A Vacation From Church . . . For a week

Greetings in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. I pray that this article finds you growing in grace and a desire to step up into greater roles in the body of Christ. Yesterday I worshipped the Lord in Orlando, Florida with the saints at Lake Baldwin Church. It was a wonderful service - both in worship and the Word. But there was something that made this experience even more enjoyable for me . . . I had no responsibilities whatsoever for anything other than coming to worship God. That does not happen very often for me.  I usually am responsible for the service - and die a thousand deaths with any and every mistake or miscue that happens in music, sound, powerpoint, what is printed in the bulletin, and of course - the way that the Word is taught to God's people. Therefore - just sitting there among the saints was a delight for me. It was easier for me to lose myself in the worship of my God and Father. It was easier to sit and take notes on the great teaching from the book of 1 John. I thoroughly enjoyed things from start to finish. For one Sunday this was good - but for the rest of my life - this is not good.  It was wonderful to get away and just be another brother in the church for a single Sunday. But the fact that I cannot get away from is that it is God's will that we step up into greater and growing roles within the body of Christ. As a baby Christian I was just a brother in the fellowship, yet as I grew in the Lord that role changed. Maturity spiritually meant stepping up and taking on roles in the church that require men of God. Sure it was fun to step back for a Sunday and relax. Sure it was a reminder to me that even in the midst of my responsibilities I need to focus on worship and meeting with God. But stepping away from my God-given responsibilities in His church would NOT be good.  God desires for all of us to grow in Christ. This means getting into the Word, praying, being a witness, and being a discple and disciple-maker. It also means finding our place of service to the Lord in the body of Christ. Having nothing to do for a Sunday was nice - but it would be disastrous if we all took that mindset all the time. It would be a disaster to the work of the church - whcih would grind to a halt due to disobedience. It would also be a disaster to the work of God in our hearts. We do not mature in the Lord by doing nothing. We mature as we step up into greater and greater roles in the body - serving both our Lord and one another. If we do not do this - we will become stagnant spiritually. It is in these spiritually challenging situations that we grow and flourish. It is in serving God and others that we mature in our understanding of grace, forgiveness, and servanthood.  It was good for a rest to have nothing to do, but only for a rest. God has much for me to do and it is my hope that as I return from vacation I will be even more motivated and energized to take up the task - do the work - and live for the glory of God in the tasks He gives me to do in His church.