WORDS OF FAITH
“… nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine …”
1 Tim. 4:6
Central Church of Christ Naples, FL
October 10, 2010
Number 06
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CONTRIBUTIONS YOU CAN MAKE
Some members of the church are far too modest in their
assessment of what they can do to help the Lord’s cause. Many
have convinced themselves that they cannot do anything, since
they cannot lead singing or preach, and they become quite content
to do little or nothing. However, there has never been a Christian
who had so little ability or so few resources that he or she could
make no contributions if one really wanted to. Consider some
contributions almost every Christian can make:
1. Faithful Attendance: Sitting in a church building
regularly no more makes one a faithful Christian than sitting in a
henhouse regularly makes one a hen. However, even an infidel
knows that a faithful child of God attends worship and Bible
classes regularly. The regular, public meetings of the church are its
heart-throb and life-blood. Each member who forsakes these
assemblies saps the church of some of its power (not to mention
what he robs himself of). No wonder the inspired writer commands
us not to forsake the assemblies of the church (Heb. 10:25). Every
able-bodied member can make the minimum contribution of
faithful attendance and will do so if he loves the Lord and the church.
2. Service: We are not saved by God to live lives of
celestial ease on this old earth, but to serve, to work for Christ,
according to our opportunities and abilities. The Lord’s people are
made for good works (Eph. 2:10). We are to be “stedfast, unmoveable,
always abounding” in the Lord’s work (1 Cor. 15:58). God has never
made anyone with so little ability that there is no place
of service for him in the church. Unless we are daily making a
positive impact for Christ and His church, for the Truth of the
Gospel, for the pure life God wants us to live daily, we are failing
Him who died for us. Our work for Jesus demonstrates the
sincerity of our worship on Sunday.
3. Money: Even in the early days of the church, when
civilization depended so very little on money and cash flow
compared to the present, it was necessary for Christians to give
their money to do the Lord’s work. The regular Lord’s day
contribution was commanded for this reason (1 Cor. 16:1–2). Not
everyone can give a large amount because not everyone has a large
amount from which to give. The Lord does not measure our giving by
quantity, but by proportion of our income. Even when we cannot attend,
we can still give so that the Lord’s work may go on uninterrupted.
4. Attitude: Men cannot send you to jail for a sordid,
snobbish, hateful, uncooperative, negative attitude, but the Lord
can send you to Hell for it. Two attitudes that cause the church
great harm are selfishness and indifference. Two attitudes that
make great contributions to the Lord’s work are unselfishness and cooperation.
—Dub McClish Denton, TX
This article is from, www.scripturecache.com. At this
hyper-link, one can find many articles, of varying lengths, by
brother Dub McClish. The reader is encouraged to visit the website
as a source of sound Biblical material.