Is Going to Church enough?

I've belonged to the Lutheran church (my mother's preference), the Presbyterian church (my high school friends' church), the Baptist church (where I got saved), and, last but not least . . . the independent Charasmatic movement. I mention this to point out that I have beautiful, spiritual memories from every one of these churches.

Oh, I forgot to mention I was born in a Catholic hospital and almost died at birth. So I was baptised into the Catholic Church as well. But I don't remember much about it! :-)

Jesus moves in any congregation that lifts Him up, declares Him Lord and Savior, Creator, Son of God born of a virgin, King of kings, Lord or lords. But if you want to move forward in the Lord, you need to be in a place where you'll learn. The Scriptures state in Hosea 4:6, "My people are destroyed for the lack of knowledge."

I worked with a woman years ago - a nice, decent, upstanding lady - who attended church on a very regular basis. She was in the choir and served on numerous committees over the years.

Yet, one day she sat at her desk (next to mine) and grumbled about Jews. She had begun with one particular Jewish person whom she felt had crossed her and escalated to include the entire race. "Every one of them," she said, "is out to get what they can and it doesn't matter who they step on in the process."

I interrupted her little tirade as gently as possible, asking, "How can you talk about Jews like that? After all, our Jesus was a Jew."

Her next words floored me.

She looked at me, wide-eyed with amazement and exclaimed . . . "He was?"

This church she'd been attending most of her life had done many good things over their period of existance. Helping the poor. Benefit drives. Lots of fellowship dinners. But I had to wonder . . . did they ever read the Bible? How could you have read the Bible to any extent, and not know Jesus was a Jew?

Good works are to be commended. But they will always be second to knowing God (and that includes Jesus and the Holy Spirit), sharing Him, and worshipping Him. If you aren't learning about our Savior in your church . . . don't find another church. Help the one you're in to bring knowledge of Him to the forefront. He wants to have an intimate relationship with His people.

It's that intimacy with God that changes lives!