I Love My Church!

     This time of the year is a very exciting time of the year. It is the time of the year where many people go out and spend time, money, and effort to shower the one the love with gifts and dinner and flowers and chocolates. It is the time of the year where Love is in the air. Cupid shoots his proverbial arrow and hits several people. I love this time of the year because I get to do a little extra to show my wife how much I love and appreciate her. The sad thing about the Valentine season is that there is Someone Who always get forgotten about. Several people do not go to His house during this season. Several people do not tell this Person, "I Love You." People are guilty of robbing this Person by not giving to Him what they are commanded to give. I am speaking about a lack of demonstrating to God how much we love Him. One of the biggest ways you can show love to someone is by being around them or being with them. Of course God is everywhere; but there is a special place we can go to meet with God face-to-face. It is a place where we can go to get our burdens lifted, our hearts encouraged, our spirits edified, and our life right. This Valentine season, may we not forget about the house of God. 

"I was glad when they said unto me, let us go into the house of the Lord." (Psalm 122:1)

"How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of hosts! My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord: my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God." (Psalm 84:1-2)

     These two verses are powerful parts of Scripture because they show what our attitude and mindset should be about going to the house of God. I believe one of the reasons why people do not love church as much as people used to love church is because we have watered-down church so much today. Churches today are pushing the "come as you are and leave as you came philosophy." They are getting rid of the old hymns of Zion. They are casting away the Bible and they are casting away TRUE Bible preaching. Music videos have replaced the invitation; expository sermons have been replaced with Bible nuggets; follow the bouncing ball has replaced the hymnbook, contemporary "Christian" music have replaced the good ol' hymns of Zion; coming to church half-naked and immodest has replaced looking your best when coming to church; and any version of the Bible has replaced the true Word of God in the King James Version. A genuine love and longing for the house of God is becoming more and more hard to find. Church is not a place where you go to feel good even though there are times you feel good in church. Church is not a place to just come sit in a pew and leave unchanged. Church is not a place to come watch Bible films. Church is not a place to catch up on the latest gossip in the world. Church is a place where we go to meet with the King of Kings and Lord of Lords; it is where we come in dirty from the world and come out clean by the power of the Word of God; it is a place where we gather with God's people and gather around the preaching of the Word of God. If we change the way our churches operate or we change the way church is "becoming," I believe we can recapture a love for the house of God.

     The question remains, "How can I show God I love His church?"
1. Get to the house of God
2. Go to a church that teaches and preaches the Bible from a KJV Bible
3. Sit up front in church
4. Listen with open ears and an open heart during the preaching of the Bible
5. Don't talk during church
6. Sing your best to the Lord in church
7. Spend time alone with God before church and ask Him to prepare your heart for the church service
8. Go to a church that teaches Biblical holiness and godly living.
9. Have a notebook to write down sermon notes or areas God speaks to your heart about
10. Say AMEN during church
11. Bring your KJV Bible to church and follow the speaker
12. Look your very best for church