Have you ever had anyone ask you, “Why do you go to church?’ What was your answer? “Because I am a Christian”, “Because I am not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together”, or “Christ died to establish the church!” Yet all this begs the question . . . . Why do we come to church? We need to have a foundation of understanding what the Word of God says, and then have a true reason for attending. In 1 Kings 5:5 Solomon says that he, purposed, “To build a house for the Name of the LORD my God!” As we think of the importance of the church today, the true reason to go to church is to “build a house” for people of the community to come and meet with God. In Philippians 3:10, Paul writes, “That I may know Him and power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead.” We come to church to bring glory to God, and to learn of Him, and to make Him known to the community. That is done as the Word of … READ MORE

What does it mean to “pray in Jesus name?” For some it is simply tacking on those words at the end of our prayers, but it means more than that. It means to make requests consistent with God’s will and the purposes of His kingdom. We are reminded of Jesus’ model prayer found in Matthew 6:9-10. He starts with “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed by your name.” Prayer should always start with worship, not requests. It is an acknowledgement that it is God who is in control not us. Then it moves to a recognition that God is in control and a submission to surrender our desires to His will, with the statement, “Your kingdom come. Your will be done. On earth as it is in heaven. ” Then we see that our requests are to be that God give to us what we need to fulfill His purpose in our lives, as we read, “Give us this day our daily bread.” If we are going to ask for our needs, then we must be willing to stand between an offended God and an offensive person. It is almost impossible to remain bitter at someone who we are asking God … READ MORE

In John 14:13-14, Jesus anticipated the disciples concern, for their safety and provision, Jesus promised that even after He was gone, He would continue to supply the disciples’ needs from heaven. Prayer would bridge the gap between their needs and His abundant, limitless, undepleted resources (cf. Philippians 4:19). The ultimate purpose for Christ’s gracious provision, as is true of everything that God does, is “that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” What we need to remember is that prayer is a first resort, not a last resort. We should turn to the Lord early and often, as we ask the Lord to help us through the trials and tribulations of life. As we begin a new year, let us purpose in our heart to take things to the Lord quickly, and ask for eyes to see what He is doing in our lives. … READ MORE