“Going to church makes you a Christian just like standing in a garage makes you a car.”

I’m not sure where that quote originated, but it’s accurate. Going to church does not make you a Christian. In fact, nothing you do makes you a Christian. Jesus did it all for you, and He simply ask that you follow Him. However, that’s a topic for another post. Tonight I want to share with you about how God blessed me tonight at church.

Firstly, you must understand that I love church, and I could not fathom walking with Christ without walking with the body of Christ. The church is so indescribably amazing. The bond of spiritual brothers and sisters sharing their testimonies with and edifying one another is satan-scaring powerful. 

And while I am thankful for the overall body of Christ, I am also thankful for the church I attend. I’m thankful for my godly pastor and his wife, who live out their testimonies and share the love of Jesus daily. I’m thankful for my assistant pastor and his wife, who are seriously two of the kindest and most sincere God-loving and people-loving Christians I know. I’m thankful for the many teachers, leaders, and friends who have shown genuine love since I started attending church there. My church’s goal is to be a New Testament church, modeled after the original revival-spreading church in Acts. Gosh, I love that body of believers. 

I once heard a preacher say you could really tell the success of a church by counting the attendance on Sunday nights and Wednesday nights. Clearly, attendance is lower at those times, but those are my favorite times to be there. The congregation is fewer, but the people who are there are expecting to feel God’s presence, study His Word, and grow spiritually. 

Today I planned on getting to church an hour early to rearrange the building we are going to use for a crisis closet, but since I accidentally spent 2 1/2 hours in Walmart after work, I actually ended up arriving 15 minutes late to church. (I’m late for everything!)

Regardless of my tardiness, the congregation had already begun studying and discussing James 1. To make a long story short, we ended up discussing faith: lack of faith (doubt, wavering), demons’ “faith” (or lack thereof), and faith by works. Discussion was deep and God kept giving me revelations! One such revelation was about how, for a believer, our lives shouldn’t be secular and spiritual. There should not be a combination of the two, because we are supposed to do everything as unto the Lord (Colossians 3, Ephesians 6). 

Conviction! And thankfulness! Praise God for correction and sanctification. 

The past few days have been a struggle at work, and I shared in yesterday’s blog post that at the end of a hard day, I was ready to run away and quit. Tonight’s revelation showed me that my motivation has been skewed. I’m not a teacher for myself. I’m not a teacher for my students. I’m a teacher for Jesus. He is the One I answer to, and it’s Him that I am accountable to. This revelation completely changed my mindset about my job. I am inspired to wake up early tomorrow (5:30) and start off the right way: in His presence, in His Word, seeking His will. 

Thank You, Father, for fixing my eyes back on You! I’m sorry for getting sidetracked. Thank You for Your love and Your 
Word. Thank You for freedom of religion. Thank You for my church body. I love You. In Jesus’s name.