22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, and self-control. Against such things, there is no law.Galatians 5:22-23
One of the hallmarks of Christianity is watching believers come together in the face of tragedy. While others are running away to get as far away from tragedy, believers are embracing tragedy and growing closer as a community. Christianity isn't to be lived in isolation but in a community of believers. No, Christianity was meant to be lived out in a living and breathing community wth others.
Every time my family goes to church, I see the evidence of Galatians 5. My emotions may not always be the same from any given Sunday, but I know that when I attend my local church almost invariably someone will touch my life with a word of encouragement. Whether it is a friend, or someone I just barely know, or a sermon message delivered by our Senior Pastor Stephen Goold I know that I had been encouraged.
When someone shared the good news of Jesus with me, I remember the train illustration. Our emotions were like the caboose and the bible was like the train engine. Because our emotions are so irregular and unpredictable they were never meant to drive the train. We must not allow how we are feeling at any given moment to guide us in our decision to not attend Church.
The world tries to tell us that God isn't alive, that his bible is nothing but a book of fairy tales and the world tries to destroy important archaeological sites to erase reminders of God's previous evidence of his glory, but one thing they can never take away from us is the powerful influence of God's holy spirit that is inside all believers in Jesus Christ.
It is for this reason that God's greatest moment comes, not in times of abundance, but in times of pain, sorrow and adversity.
So, the next time you are feeling depressed, sad and not wanting to attend a church that morning, remember, as I did, the important role you play in the body of Christ and who you just might touch with an encouraging word, and who just might encourage you at the same time.
The world tries to tell us that God isn't alive, that his bible is nothing but a book of fairy tales and the world tries to destroy important archaeological sites to erase reminders of God's previous evidence of his glory, but one thing they can never take away from us is the powerful influence of God's holy spirit that is inside all believers in Jesus Christ.
It is for this reason that God's greatest moment comes, not in times of abundance, but in times of pain, sorrow and adversity.
So, the next time you are feeling depressed, sad and not wanting to attend a church that morning, remember, as I did, the important role you play in the body of Christ and who you just might touch with an encouraging word, and who just might encourage you at the same time.
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