Church Attendance

[Edwin]

Carol and I did get to church this morning. Our youngest daughter did not sleep well last night, so she didn't get up and go with us, or did our 18 year old granddaughter, but we had a good day with them anyway. Walmart was selling bananas for 25 cents a pound which is unheard of here lately. When Carol and I were first married we bought them for 5 and 10 cents a pound on occasion, but when I saw them for 25 cents a pound I had to have some! They are so good!

The Youth Pastor of our church and some of the young people raised money doing various fund raising projects, and we bought some pies from them to help them on their project. Anyway they all went to Nairobi, Kenya, Africa, and did missionary work. They came home about a week ago, and this morning they all talked about their experiences there in Africa. It was very interesting. The kids worked on a road putting rocks in it to give it a base so cars could drive on it without sinking in the mud. It was a hill, and people have actually died because they could not drive on that road to get to the hospital. They talked about working with children in the country, and talked about the various languages, and variations of those languages. They talked about the difficulty of taking care of the garbage in that area of the country. They ate what the people ate there, and it grossed some of them out, but they ate it anyway to keep from offending anyone. I think it did something for them all to go over there and serve those people, and it was something good for the people they came to serve as well. It was fun to hear about their experiences. Our church is a Free Methodist Church, and it was a Free Methodist Church in Africa where they went to do their missions work.

[BigBlastGuy]

Sad to say but most churches these day are social activities--maybe better than going out drinking and cockfights. If Jesus were on the earth these days I don't think he would spend much time in church.

[Smiley]

There are a lot of differing opinions of what Church should be. I agree with you that some seem to view church as simply a required social group.There is a part of me though,that asks"whats wrong with that?"As long as the experience has an overall positive impact I say that it is good.
The bible is full of stuff that nobody does. We do not live in the middle east.We do things from a different cultural perspective than the Christians of 2000 years ago.
I attend church but not as often as I probably should.I have room for improvement and I am actively trying to do the right thing.

[Edwin]

That is great that you are attending, and even if you are not there as often as you should be, any is better than none, and keep at it, because it will grow on you! Trying to do the right things is good, and seeking the Lord's help in that gives the ability to do that.

BBG, my brother made the same comment 40 years ago as you have just made. I have thought a quite a bit about that since. I have heard people belittle the church because the church sometimes does things for people like helping to feed and clothe them. I think they referred to it as a social gospel. I think if the church only helps to feed and clothe people and fails to minister to the soul, then the church has missed its mission. I think if the church fills people's hungry stomachs, and puts clothes on their backs, then ministers to their souls, then that is great. I think the church is a wonderful place to socialize, but if that is all that happens at church, then the church has missed its purpose. I think the church is the most wonderful place for socialization, and I agree with you BBG, that it is far better to go to church than to go to the bar or a cock fight. It is nice if the socialization takes place, and if people's souls are ministered to as well. If the church is just another club, then that is not so good. If the church is a place where people meet with God and have their souls ministered to, then that is wonderful!

[Edwin]

Well, it is 9:42 p.m. here on a Saturday night! Where you are in the Philippines it is 12:42 p.m., on a Sunday afternoon. Most of you have already been to church, and I pray that you have had a wonderful church service, and are having a blessed Sunday as well as enjoying your afternoon. I will be heading down the hill in the morning to our youngest daughter's house, where Carol is taking care of those animals, and then we will go to church. So many times I have written here that we were going to church and then something interferred with that, but I don't think that will happen tomorrow. It will be a pleasure to go to church in the morning.

[crisipicada]

I attended church at Maramag. We had a good church today. Have preachers from Texas.What a revival to have them.

[Edwin]

We did make it to church, and that felt nice as always. They did have problems getting a worship leader, as some were not available, and the guy that ended up with it was just pinch hitting, and then they had technical difficulties with the sound system. When you are in a large church and the sound system doesn't work no one hears anything. Anyway they got it solved. The Youth Pastor had the church service as the other pastor was gone on some kind of a special service else where. It was still good to be in church, worship God, and meet and greet the other people!

[Edwin]

Well, we did get to church this morning, but our youngest daughter and her 18 year old daughter didn't go with us. I think they stay up too late at night, and then they don't want to get up in the morning. The daughter had started taking college classes for the requirements for the nursing program, so that is good.

It was a good church service, and the worship team did a good job, very sincere, but it still bothers me that they use so many guitars and drums and no one will play the piano, when there are a number of people sitting in the church service who can play the piano very well, and one of them even teaches piano at the college!

The pastor had about 5 saying on the overhead that are repeated in church and amongst Christians so much that many of us think they are out of the Bible, but they are not. One of them was "Cleanliness is next to godliness." That is not in the Bible of course, but it is true. One of my Bible College Instructors said that "Cleanliness is not next to godliness, but it is godliness." God is concerned about cleanliness, and when you read the law in the Old Testiment, you understand how important cleanliness is to God. Anyway his message was about the "Truth and Grace" of Jesus. There is the truth, and the older brother of the prodical son had the truth, but he didn't have much grace. Jesus brought truth and grace together, and He was and is the embodiment of both grace and truth. Grace and truth came by Jesus Christ. Then at the end of the church service we had the observance of the communion. The communion has been observed in our church by passing the small cups of grape juice and the small crackers to be taken in observance of the broken body and blood of Jesus. We also more times than that we go up to the front of the church in a line, and everyone who observes communion, breaks a chunk of the break off a loaf, and then dips it in grape juice, holding the hand under so that it will not drip on the floor, and then takes it that way, chewing the bread that has been soaked in grape juice. It is always wonderful to be in church, to sing, to hear the message, and to praise and pray! Then we had a good time with our kids for the rest of the day as well!

[Edwin]

Wow, I think we get to go to church tomorrow! It has been so long since we were able to go to church. Every other Sunday we are obligated to be with our youngest daughter and her youngest daughter, and they will not go to church because of a relative who attends the church reporting on them, and it makes them angry. Well, I would say "who cares!!!!" But they say, "We won't go." Well the ox is out of the ditch now!!!! We are not 100 % ready for the winter storms to come, but we are doing fairly well, with the roof on the cellar safe guarding the water system. I need to do a lot of insulating and finish my wall around the house, and then we will be ready for any storm that comes. Anyway the prospect of going to church tomorrow is just a wonderful and happy thought!

[Edwin]

We want to go to church Sunday, but I don't know if we can get our car out to the road to be able to go. Then we need to be able to go to town Christmas Eve to be able to spend that time with our youngest daughter, and her daughters. We may have to walk to the mail box, and then she may have to come to get us for that. I toyed with the idea of trying to dig the road by hand with a shovel as I drive out. Dig for a while, and then drive a way, and do that until we get to the mailbox, but Carol thinks that might be too hard to do, and it might be. Well, something will work out for us anyway, and we will be okay.