By Gregg Woodall
And no wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light. So it is no surprise if his servants, also, disguise themselves as servants of righteousness. Their end will correspond to their deeds (2 Corinthians 11:14-15, ESV).
Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil (Ephesians 6:11, ESV).
Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you (James 4:7).
Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8, ESV).
Do you get the idea from these verses that Satan is a real adversary and is seeking to stop us from serving God? He will not stop at anything to get your attention and your soul. Don’t you think that he would also try to distract and entice you even while you are trying to worship God? So, it would seem to reason that Satan would attend every service we have to pull someone away from serving the Lord. He is NOT here to worship God, but to gain his own worshippers. So, I ask, does Satan attend more than you?
Satan attends every service so he may distract you by turning your attention away from the sermon by having your mind drift off to other concerns of the day. He may help you develop a cavalier attitude about worship. He may use you as an instrument for his evil deeds by having you be unkind or arrogant towards others. He may even encourage you to be a hindrance to someone who is sincerely seeking to faithfully serve and worship God.
Together we can defeat the efforts of the evil one by being faithful in our attendance and being purposeful in our efforts to encourage one another as we worship God.
The command to edify one another and fulfill our responsibility to build up one another is clear. (Romans 14:19; 15:1-3; Hebrews 3:12-14). Simply our presence alone encourages others in attendance. Can we really say that we are edifying others when we are absent most of the time, or when we attend so infrequently, or when we hardly know the other members?
Jesus commands us to put the kingdom of God first (Matthew 6:33). We all have priorities; we must simply learn to put them in the right order. Many Christians avoid events and circumstances that would cause them to miss services. Many Christians will not play sports or engage in other activities that conflict with their service to God. Some stay home on Sunday because of aches and pains, but on Monday go to work, the grocery store, or the mall with the same aches and pains.
We should attend every service to help us grow and develop spiritually. The services are designed for spiritual growth. Hearing the sermons and attending the Bible classes helps us to grow and develop into mature Christians (cf. Hebrews 5:12-14). Even the songs are designed to teach as well as praise (Colossians 3:16).
Regular attendance and participation help the church to function properly. The church is like a body, needing every individual part to do its share (Ephesians 4:15-16). To function properly, a church needs both spiritual and physical service. There are many needs for helping with the worship services and teaching classes. A church is no stronger than the collective strength of its members. Churches where attendance is lacking will have difficulty in living up to their full potential in service to the Lord.
Satan plans to be at our next service, do you?