Watauga Democrat. [volume] (Boone, Watauga County, N.C.) 1888-current, 1928-02-09
; TO CHURCH
ON SUNDAY
.ev. P. A. Hicks, Pastor of Boone
Baptist Church, Gives Reasons
For Attending Divine Services
Regularly.

| Regularly.
Not forsaking the assemb-
ling of ourselves together as
| the manner of some is."-He-
| brew 1925.
The Church of Jesus Christ is a
divine institution and is the most
| powerful institution in the world
for the uplifting and redeeming of
the human family. Its value to the
individual, to the community, to the
state, to the nation and the world
is inestimable. Wherever the church
has thrown out. the life line and
flashed forth the Gospel light, it has
meant the turning upside down of
society and the construction of a
higher and better social order. In
view of these facts, let US consider
three reasons why we should go to
| church.
/. We should go to church to
worship God. Man has religious
nature and must worship something.
Heathens worship sun, moon, stars,
and various images. Then if there
1 is a God who made the heavens and
the earth and created man in His
own image and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life, we should
come to His house. to worship and
adore Him.
The writer in the text observed
the apostasy in church attendance,
so he admonished the Hebrew Chris
tians not to forsake the assembling
of themselves together the more to
worship and exhort each other as
they saw the day approaching. The
! psalmist said:
Il was glad when they said to me,
let US go into the house of the
Lord" Again he says: Zone thing
| desired of the Lord, that will
seek after; that | may dwell in the
house of the Lord all the days of my
life, to behold the beauty of the
Lord, and to enquire in His temple" "
Many of our church members on
the Lords day, instead of coming to
the Lords house to worship are GO
ing to and fro, up and down, across
| the country in automobiles, seeking
pleasure, and worshipping the God
of pleasure Ask tfTem why they
were not at church and many will
say: 'Well, | can worship God at
home" That is very true, but we
venture to say that there are very
few who have family worship, who
neglect Gods house and desecrate
His day of worship.
2. We ought to go to church to
receive Instruction. When there is
something wrong with our physical
bodies we go to the best physician
in town at once and consult him
and pay him without hesitation for
his instruction. In business we seek
| the advice and instruction of ex-
perts. When We get into trouble
we go at once to our attorney for
! instruction.
The church is the place to come
for spiritual instruction. Religion
| is the minister's speciality. 1t is his
business to study the Bible and the
hearts OF the people, and to lead
those that are sin-sick and wander
| ing in darkness to the Lamb of God
! that taketh away the sin of the
world.
3. We ought to go to church to
| help maintain it. We live in an age
when many unkind things are being
said about the church. 1t has many
enemies who would destroy it's peace
and harmony and pull down every
steeple, and close every door and
break down every altar. But Jesus
that it was built upon a rock and
that the gates of hell should not pre-
vail against it. So may we be true
and loyal to its services.
We ought to maintain the church
because it is the place where the
Word of God is preached, the Power
of God is felt. the Spirit of God is
made manifest, the Love of God is
revealed. 1t is the earthly home of
the soul, the altar of our devotion,
the hearth of our faith, the center
of our affections and the foretaste
of heaven. We have united with it
in solemn covenant, pledging our
selves to attend its services, to pray
for its members, to give to its sup
port and to obey its laws. 1t claims
the first place in our hearts, the
highest place in our minds, the prin-
cipal place in our activities, and its
unity, peace and progress concern
our lives to come.
We have solemnly promised, in
the sight of God and man, to ad-
vance its interests by our faithful
attendance, by reading the Holy
Bible, by never neglecting it's or
dinances, by contributing to its sup
port, by meeting with our fellow
members, by watching over their
welfare, and by joining with them
in prayer and praise and service;
may we renew this promise today
before God our Father, and Christ,
our Redeemer, and the Holy Spirit,
our Sanctifier.