By: Jonathan Carl

Drinking and driving. Obesity. Illegal drugs. Smoking.  All dangerous for our health. We know it.  We try to avoid them.  We know they lead towards a more limited life and an expedited death.

Know what’s more dangerous to your health?  Missing church. Ignoring the Bible.

One may argue… “I don’t have to go to church or read my Bible to be a Christian!” Yes, you are right if you mean that we aren’t saved by going to church, being baptized, or reading your Bible…but our lack of church attendance and Bible reading can be a symptom of a limited life and eternal death.

Here are four concerns that God has for those whose Bible reading and church attendance is sporadic.

Spiritual Laziness.  Priorities.  Love of the world.  Love of self.  It’s easy to get pulled away from church and the Bible.  We’ve all been there.  It takes dedication and commitment to wake up and roll out to church on a Sunday.  It takes discipline to make time in your daily schedule for Bible reading.  But both are worth it.  Let’s listen to God’s many commands for Bible reading and church commitment.

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV) “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near”

Spiritual Foolishness. Ignorance is not bliss.  We are wrong and make poor decisions when we stray away from God’s truths and His power.  God lovingly speaks to us in the Bible so that we might know and follow Him instead being deceived by Satan, the world, and our flesh.

Luke 6:46 (ESV) “Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and not do what I tell you?”

Spiritual Cancer.  Disconnectedness from a local church is discouraging and dangerous.  The world is a dark place. The Bible and the church are designed to encourage us as a refuge of hope and light.  Just as cancer slowly invades and does serious damage to our physical health, sinful disregard to God’s commands does harm to our spiritual health.

Matthew 7:21 (ESV) “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven”

Spiritual Death.  Lack of presence with the people of God and lack of communication with God may evidence a lack of love and spiritual deadness.  Jesus summarizes the law of God with the priorities of loving Him and loving others.  Presence and care communicates love.  Absence and apathy communicates hate.  Listening and obeying indicates trust and value.  Ignoring and disregarding indicates contempt.  If we continue to stay disconnected from a local church family and the Bible, we would do well to examine the genuineness of our faith.

2 Corinthians 13:5 (ESV) “Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves.”

Here are four steps to take for our spiritual health in 2020!

1) Commit to a local church.  We are better together.  No church is perfect, but if their focus is biblical truth and love then that’s the main thing.  We are blessed to have so much access to many wonderful, biblical churches!  Don’t have a church home? Try one out this Sunday!  Been a little while since your last visit to your church home?  Jump back in with both feet!

2) Care for others.  Your local church is amazing place to be loved and to love others.  Relationships take time and intentionality but they are worth it!

3) Dive Deep into the Bible.  You won’t regret it.  Studying God’s Word is refreshing and energizing.  If you read one chapter of the New Testament every weekday you’ll finish the NT in 2020!

4) Dare to Share.  The world needs God’s hope and truth so look for opportunities to share Bible truths and God’s love as you go throughout your day!