Inviting People to Meet Jesus
We believe that attending local church meetings strengthens the believer’s knowledge of Christ. We also believe that sharing those meetings with others through invitation is still a vital part of introducing others to Christ. We believe in going to church!
Throughout God’s Word, we see the consistent principle of God’s people gathering together. An entire feast/festival system was created in the Old Testament to ensure God’s people met, remembered what God had one for them, worshiped, and rested together regularly! (Lev 23). God even went as far as to instruct his people to save a tithe just to be able to gather together! (Deut 14:22-27). In the New Testament, Jesus and His disciples modeled the importance of the “gathering” principle through their daily living as they went to the Temple consistently and spent time together and the fledgling church met together almost daily!
The overall context of Acts 2:42-47 suggests an atmosphere of love, cooperation, accountability, and spiritual and numerical growth through community. This community emphasis is a part of Discipleship!
Attending and Inviting Someone to Worship Service facilitates Discipleship because…
You ensure that your focus is God-ward through worship.
You learn how to give.
You keep your heart tender towards the unsaved.
You get encouragement and fellowship.
You receive needful instruction (some of which you may not have wanted hear).
You learn sacrifice and how to serve.
You develop loyalty to the local church.
You can get your family moving together on one accord.
You are better able to trade individualism for community.
You walk in obedience to God’s Word.
More Scriptures to Consider:
Ezra 8:1-6 - All the people assembled with one accord in the square before the Water Gate. They told Ezra the teacher of the Law to bring out the Book of the Law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded for Israel. 2 So on the first day of the seventh month Ezra the priest brought the Law before the assembly, which was made up of men and women and all who were able to understand. 3 He read it aloud from daybreak till noon as he faced the square before the Water Gate in the presence of the men, women and others who could understand. And all the people listened attentively to the Book of the Law. 4 Ezra the teacher of the Law stood on a high wooden platform built for the occasion... 5 Ezra opened the book. All the people could see him because he was standing above them; and as he opened it, the people all stood up. 6 Ezra praised the Lord, the great God; and all the people lifted their hands and responded, "Amen! Amen!" Then they bowed down and worshiped the Lord with their faces to the ground.
Ps 27:4 - One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
Lk 4:14-16 - Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him. 16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom.
Lk 24:51-53 - While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.
Acts 2:1 - When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
Ro 10:14 - How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?
Heb 10:24-25 - And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Phase one of our Vision process is attending corporate worship faithfully, even sacrificing to be here if you need to. We also ask you to bring someone and help them experience the corporate Presence of God.