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- Apr 25, 2006
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CHURCH? WHY BOTHER?
'I WAS GLAD WHEN THEY SAID TO ME, "LET US GO TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD.' PSALM 122:1
Check this out: a university did a survey looking at whether being part of a church has any effect on a person's quality of life. They found that people who belong to a church are happier, enjoy better health and live longer than those who don't. Think about that! We can describe church using the image of a house, God's house. A house is the centre of family life. It's where lifelong relationships are formed.
It's a place where every member feels valued just for being themselves. It's a place to belong, to love and be loved. That's exactly the kind of place God wants his house to be. If you've ever watched Wife Swap you'll know most homes aren't perfect but when people are willing to follow new rules of living they can get better. In the same way, when a church follows the rules of living Jesus taught they can become amazing places. In the time of King David there weren't any churches. People used to worship God in a massive tent. When you read the Psalms that David wrote it's pretty obvious that it was his favourite place to be: 'One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship, beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches. I'd rather scrub floors in the house of my God than be honoured as a guest in the palace of sin' (Psalm 84:2,10 TM). There was nothing special about the tent to get David praising like that. No, he had a vision of God in his heart that meant he just wanted to be there to offer God the worship He deserves. How about you?
written by Bob Gass
'I WAS GLAD WHEN THEY SAID TO ME, "LET US GO TO THE HOUSE OF THE LORD.' PSALM 122:1
Check this out: a university did a survey looking at whether being part of a church has any effect on a person's quality of life. They found that people who belong to a church are happier, enjoy better health and live longer than those who don't. Think about that! We can describe church using the image of a house, God's house. A house is the centre of family life. It's where lifelong relationships are formed.
It's a place where every member feels valued just for being themselves. It's a place to belong, to love and be loved. That's exactly the kind of place God wants his house to be. If you've ever watched Wife Swap you'll know most homes aren't perfect but when people are willing to follow new rules of living they can get better. In the same way, when a church follows the rules of living Jesus taught they can become amazing places. In the time of King David there weren't any churches. People used to worship God in a massive tent. When you read the Psalms that David wrote it's pretty obvious that it was his favourite place to be: 'One day spent in your house, this beautiful place of worship, beats thousands spent on Greek island beaches. I'd rather scrub floors in the house of my God than be honoured as a guest in the palace of sin' (Psalm 84:2,10 TM). There was nothing special about the tent to get David praising like that. No, he had a vision of God in his heart that meant he just wanted to be there to offer God the worship He deserves. How about you?
written by Bob Gass
