February 02, 2025
Greetings and blessings to all of you. The institution called the church and/or the Body of Christ that God created has said in Heb. 10:25 “let us not neglect our meeting together as some people do, but encourage one another.” is undergoing major changes. One change is the meeting together as Christ expected…. to be as “One”. The Body of Christ is weakened if we fail to meet together as commanded by the Lord. Before He left to be with the Father, He prayed in John 17:21 “I pray that they will all be one just as you and I are one.” A pixelated church? No! Do we as a Body of Christ have to hear the importance of this from Professors of Sociology and Psychology in order to understand that meeting together in a building enhances connection; it builds fellowship and community; and it allows for a more immersive experience. But since the global pandemic (Covid) arrived in 2020 ..a lot of professing Christians were church attenders. Now some of them have got comfortable in their homes on their couches or their lounge chairs, beds, etc., to attend Internet church or Zoom. Some are saying instead of attending “a church” they are a “Bedside Baptist” meaning they never have to get out of bed but reach for the ‘on’ button to their favorite Christian on-line church. Another major change in the Body of Christ that is hurting the universal church is the marginalization or the trivialization of the Word of God making it almost like a snack instead of the bread of life. In Matt. 4:4 it says, “Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.” and “This is my comfort in my affliction, for Your word has given me life.” Psalm 119:50 It appears that after 2020 spiritual laziness crept in. Priorities, love of the world, love of self, its easy to get pulled away from the church and the Bible. It takes dedication and commitment to read the Word of God. It takes discipline to make time in our busy schedules to read the Bible. God speaks lovingly and sternly in the Bible so that we may know and follow Him instead of being deceived by Satan, the world and the flesh. Some have described how serious damage can take place to our spiritual health when we don’t read our Bibles daily as a cancer; how it slowly invades our thought life/our perspective on certain areas. A lack of attending church in person and not reading the Word daily could be an indication of spiritual deadness and a lack of true love. Think about it.
With the Love of Christ
First Lady Vivian C. Currie
Pastor ALC