Faithfulness Needed for Fitness

Dear brothers and sisters-

First I’d like to say thank you to all who were faithful with their finances this past month. Wednesday was the final chance for us to meet our November budget, and we made it. Praise God and thank you! This brings up a topic that’s been on my mind quite a bit, which could be summed up like this…Faithfulness is necessary for Fitness.

This is true for our physical health as well as our spiritual and congregational health. However, before going on I’d like to make something really clear…the issue is commitment and consistency, not perfection.

God’s Word tells us to be responsible (good stewards/managers) of the people, things, and opportunities that He has blessed us with—things such as family, job, time in the Word, praying for others, involvement in the body, finances, health, and the list goes on.

Today, I’d like to highlight just one area…church attendance.
As a body we are called to assemble, reach and teach.
As a congregation we have not been assembling very well. A lack of faithfulness in this area is harmful to our health. Without consistent and committed church attendance, it’s impossible to have a healthy, dynamic, and growing church. Again, not speaking about perfection here…but rather consistency and commitment. Please receive this email as a loving reminder, not a disapproving attack.

Quite a few people have recently commented to me about how discouraged they’ve been, knowing people are choosing to not show up for church. I’m hoping that by passing this information along, you’ll be able see that something as simple as showing up for church (or not), has profound ripple effects that either edify and encourage others, or discourage and dishearten them.

Please consider the fitness of your church, as you prayerfully address your own faithfulness in this area. Obviously, there are times when it’s good and right to miss church. I trust that as you seek Him, God will give you clarity and peace about when and why to stay home.

With that said…If you’ve been faithful, thank you! If you’ve drifted in this area, praise God for an opportunity to get back on track!
I’m certain some will hear this as condemnation or criticism. It’s not. Others will comment that it’s legalistic. It’s not. It’s simply truth, based on God’s Word, that’s meant to encourage and motivate us all towards being a fit and healthy flock for our Loving Shepherd’s glory.