Every Sunday morning and Wednesday evening the congregation conducts Bible classes. Dedicated teachers prepare for their teaching duties each week. Lamentably, some do not take advantage of these learning opportunities. From time-to-time, some are prevented from attending by illness or other factors beyond their control. These are not the ones who cause us concern, but those who can come, but choose not to come, are.Many children are prevented from attending their Bible class because their parents fail to come and bring them. Babes in Christ may not have yet perceived the need to attend. Some are slaves of habitual absenteeism into which they fell years ago. Some have “more important” things to do. Others are just too lazy to get up in time. Still others just do not care. The common thread of such negligence is lack of love for the Christ Who died for them. Love for the Lord equals obedience to Him (John 14:15).
Please consider the following reasons why one should faithfully attend his or her Bible class each week: (1) The devil is always seeking to devour us through temptation and false teaching (1 Pet. 5:8; Col. 2:8). Bible classes will help you resist him with “It is written” (Mat. 4:4ff); (2) Jesus requires us to seek God’s kingdom before everything else (Mat. 6:33). Our Bible classes are a work of the kingdom, designed to build up the kingdom. Can one seek the kingdom first and despise these opportunities for learning, edification, and fellowship?; (3) Those who “hunger and thirst after righteousness” shall be filled (Mat. 5:6). Those who crave more spiritual nourishment will be in their Bibles classes each week, if they are able to be; (4) The Lord requires every disciple to bear fruit for Him or be cut off (John 5:2ff). Bible classes will help one have the knowledge and zeal to bear more spiritual fruit; (5) God wants us to “grow in the grace and knowledge” of the Lord (2 Pet. 3:18). We cannot grow in His grace without continuing to grow in our knowledge of His Word. Bible classes will help you do this; (6) Our Bible classes are either a good or an evil work. I suppose that even those who fail to attend would not call them an “evil work.” God commands His people to be “zealous of good works” (Tit. 2:14). How can one be zealous of a good work while choosing not to participate in it?
One’s attitude toward the Lord’s Word is a reliable indicator of his attitude toward Christ Himself—to reject one is to reject the other (John 12:48). May all of us think soberly on these truths and attend our Bible classes consistently. ---Dub McClish, TheScripturecache.com
---Mike Riley, Gospel Snippets
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