Getting Serious About God
‘The believers met together in the Temple every day…’
It’s estimated that there are over half a billion practising Christians
in the world. But the church wouldn’t even exist today if it hadn’t been
for a small group of disciples who were sold on Christ. The things of
God were not a part-time interest or a convenience-based commitment to
those early Christians but their highest priority. If you want to be
serious about God, stop and reflect on what they took seriously. They
took church seriously. ‘The believers met together in the Temple every
day.’
Question: Are you a hit-and-miss churchgoer? Do you get upset if
the service exceeds an hour or the minister takes an extra ten minutes?
Is once-a-week your limit? Not for these New Testament Christians! So
what drew them? The temple’s orchestra and choir? Cutting-edge media or
youth programmes? Did they have more time and less responsibility than
we have? No, everything about their life was harder, took longer, and
was less convenient. Yet their encounter with Jesus so transformed their
priorities that, ‘Every day they continued to meet…’ (v. 46 NIV). They
hungered to gather in the presence of the Lord, believing His promise,
‘Where two or three gather together as my followers, I am there among
them’ (Matthew 18:20 NLT). Taking God seriously requires regular
involvement with other Christians, experiencing this unique aspect of
His presence, hearing His Word together, and encouraging one another
(Hebrews 10:25). You need that special dimension of fellowship with God
that happens only when His family gathers together with Him.
Used with permission from UCB Word for Today. Free issues are available here for the UK and Republic of Ireland.
Comments