Recently, I was reading an article in the Wall Street Journal titled, “Sorry, Too Busy! Why It’s So Hard to Get Together Right Now.” This article was not focused on participation in the church, but many of the same themes emerge when I reflect on member participation on any day of the week other than Sunday. We – just like those mentioned in the article – have members attempting to manage calendars filled with an overwhelming amount of extracurricular activities!
The article referenced an idea that had a spiritual component as well: busyness has become a status symbol in American culture. The author expounds, “It’s proof that you’re important, industrious, and in demand as a worker and a human.” We are all drawn to the need to feel important, but Scripture is clear that our status is grounded in the imago Dei (the image of God). It is not found in how busy, industrious, talented, wealthy, or prominent we are.
If you are a Christian and a member of a church, God has gifted you with talents that He has commanded you to use to love and serve others. In the book of Hebrews, the author speaks about our call to faith and endurance through hope in God. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider how to stir one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”
As you are filling your calendar, it is worth considering how seriously you take this command. We need to be with each other if we are to provoke one another to love and service. When we think about perseverance, we should not only think of our own perseverance, which will suffer without fellowship, but also how we are encouraging our brothers and sisters in their persevering faith.
In Hebrews 3:13, we are commanded to “exhort one another every day, as long as it is called ‘today,’ that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” It is the daily encouragement and counsel of fellow believers that keeps us focused on the work of faith and labor of love and endurance of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thes. 1:3).
So, as you look at your calendars, and fill them with the many important activities for which you are responsible (or just desire to do), I exhort you to think about our vision and values at Faith Baptist Church:
“People helping people discover and follow Jesus.“
Discovering and following Jesus is not a solo journey. It is:
- Loving and serving God and people.
- Cherishing His Word.
- Growing through prayer.
- Living in community with His people.
Our presence in the daily lives of our brothers and sisters in Christ is not only a priority but a command from God. It is necessary to maintain our church’s vision and values, but more importantly, to carry out the great commandment to love the Lord our God and to love others as ourselves with an enduring faith. Seek opportunities to join with those you need and those who need you and to God be the glory!
In Christ,
Elder Scott King
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