Scripture to Read: Luke 4:16
Jesus knew what He came to do: to preach the gospel of God, to seek and to save the lost, and to give His life as a ransom for many. God had Luke write in Luke 4:16, “And He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up; and as was His custom, He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath, and stood up to read.” Jesus went to the city where He had grown up. The people would have known Him, but at this point, they had no idea that Jesus was the promised Messiah. Jesus was in the habit of going to the synagogue to worship, to hear from the Word of God, and to fellowship with others who were there for the same reason. Many people today use various excuses for not attending worship with other believers, but our Lord Jesus Christ set a perfect example for us as He walked in human form. It was a normal part of Jesus’ life to be in the synagogue and fellowship with other believers, worship His Father, and share His Word. We need to be sure we do not fall into the trap of thinking that our daily personal worship/ our daily quiet time is enough and that we don’t need to be in corporate worship with other believers and in small groups where we are being held accountable to our walk, studying the Word together, and fervently praying for one another. Since Christ made this a normal part of His life, it should be obvious that we should do the same thing.
Challenge & Application
With the example that our Lord gives us, how are you doing following His example?
How can you help others who have fallen into the trap of compromising their worship of God with others?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!