Attendance: A Sign of Commitment (Part 1-February 12, 2004)
by Barrett Vanlandingham

I once heard a story from Dr. Howard Norton regarding a statement he made from the pulpit when he was a young preacher. It almost got him fired. Dr. Norton was my first bible professor at Oklahoma Christian, and now heads up Harding University’s Institute for Church and Family. So, obviously, he survived the ordeal that happened decades ago.
Anyway, back to the story. Dr. Norton quoted himself as a young preacher as saying, “If you don’t attend worship on Sunday evenings, you’re going to hell.” Afterwards, a brother explained to him the reason why his statement was uninformed. The man said that back in the old days, their congregation had a traveling minister who preached on Sunday mornings. But in the evening as he was awaiting his train out of town, people would gather to hear one more sermon before he left. And that’s how the elders of that congregation made evening worship a tradition in that town.
Acts 20:7 tells us the early Christians met on the first day of the week. It doesn’t say to meet at 9:30am and 5pm and on Wednesdays. On this occasion, Paul preached all day and all night until the next morning. The only break he had was when Eutychus fell asleep and fell from the third story and was picked up dead. Paul healed him and then kept talking until daylight.
So why is there Sunday pm worship, Wednesday devo & bible class, & why are there gospel meetings & special youth gatherings? That’s Part 2, next week. Have a wonderful day! Barrett

Attendance: A Sign of Commitment (Part 2-February 19, 2004)
by Barrett Vanlandingham

So why do we meet on Sunday nights, Wednesdays, special gospel meetings and youth gatherings? For starters, the elders of our congregation are the spiritual shepherds of the flock. That’s us, the flock. I.B., Bobby, Harvey, Budo, and Clarence are responsible for making sure our spiritual needs are met at the Fort Gibson Church of Christ.
One of the ways they make sure we’re spiritually fed is by scheduling additional time for us to meet together like the early church did. So, if we make a conscious decision to skip an assembly, are we really giving double honor to our elders who direct the affairs of the church as we should (1 Tim. 5:17) ? And are we really seeking first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, or are we seeking our own selfish interests (Matt 6:33)? And are we using the assembly times to encourage and spur one another on to love and good deeds as we should, or are we in the habit of giving up meeting together (Heb 10:19-31) ? Do we even think about attending for the sake of encouraging others, or is it all about self?
After Peter preached the first gospel sermon in Acts 2, the people were cut to the heart, accepted the message, repented, and were baptized. If they were truly cut to the heart, they certainly must have taken this opportunity to confess or acknowledge (Matt. 10:32 and Romans 10:9) that “Jesus is Lord.” Acts 2 says three thousand were saved that day. They were so excited about the teaching and fellowship, they continued meeting daily in the temple courts and in their homes.
To some folks, church attendance is a drudgery.
Their focus has been taken off of glorifying God and encouraging others as we should. If you don’t believe it, just look at how the numbers drop off for worship, class and fellowship times other than Sunday mornings. If you’re feeling brave, just lovingly ask someone why they don’t come to services and bible class more often. Jesus Christ went the “extra” mile for us. Are we devoting our lives to Him? Have a wonderful day! Barrett

"What Are You Called To Do?" (January 22, 2004)
by Barrett Vanlandingham

In 1 Chronicles 28:20, King David speaks to his son Solomon who the Lord chose to take his place as King of Israel. David was in the process of giving Solomon the plans for building the Lord's temple since God would not allow David this opportunity since he was a warrior and had shed blood.
"David also said to Solomon his son, 'Be strong and courageous, and do the work. Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, My God, is with you. He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is Finished.' "
As Christians, we are also chosen as royalty. 1 Peter 2:9 says, "But you a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light."
King David would have loved to build God's temple. But that's not what he was called to do. As Christians, each of us have been blessed with talent and opportuny to tell the gospel story to those around us. We're not all called to use the same talent or methods. And we don't all have the same methods and opportunities of telling the story of Jesus Christ, salvation, and how He won the ultimate victory over Satan. But each of us can do something to bring someone closer to the likeness of Jesus Christ.
And just like David's words to Solomon, we also should be strong and courageous as we build-up our spiritual houses (1Peter 2:5) and encourage others as we glorify God with our lives everyday. Have a wonderful day! Barrett