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Living in southern California there are many opportunities to do things on Sundays other than go to church. You might head to the beach or to the mountains. You might have your kids involved in sports with games or competitions on a Sunday. <\/span><\/p>\n After a busy week, you might just want some down time to recoup and get ready for Monday. <\/span><\/p>\n My guess is that most people who miss a Sunday probably think it\u2019s no big deal. It\u2019s not a sin (that\u2019s true). It\u2019s not earth shattering (Or is it?). No one notices (or do they?). <\/span><\/p>\n Let me suggest that when people miss a Sunday, they miss way more than they may think. <\/span><\/p>\n People who skip a Sunday morning miss uninterrupted time to listen for God\u2019s wisdom. Sunday\u2019s practical teaching from the Bible translates into godly wisdom that people can apply to their daily life. <\/span><\/p>\n We live in a world system that is hostile to godly wisdom and spending time listening and responding to spiritual teaching is so essential.<\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s true that people can hear great teaching in a variety of ways. But listening online is different than listening in the service. I don\u2019t know about you, but when I listen to messages online there are interruptions. I almost never absorb the message in the same way as I do when I\u2019m physically there. <\/span><\/p>\n When I\u2019m in the service, I have uninterrupted time. Time to focus on what God is teaching me.<\/span><\/p>\n Secondly, when people skip a Sunday morning they miss the value of worshipping God with others. There is something intangible that happens when we worship God\u2014out loud\u2014with hundreds of people who share faith in Jesus. <\/span><\/p>\n Sundays are an irreplaceable opportunity to take a step back from the business of our everyday lives and directly give our devotion to God.<\/span><\/p>\n When we gather and sing and give praise to God or sing to declare a message of devotion to God, it connects us to our creator in a way nothing else can. That\u2019s why we sing together\u2014to offer God our words of devotion and love.<\/span><\/p>\n Lastly, if I miss Sunday I miss the power and movement of the church as a community. Coming together with others who believe the same way lifts us up in positive ways to live for Jesus\u2014to hang in there when we may feel like it isn\u2019t worth it.<\/span><\/p>\n Picture this\u2013let\u2019s say your life is like a small stream of water. This stream of water twists and turns and meanders down a path of least resistance. It\u2019s beautiful \u2013 but it has very little strength. But what happens when you cross paths with another stream of water, and another, and another? Something bigger starts to happen, something that small stream can\u2019t do on its own.<\/span><\/p>\n Momentum happens\u2014then power happens. In the same way, when hundred\u2019s of people come together moving in the same God-given direction it is powerful. But it can\u2019t happen if we\u2019re not there.<\/span><\/p>\n When I miss Sunday mornings, I miss the opportunity to be part of that community as I serve the needs of the church and the people who come.<\/span><\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure if you\u2019ve ever thought about Sunday morning this way, but I know when I\u2019m not there I miss being part of the movement of God\u2019s work at LBF.<\/span><\/p>\n Gathering together as a community of believers is an irreplaceable part of our Christian life. It\u2019s immensely important for your spiritual health. <\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Living in southern California there are many opportunities to do […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":1427,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[31,39],"tags":[75,77,81,164,246,270,278,279],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n