Our Themes for April:  A.M. – Joy:  Don’t Look Down.  Look  Up!                                                                       P.M. – God is Able     Whew!  What you are about to read is true.  I believe that you, too, will be shocked and mystified.  Last Sunday we had 82 members of the Lord’s church at St. Andrews Road missing when we assembled together for worship and fellowship.  As I looked around the auditorium, I wondered, “Where are so many of our brothers and sisters in Christ on the Lord’s Day?”  A few were out of town.  Some were sick or shut-in.  (Sister Cauthen was in the hospital.  She is now at home.)  Some were at work.  What about the rest?  On Sunday evening we had only 77 members present for worship and 145 members absent!   Wow!  How can this be?  Is there an epidemic of some kind going around?  I ask myself,  “What can I do to help the church understand the importance of our meeting together?”     As Christians, we are members of the body of Christ, His church.  When we are faced with decisions about life and living, we must always go to God’s word, the  Bible, to find direction.  When it comes to our meeting together, we can go to Hebrews chapter 10 to find God’s will for every Christian.  “Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.  And  let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more much the more as you see the Day  approaching”  (Hebrews 10:23-25).  The verses just before this passage speak of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ offering Himself for our sins, thus making possible the privilege of worship.     From this passage we can also see that even in the early days of the church of Christ, members were sometimes negligent in their responsibility toward God and toward one another.  Some were “forsaking” the assembly of the church.”     Indeed it is every Christian’s great privilege on the Lord’s Day to come before God in worship and fellowship to sing psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, to pray in Jesus’ name, to remember Jesus’ sacrifice in the Lord’s Supper, to give cheerfully as we have been prospered, and to hear God’s word taught.     What about our other meetings on Sunday night, on Wednesday night, and other times?  Our elders have asked every member of the Lord’s church here at St. Andrews Road to meet for worship and study on Sunday evening and on Wednesday evening, in addition to our Lord’s Day service.  Again, we can go to the Bible to find our responsibility toward God.  Take a look at Hebrews 13:17.  “Obey those who rule over you (our elders), and be submissive for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account.  Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.”     To every faithful brother and sister at St. Andrews Road:  Thank you for allowing me to share words of encouragement and exhortation with our brethren who may have grown complacent in their attendance.     On Sunday morning we will continue in our series:  “Joy – Look Up” with a lesson on David and Goliath (1 Samuel 16-17).  We will realize at least four elements that David faced.  We must face these elements too.     On Sunday night we will look at another example from the Bible to show that God is able.  He is able to keep what I have committed to Him.  These lessons are aimed at helping every Christian to trust God even more in our every day living.     May God bless us as we walk close by His side in the light!