“I would like to encourage you to come to church with three eyes.”
When I said those words, a child who was listening in on the conversation looked at me. With eyes so big it appeared that he had seen a ghost. I never did ask that child if he looked to see if that church member ever came with three eyes or not.
No, I’m not speaking of three literal eyes. Most Christians bring two eyes, but I need you to bring a third eye. Let me explain…
Come to Church with an Eye toward God.
This seems like a given, right? Isn’t worshiping God, why we gather?
- Have we forgotten that the primary audience when we sing isn’t the person in front of us, but the One who saved us?!
- Have we forgotten that church isn’t about my favorite flavor of coffee or whether or not my children got all the donut holes they wanted, but we gather to worship God?
- Have we forgotten that that Sunday’s are the Lord’s Day? Sundays are not the time where I give God 60-75 minutes of my time and the rest of the day is reserved for me.
Arrive early. Sing to God. Listen to God’s Word. Submit to God. Stay late to fellowship.
Come to Church with an Eye toward the Bible.
Protestant Christians are people of one book, the Bible. Baptists (including most of our Protestant brothers and sisters) have historically held to the inerrancy, authority and sufficiency of Scripture. When we gather, bring your copy of God’s Word. Some people use their tablets, some use their phones and some use their traditional bound copy of God’s Word.
Whichever method you choose, silence the notifications, turn off cell connection. Remember, you have six plus days to monitor all the distractions of the world, but you only have this one time to gather to hear the Bible taught in adult Sunday School, to hear it preached with the people of God. When the Scripture reader concludes with this is the Word of the Lord, respond with a hearty thanks be to God. For we have gathered to hear from God through His Word!
Arrive early. Sing to God. Listen to God’s Word. Submit to God. Stay late to fellowship.
Come to Church with an Eye toward Others.
Finally, we can be theologically informed, applying the Word of God to our lives, but if we forget that we are part of the body, we forget one of our primary responsibilities when we gather. One reason you should try to arrive early and stick around after is for others. Christian, over time individual followers of Jesus who don’t see themselves relationally connected to the church family get picked off by the evil one. It’s not enough to be relationally connected to your pastor, you need the saints that God is assembling at Grace Life week after week. Here’s the thing, they need you.
My wife reminds our boys often, “Your son to some, a grandson to others, a cousin to many and you are family to all who gather at Grace Life.”
Grace Life, would you come this week with an eye toward serving your church family. Ask someone how they are doing. Stop and pray for them in the lobby. Volunteer to serve. Bring this third eye with you.
Arrive early. Sing to God. Listen to God’s Word. Submit to God. Stay late to fellowship.