Christian Living

Having A Proactive Faith Without Church

by John Clark 
11/03/20
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Millions of Christians who have depended on church for their spiritual growth and fellowship now have to be proactive in nurturing their faith in God. Online church has become a norm, but it doesn’t compare with person to person interaction and corporate worship.

     Before going any further allow me to draw a comparison between those whose faith is dependent on church, and those for whom church is one of several distinctives of living out their faith. Some go to church but may not do much of anything else during the week to feed their soul. Others have developed a lifestyle of religious disciplines to maintain a strong faith aside from church. The latter will remain strong in the faith whether there is church or not. I hope you fall into this category.

     Those Christians who have depended solely upon attending church run the risk of dropping out of the faith! When their local church opens up again (if it does at all) will they go back? A dramatic decline in church attendance for those that have opened has already occurred. Without doing any religious  engagement during the week, what do they have left? Nothing!

     Maintaining a dynamic faith in this time of distress is absolutely critical for anyone who plans to weather the physical and emotional storms as a result of this pandemic and lockdown. It is not going to end any time soon, not to mention the long term effects. Only those who proactively maintain a strong Christian faith will be able to endure to the end (Matthew 24:13).

     Besides online worship, there are many things a person can do during the week, to “keep the faith” without church.

     1. Make Bible reading a consistent habit, even if it is only 15 minutes a day. Did you know that if you read only three to four chapters a day it is possible to read the entire Bible in one year?

     2. Be in an attitude of prayer (Matthew 21:36). Pastor and teacher Robert Morris says that “prayer is just a spiritualized term for talking to God. He’s your Father. Talk about what‘s burdening you. You’re never going to pray passionately until you pray about things you are burdened about.”

     3. Put on worship music on radio or television. This should not be just background music that is listened to while you are about your daily business. Set aside times when you have music on that will draw you into an attitude of worship. On Direct TV there are music channels, including one for worshipful gospel music. Channel 344, the Sonlight Broadcasting Network (SBN)also features segments of very worshipful music.

     4. Read some good Christian or inspirational books.

     5. Initiate, or reinstate small groups in your home.

     6. In some churches where choirs and singing have bern silenced, one can still “sing and make melody in your heart to the Lord”(Ephesians 5:19).

     7. As we are living in very difficult times, and things get even worse (and they will), “Be alert at all times, praying in order that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man”(Luke 21:36).
     
     8. In the words of author James A. Durham, “To be prepared for the coming days of trouble and Tribulation we must become both mentally and spiritually capable of maintaining an unshakable resolve to stand with the Lord.”