But I do know this.. They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work. If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment, I would be spiritually dead today!" When you are DOWN to nothing.... God is UP to something! FAITH sees the invisible, believes the incredible and receives the impossible! Thank God for our physical AND our spiritual nourishment!

All right, now that you're done reading, pass on the message! I think everyone should read this! "When Satan is knocking at your door, simply say, "Jesus, could you get that for me?"

My Connection Time

There are many ways to have a Devotion (Quiet) Time and do a journal. You need to find what works for you. To get you started, here is one way:

S- for Scripture

Read the daily bible reading, allowing God to speak to you. Highlight, underline or mark the verses that stand out. Then reread the verses you marked, looking for one that particularly speaks to you today. Write it in your journal.

0 - for Observation
What is this verse trying to say? What happened? Why? What did it mean to the people it was first written to? What do you see and observe in this verse? Paraphrase and write this scripture down in your own words.

A- for Application

What is God saying to you through this? Personalize what you have read. Ask yourself how it applies to your life right now. Is there a… COMMAND to obey? EXAMPLE to follow? ERROR to avoid? SIN to confess? ISSUE to investigate? PROMISE to claim? TRUTH to tell?

P- for Prayer

This can be as simple as asking God to help you use this scripture, or it may be a greater insight on what He may be revealing to you. Write out a prayer response. Remember, prayer is a two way conversation. Listen to what God has to say!

S- for Share

Share with someone else – and your Connect Group – what God is saying. This encourages others, gets feedback, and leads to more insight yourself!