It is honestly up to you as to how you experience attending your local church. Here are some tips.
1: On your way to church, take a moment to pray for your pastor, worship leaders, Sunday School teachers, ushers and all the volunteers who will probably be at the church a good hour before you arrive.
A. Ask the Lord to pour fresh revelation, wisdom and understanding into your pastors during their daily quiet time and as they prepare for Sunday.
B. Ask God to speak encouragement to their hearts and give them the stamina they need to fulfil the day’s tasks.
C. Ask the Lord to refresh their spirits and lift off the heavy burdens that leadership often places on their shoulders.
D. Ask the Lord to bless their families, finances, and homes.
2: On your way to church, take time to be thankful.
A. Give thanks for the tremendous privilege that God has granted you to freely worship without fear of persecution from the government or extremist terrorists. Take a moment to pray for those who do not share the same luxury.
B. Give thanks that you have a way to church, whether by foot, bike, bus, train or car.
C. Give thanks. You are healthy enough to attend church.
3: On your way to church, prepare your own heart to be a blessing to those sitting around you today. Ask the Lord if there is anyone you could bless with a warm smile, a handshake, a hug or a brief word of prayer.
4: While in church, be attentive and engaged.
A. Put away your phone unless you are using it to read your Bible.
B. Enter into worship. Just don’t sing the songs; sing them to God.
C. Look for ways to serve and volunteer. Giving money to a cause is a good thing but volunteering your time to help that cause is most times even a greater blessing for both the cause and for yourself.
D. Look for ways to engage by proactively becoming a part of the church community.
I can guarantee you’ll come home from church with a smile on your face!
Until next week,
©2022 Katherine Walden