Do you enjoy God? I wonder if anyone has ever asked you that question before. Often we are asked if we are saved, if we love God, if we are willing to serve Him, obey Him, worship Him. But do you enjoy God? Do you enjoy worship? Listening to preaching? Bible reading and praying? Do you anticipate time with God, or do you dread it? Is it a delight or a chore?
My guess is that most of you would say, “Yes, I do enjoy God, but not like I want to.” But how does one go about enjoying God more? How do you go from “I want to delight in God” to “I delight in God?” There isn’t just some magic switch that can be flipped, or we would all flip that switch in a heartbeat! No, that’s not how our emotions and feelings work, so how do we go from “I have to spend time with God” to “I want to spend time with God”? I’m going to give you 4 keys that I have found helpful in building a relationship with God. These are pretty basic, and they aren’t overnight fixes. But if you begin implementing them in your life, over time you will see a desire and love for your Savior grow stronger and stronger.
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Imagine with me that you’re looking for a local church and that after a few weeks of visiting a particular one, you begin to grow fond of it. Then IT happens, after the first month of fellowship the pastor takes you out for coffee and asks the probing question: “So, have you thought about becoming a member of this church?”
I find it interesting how people respond to such a question differently. There are those, often new believers, who honestly have no idea what that question means. Others are instantly interested in finding out how they can take this “next step.” Some, however, feel insulted and resist the idea of membership entirely, claiming that it is an unbiblical concept, simply a man-made system that leads to abuse and manipulation. Whatever reactions come into your mind when you hear this question greatly indicates your understanding of what church is all about. The following reasons are just a few of many others that I hope will help guide you to recognize the high priority that the Church must have on membership. Joy in trials? It’s one of those things that we as Christians know we’re supposed to have but often don’t. If Christians are characterized by their enduring joy, we think to ourselves, then why does this trial seem anything BUT joyful? How do we truly cherish our trials?
The Barna research group performed a study in 2014 that found, not surprisingly, that a lot of people were dropping out of church. One particularly shocking statistic in that report was the 59% of millennials who grew up in church have dropped church attendance at one point. The number one reason they found why people dropped? “They found God elsewhere.” Many people think they simply don’t need church to follow God. Some even act as if they are better than attending a church. But what is it that Scripture says about the church? Is church optional? If you’re puzzled by these questions, here are a few reasons (among many) to consider.
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