Thank Who?

“Oh give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!”

(Psalm 107:1 ESV)

            As we come to November, Thanksgiving is what instantly comes to my mind.  I think this is true for most of us.  We anticipate this day, when we’ll stop and offer thanks for all of the blessings we enjoy.

            As Thanksgiving gets closer, we’ll be reminded to give thanks by many.  We’ll see these reminders on TV.  We’ll hear them on the radio.  It will be shared by those who surround us on a daily basis.  However, as we begin our anticipation of this holiday, we must first ask ourselves this: To whom are we thankful? To whom do we offer our thanks for each of our blessings?

            The answer to this question should be obvious.  But, unfortunately, it’s not understood by most in our society.   Everybody in our nation, believer and unbeliever alike, celebrates this day.  Yet, even though so many take part in this celebration, and even though we’re reminded by so many to offer our thanks, it’s often directed to no one in particular.  We’re simply giving thanks for the sake of giving thanks. It’s as though we’re thankful to no one for the blessings we enjoy.

            However, when we rightly offer thanks, we’re expressing our gratitude for a kindness given to us by someone.  It’s our recognition of their generosity and their gracious spirit.  And, as we look to Scripture, we find that God is the source of every blessing we possess.

            God is the source of life.  He created us in the beginning, and he sustains that life from day to day.  He provides for us the resources we need in life, such as food, clothing, and shelter.  He provides for us our family, with whom we share life and the responsibilities that come with it.  And, of course, he provides for us eternal life.

            This is the point in the verse quoted above.  And this refrain is repeated throughout the entire psalm.  We’re reminded to give thanks to the Lord, for his love endures forever.  And his love is seen in the blessings he bestows upon us.

            So, as we celebrate Thanksgiving, let’s make sure that we’re properly giving thanks.  Let’s make sure that we’re directing that thanks to the one who has provided each and every one of our blessings.  And let us also share with others what God has done for us, that they too might come to know him, to recognize his blessings, and to trust in him for all that they need.

Evangelism: The Product of Faith

“Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, "I believed, and so I spoke," we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.”

(2 Corinthians 4:13-14 ESV)

            We live in a society, today, where we’re encouraged to keep our faith to ourselves.  Evangelism is discouraged and is characterized as intolerance and hate speech.  It’s branded in this way because our intention is that people would turn from their current belief to a faith in Jesus. Our intent is that people might turn from their current practices that they might follow Christ.

            Many who profess the name of Christ have bowed to the pressure.  They seek to practice their faith on their own, and don’t speak of it outside of church or their home.  They’ve bought into the lie that we’re to be accepting of other people.  And, because of this, they allow others to continue along the path to destruction.

            Paul, in the above passage, paints a different picture.  He paints a picture that is very convicting and challenging.  He tells us that his proclamation of the gospel results from his faith.

            His hope in Christ, his hope of the resurrection, caused him to speak out.  It caused him to proclaim this hope to those around him.  It caused him to speak out regardless of the circumstances that he faced (he references this in verses 7-12).

            I find this convicting because it forces me to ask this question of myself: Does may faith do the same?  Does my hope in Christ cause me to share the gospel with those around me?  And if not, why is this true?

            Our faith will naturally lead us to share the gospel with those around us.  Realizing our sin, realizing the suffering that we deserve, and knowing the sacrifice that Jesus made on our behalf, how can we not speak out?  This hope implants within us the desire that others might receive the same blessing as us.  It implants within us the desire that others might receive the forgiveness and salvation that Christ has provided for them.

            This, after all, is God’s desire.  We’re told in Scripture that God does not delight in the death of the wicked (Ezekiel 33:11).  He desires for all to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth (1 Timothy 2:4).

            This is also the calling that Christ has entrusted to us.  He's called us to make disciples of all nations.  He's called us to proclaim the gospel to all creation.

            Our hope in Christ will cause us to speak out even if it means suffering on our part.  It grants to us a willingness to suffer for the sake of others.  We know that, even if our very life is demanded of us, no one can take away the salvation that has been provided for us by the Lord.

            If our faith in Christ does not lead us to speak, if it does not lead us to share the gospel, what does this suggest?  What does it tell us about our faith?  If we fail to share God’s heart for the lost, if we are unwilling to carry out the calling he’s entrusted to us, and if we are not willing to suffer for the sake of those who are perishing, what does this suggest about our hope?

            We must pray, then, that the Lord will work in our heart.  We must pray that he will give to us a true understanding of what he’s done for us.  We must pray that he will give to us a desire for others to receive the same grace that’s been provided to us.  We must pray that he will give to us such a great hope that we might be willing to lay down our life that others might know his salvation. 

Why Should I Go to Church?

            Every so often, I hear someone say something to the effect of this: “Why should I go to church?  You don’t have to go to church to be a Christian.”

            Now, in one sense they’re right.  We aren’t saved because we go to church.  It isn’t a work by which we gain the mercy of God.  We’re saved only by the grace of God. And this grace is received only through faith in Jesus.  However, that being said, someone who truly believes in Jesus will want to go to church.  We see several reasons for this in Scripture.

            We see a couple of reasons in Hebrews 10:24-25, which says: “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

            We see, first of all, that we’re called to gather together.  We’re told that we’re not to neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some.  And we’re told that we’re to do so all the more as we see the day, the day of Christ’s return, approaching.  If God desires that we should meet together, why would we refuse him?  As people of faith, we naturally desire to live life according to his will. 

            Yet there’s more to it than this.  We find that there are blessings God intends for us to receive through the church.  We see in this passage, for example, that we’re to go to church that we might encourage one another. 

The Christian life is not designed to be lived alone.  It’s designed to be lived in community.  And by gathering together, we’re able to stir up one another to love and good works, and to encourage one another in the faith.

            We see another reason for going to church in 1 Corinthians 12.  In verses 4-7, we read: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” And in verse 12, we’re told: “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”

            We see in these verses that the Spirit of God gives gifts to his people.  And he gives them not for our own good, but for the common good. In other words, the gifts that he gives to us are given for the benefit of the church as a whole.  For this reason, when we gather with our fellow believers, we’re able to bless them with the gifts God has given us.  And, in the same way, we’re able to be blessed by the gifts he’s given to others.

            In this chapter, Paul uses the human body to illustrate his point.  The body is made up of many parts with many functions.  Yet each of these parts, along with their functions, serve the good of the body.  And the same is true of the church.  We each have a function, we each have a role to play, for the good of the church.

            We see another vital reason to attend church in Romans 10:17, where Paul says: “So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.” We are drawn to faith through the hearing of the Word.  And, although we can read the Word at home, although we can listen to preachers on the internet, TV, and radio, we are exposed to the Word of God primarily in the church.  We primarily hear the Word of God in church.

            This is far from an exhaustive list of the reasons we should go to church.  But it’s a good starting point.  If you haven’t been attending church, or if you’ve been very irregular in your attendance, prayerfully consider the Scripture passages mentioned here.  And I hope and pray that you will joyfully attend church each week.