A publication of the:
Butler church of Christ
Our meeting location is:
201 5th Ave.
Butler, PA 16001
724-287-0628 (building) / 724-282-9417
(home/office)
Assembling Times:
Sunday Bible Class - 9:30 AM
Sunday Worship – 10:30 AM
Wednesday Bible Class – 7:00 PM
Editor / Preacher –
Brian A. Yeager
Check out the web site:
(I Corinthians 10:31 and I Peter 4:11)
Our society has
made everything a matter of convenience. From fast relationships,
to fast food, to fast banking, and on to many other things; we have made
convenience a priority in our lives. We want the “drive through window”
to be available in 
every
aspect of our lives, so that we can just have more time for more fast paced
and convenient things to do. Some folks have this attitude when it
comes to spiritual matters. God is not Burger King “your way - right
away – now.”
Oftentimes what we find going on in society we find spilling into the church. Instead of brethren showing the world how they should act (Matthew 5:16) the influence of the world takes hold in the lives of some Christians (I Corinthians 15:33). Some brethren seem to display (by their comments and attitudes) that God is just too demanding. Thus, we find brethren who believe they are too inconvenienced by what God requires of them. We find brethren who are of the mindset that they ought to complain about meeting God’s requirements rather than being able to enjoy their service to the Lord.
The words of the Apostle Paul sets a great example of how a Christian ought to look at their lives upon this earth: (Galatians 2:20) “I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me.” Paul’s words do not display the attitude that some inconvenienced brethren of today display. Paul’s words display the attitude of one who serves the Lord with all of his heart, soul, and mind (Matthew 22:37). What attitude do you have?
Do You Complain When It Comes To Doing What is Expected of You?
It is Wednesday night, the weather is not horrible, but it is not great either. You have had a long day at work. You have had little time for dinner, watching TV, and relaxing. It is the middle of the week and a bad week at that. REJOICE! It is time to assemble with the saints, be edified, worship God, and study His word. What better way to help remedy the bad week you are having. Is that how you feel when it comes to fulfilling what should be a joyful duty you’re expected to do (Hebrews 10:24-25), or is your attitude different? Is your mindset one that says: “man, its Wednesday already. The weather is not good so… maybe I should just stay home and get the rest I need. Well, I better go or someone might think I am sinning.” Which attitude more accurately describes you? What attitude do your brethren see if and when you arrive on Sunday and Wednesday towards your service to God and your fellowship with them? Just think, did Jesus say “its time to die already, I guess I will just go rest and skip it for now”? What if God would have taken a break and decided to forgo His plans of what He was going to create on the sixth day (Genesis 1:26ff.)?
Serving God should not be a miserable thing. The words of the psalmist display a great attitude: (Psalms 71:23) “My lips shall greatly rejoice when I sing unto thee; and my soul, which thou hast redeemed.” What do you see in those words? You see an individual who loves to worship God. Do you see words like “I would love to worship God if I just….”? NO! Worship and service to God does not always come under the best of conditions. The Eunuch (that was converted through the preaching of Philip) is a good example. Here is an individual who would not have been let into the temple, but was willing to travel about 1100 miles to worship there (Acts 8:27). What was his attitude about serving God? Well, he was a man that wanted to know the Lord. This is displayed in his conversion that came from his searching of the scriptures (Acts 8:26-39). Did the Eunuch spend his travel time complaining? No, he spent it studying. Think about the persecution factor of serving God. Worship in the New Testament times meant that you were a target for persecution (Acts 8:1-4). Could you imagine knowing that for assembling with the saints in our society you might be killed? Really, what do we have to complain about?
No Matter What – We Should Have No Complaints
(John 3:16) “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (Romans 5:6-9) “For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him.” We have nothing to complain about because we have too much to rejoice about. We are alive both physically and spiritually (if you are a faithful Christian). We were, through our sins, separated from God (Isaiah 59:1-2), but now we are reconciled to Him through the sacrifice of His Son. What better thing could exist in your life?
(Psalms 40:16) “Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee: let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified.” It is not for convenience, but for salvation that a child of God rejoices. Is serving God full of work? Yes, we are always to be abounding in the work of the Lord (I Corinthians 15:58). Why is that so great? The work we do for the Lord is the most rewarding work there is to be done. Unlike our years of service in secular work that may at best give us a few years of financial stability in physical retirement, our work for God supplies us with an eternal home (II Corinthians 5:1). For this, we labor far too little. Our reward is greater than any man deserves.
With so much to be thankful for in physical and spiritual blessings for the Lord, why would any Christian feel they are too put out? Why would any Christian complain about so little sacrifices we make to please the Lord?
Conclusion
The attitude that Felix had represents the attitudes of many people today: (Acts 24:24-25) “And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and answered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.” If you want more convenient circumstances in which to serve the Lord, you will find that will never occur. The root of people looking for easier ways to serve God is really a heart problem. If God is not first in your life, it is because the word of God is not properly working in your heart (Matthew 13:1ff.). That is a choice you have made, it is not a malfunction with the power of the word of God (Romans 1:16).
To fix the attitude of inconvenience, one must make changes in their lives. They must alter or remove whatever things there are that make God an inconvenience. Sometimes this means we must change hobbies, adjust the time we spend doing other things, and even at times we must change our work habits. To one who desires Heaven to be their eternal home, nothing will be too hard to change.
If one however makes changes and spends all the time complaining and being unhappy about it, they have not truly changed their hearts. They have made adjustments, but those adjustments are not true. Some say with their mouths “I am ready, willing, and going to serve the Lord fully”, but their hearts and actions show a completely different story. If you desire to follow the Lord you need to make the decision to do so without partiality (I Timothy 5:21). A Christian must have the attitude of joyfully following the Lord no matter how inconvenient it may be. (Luke 9:57-62) “And it came to pass, that, as they went in the way, a certain man said unto him, Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. And Jesus said unto him, Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay his head. And he said unto another, Follow me. But he said, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. Jesus said unto him, Let the dead bury their dead: but go thou and preach the kingdom of God. And another also said, Lord, I will follow thee; but let me first go bid them farewell, which are at home at my house. And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.”
© 2004 May be used if
permission by author is granted and proper acknowledgment as to the authorship
of this material is made. – B.A.Y.