This week's blog comes from one of our church members, J.R. Hall, who posted this recently to his own social media account. He graciously allowed me to publish it in this forum. Read closely as this is a message that many need to hear today.

It seems now a days that the small portion of the American population that still considers itself to be Christian, is seeking moralistic preaching from the church of YouTube (if they seek anything at all), and are becoming less and less concerned with actual gospel and truth. Especially in the last year and a half, I think we have become too accustomed to our feel good sermons that we can watch from our couch, on our terms, that we don’t open our Bibles anymore, or even have concern for doctrine and/or theology. If you don’t have a local church, and you substitute with the Joel Osteen, Hillsong or other “churches”, they are not going to give you what you need. Not only are they not really churches, they offer an incomplete experience, they are not speaking truth, and they are full of false doctrine. They will not tell you how to be truly saved, what the consequence of sin is (they seem to ignore sin all together. Truth alert: the consequence of sin is death and eternal life in hell…), or how to actually get to Heaven. They are more concerned with and focused on treasures of the earth and deceiving people into believing they will prosper from participating in their weekly rituals. There is rumor now that Hillsong is even teaming up with Facebook, to broaden their platform and incentivize more churchgoers with an at home experience. One headline reads, “Facebook wants to become your connection to God”… wow… It’s time to wake up!

Anyway….

There are still churches across our country that remain closed, have been limited to a single service a week, or are still completely virtual at this point, etc. With the Delta now spreading, we may even start to see the trend of doors closing again soon. Those churches should remember what the Bible has to say about the church and worship-

Hebrews 10:24-25 (KJV) reads: “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

Matthew 16:18 (KJV) “And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it"

We are to assemble together as His church, especially as we get closer to end days, and the government has no authority to stop us. Don’t get me wrong, missing a service for whatever reason, and having the ability to continue to be a part of your local church by live-streaming it from anywhere, is a great thing. But I’m referring to churches and individuals who have taken it up full time.

Colossians 3:16 (KJV) “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”

As we assemble together, we are to build up and encourage one another, praise and worship our one and only God, and learn His Word. We need to be in the pew on Sunday for praise and worship, with time of fellowship. We need to be there on our designated weekday to have a time of prayer and study. We should be active participants in the church body, serving and filling any need we have been given the talent to do, as well as contributing to growing the church. We as Christians NEED this, and we need to be meeting and praying for our church, our country, its leaders, and more importantly right now revival and awakening, on a regular basis. This is important, not only for the church to stay alive and thrive, it’s also critical for our individual spiritual health. We need to love and witness to others and share the Gospel with them, do good works, show and grow our fruit, and ultimately, grow His church. It’s what we have been commanded to do.

I challenge anyone reading this to step out of your comfort zone, and take action.

• If your church hasn’t returned to in person service, encourage your pastors, deacons or board to return to assembling. Or maybe it’s time to consider going to a church that will?
• If you are watching a mega church on Sundays, please go out and find a good local church that is willing to hold in person services and speak truth.
• Maybe your church doesn’t have this problem, but you have become a bit comfortable in your “religious routine”. Break the routine and reach out, demonstrate the love of Christ, and spread the word in new ways.
• Maybe you don’t even have a church, please pray for wisdom to find the right church to attend.
• OR, maybe you are reading this and are curious about or have never heard before, or maybe you just need reminded of the gospel.

The gospel in simple terms, is good news. This good news, is the gospel of Jesus Christ, and the sacrifice He made on the cross for us. Each and every one of us are born sinners, destined for hell. But God loves us so much, He sent His only son to give his life and pay the price for OUR sins, by dying on the cross, defeating death by being risen three days later, and returning as the Holy Spirit to live within us. All so that whoever truly believes in Him can share the gift of eternal life in His presence. If you truly accept it, believe in Him, and turn from your sinful ways to follow Him, you too can have everlasting life in God’s Kingdom. Repent from your sinful life, take up your cross DAILY, and follow Him. If you want this gift, please take a moment and pray to your God, and He will hear you. Admit that you are a sinner and fall short of His glory, and that you accept Him as your Lord and Savior, and welcome Him into your heart and life to change you. If you make this prayer, please follow through, let Him change you, and work in your life. You are guaranteed not to be disappointed. We have been given the incredible gift of life, the more you share it with others, the sooner He will return for His church… It’s been said that one of the most hateful things you can do to another person, is withhold truth from them…

Know, accept, and share the TRUE gospel…. Seek and speak TRUTH… And remember, actions speak louder than words. Live a life for Christ, and others will see Him through you.