Last Sunday we set records which equaled the highest Sunday morning Bible class attendance, established the highest evening worship attendance, and equaled the second highest morning worship attendance. The Bible class and evening worship attendances not only established records for our congregation but, when calculated as percentages, are well above average expectations among churches of Christ nationwide.
In addition to our great attendances, we all enjoyed being together in one service with its wonderful singing, its warm and friendly atmosphere, and a new appreciation for the way we’ve grown over the past few years. Improvements to our parking lot made it possible for each of us to have a place to park our car and still leave over forty places for visitors and additional members. We look forward to more growth as we begin to appreciate our need to fulfill the church’s mandate to evangelize.
There’s a proverb which goes something like this: “A good beginning is half the winning.” We’ve made a “good beginning” with our return to one morning service on Sundays, now we need to focus on the other half of “winning,” which will consist of maintaining our good attendance by being here at every service; maintaining our spiritual disciplines of prayer, godly living, and Bible study; and looking outward to the fields which are “white for harvest.”
Listen to the apostle Paul’s words: “One thing I do; forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as are perfect, have this attitude.” (Philippians 3:13-15) The impression that Paul leaves is that he does not feel that he can say “soul, . . . take your ease,” or that he feels he has “arrived” and there is nothing left for him to do. The Christian life, as revealed through Paul, is one in which we constantly press onward and reach upward, repeatedly setting new goals for ourselves. Yes! We had a wonderful time getting together for one morning worship service—but that was just the beginning of our continuing growth.
Growth begins with you. It’s the nature and function of the church to grow as it reaches out to more and more people with the saving message of the gospel. Some things you can do are: invite people to come to church with you; ask your friends, neighbors, and acquaintances if they would study the Bible with you; pray for opportunities to share the word with others; pass out tracts on topics which will gain other’s interest in the teachings of the Bible; and live a Christ-like life before everyone.
We made a “good beginning” which, as someone remarked, “felt like a revival.” Let’s get on with the other half of “winning” by being faithful, enthusiastic, and evangelistic.