I love the Word of God. It is loaded with truth and revelation. It is a lamp to our feet and a light to our path. I am convinced that no matter what challenges we face in life, excellent counsel exists in the Word of God. Excellent, I say, because the Word of God is, in effect, God speaking to us. He always knows our best way forward.
That’s why front and center for church attendance must be the ministry of the Word of God. Everything we do in our worship experience should lead up to that event. As for our main weekly worship gathering, it is not complete until the Word of God has been ministered.
Being a minister of the Word of God, I am always striving to hear what God is saying to His people through His Word. I am not ready to deliver the message until I have done that. Why? Because in these times, God’s people need to hear a Word from the Lord. They need answers to the tough questions in life. This is the means by which the Word of God empowers us to live victorious lives through Christ.
For Some, Church Attendance Does Not Empower but Simply Informs
They say knowledge is power. But that’s true only when we utilize the knowledge we receive. Many believers attend church regularly and increase in biblical knowledge over time. But if they fail to utilize the knowledge they receive during church attendance, they have not been empowered but merely informed. That’s the case for some churchgoers today.
“Make (someone) stronger and more confident, especially in controlling their life and claiming their rights.” This is one of the definitions I found for the word “empower.” I also believe that definition reflects one of the main objectives of the ministry of the Word during church attendance. But all of us who have been attending church for some time know about those lifetime churchgoers who can talk the talk but they don’t walk the walk.
Over the years, they have become well informed. But failing to practice what they have been taught, their lives have not been empowered by the gospel.
Personally, I have been studying the Bible for over 40 years. It has never gotten old to me. I am still gaining new insights. I am still learning more completely the things I thought I knew already. God is still speaking to me about my personal life. But I am empowered by the vast knowledge I gain from His Word only to the extent that I make use of the information I receive.
The Bible is our best guide for living. As a pastor, I use it to counsel couples with troubled marriages and individuals with struggling personal lives. This I do in private sessions and in corporate settings. But how much the people are empowered is determined by what they do with the biblical knowledge they receive. Some will choose to be hearers only and not doers. Those who do so will not be empowered but simply informed.
Copyright © 2022 by Frank King. All rights reserved.