When The Doors Open At Church 1/11/2015

Good Morning,

Sunday morning, and I my coffee is a hot mug of Door County White Christmas. I am rested and feeling better due to a schedule change yesterday. I took full advantage of a day that God rearranged. I was to be helping a friend with his church's pheasant hunt by guiding a group with our dog. Due to the cold weather and cancellations I wasn't needed. I have been feeling pretty lousy and tired. God had me sit one out which I found out was an answer to my wife's prayers. Hard to argue with God and her.

Have you ever watched people walk into church on Sunday morning. I have, at many churches. All the churches have several things in common. People of different ages attend and come through the doors. Some people have different racial backgrounds. Then there are two different genders that come in. Not everyone is the same height either. Some are a little rounder in the belly and others look like skinny pencils. Not everyone has hair and many hair colors are represented in these groups. Some people are coming to serve, others are coming to be Spiritually fed. Some are attending and they hurt emotionally and others are rejoicing from a week of praises. Some are coming to pray. Some are coming and are seeking something missing in their life, which is a relationship with God.

But they all show up. Many different reasons and many different moods come in when the doors open on a church. When the first key is placed in the lock of a church and the door opens an all too familiar enemy walks in first.

You see, Satan is an early riser. He gets to church and homes earlier than you do. He starts by having a great movie on television Saturday night. This causes everyone to stay up late and not take time to pray and prepare to come to church. Yes I said prepare yourself to come and worship. The Holy Spirit isn't a faucet to be turned on and off. We must walk in the spirit at all times. So a little extra sleep causes a rush to occur on Sunday and even has some showing up late. This means that they might miss praise and worship, along with announcements. Satan causes many a good person to miss out on events because they don't have time to read the bulletin or listen to the announcements. I hear it all the time. "If only I had known about it, I would have been there." Satan just won! You were late because Sunday wasn't a priority to you and you did not prepare ahead of time. You see Sunday and church takes an effort on your part to be ready spiritually and physically.

So then you walk in and you are unprepared for Sunday. I said Satan has already come through the doors. Who does he put together? Mr. McCrabby and Ms. McNasty run into each other and neither intends for Satan to use them to ruin each others day but it happens. Of course there are differences in people and different opinions and different styles. God made us that way. Satan just won again and due to lack of heart preparation prior to meeting, there is now an issue between people. So then the there are people who miss the messages because of a hard heart toward others. They miss opportunities to love each other and learn to practice the love of family and Jesus Christ with one another. Satan loves it when He can come to church, start an argument, teach people to hold a grudge, tie up the pastors office with mediations. He wins. This happens in every church, every time the doors open, Satan likes to get there first. He usually starts with you at home!

The Bible gives us instructions on what to expect and how to act. It gives us examples to set. The usual answer for people is to run off to a different church. Satan knows where they are going to go. He's already planning his attendance. Secondly a church is a building where the family of God meets. God expects His family to learn to get along. So basically it is all one BIG CHURCH. Not getting along with each other in love and differences is a sin. Satan wins again! Satan tends to leave when he can't find a foothold. Resist him and he flees. But we give him a seat every week with petty differences and poor heart preparations.

So follow these Biblical examples and see if your Sunday is a little more Satan free.

1 Peter 5:8 (KJ21)  PREPARE TO MEET WITH GOD AND OTHERS.

⁸ Be sober, be vigilant, because your adversary the devil walketh about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.

 John 13:34-35New International Version (NIV) LOVE WITHOUT CEASING

³⁴ “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.

 

Romans 12:3New International Version (NIV) PUT OTHERS FIRST

³ For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you.

 

Matthew 6:14-15   FORGIVE MUCH. YOU ALSO HAVE MUCH TO BE FORGIVEN.      

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Now there's God's design for His family. Enjoy the day.

God bless,

Marty