Keeping the Momentum Going

What a wonderful Gospel Meeting we just had! We thank Sam Willcut for bringing us such encouraging, challenging, and motivational lessons on the family and how to strengthen our families. We also thank all of you who took the time to attend the meeting. Some of you were here for every service! Not counting the Sunday afternoon singing at which fifty were present, we averaged seventy-seven in attendance for each service. What a shame it would be, though, to forget the significance of this meeting and become apathetic toward the Gospel. Let’s keep the momentum going!

Keep Loving the Lord

Essential to anything in spiritual life, including keeping the momentum going after a Gospel Meeting, is loving God. Jesus answered the question about what was the greatest commandment by saying, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment” (Mt. 22:37-38). God showed His love for us by giving “his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (Jn. 3:16). He did this in spite of our sinfulness. “But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8). The only reasonable response we have to God’s love is to love Him back. As the apostle John puts it, “We love him, because he first loved us” (1 Jn. 4:19). Having established the fact of God’s love and our obligation to love Him, the question arises: How do we love God? The answer is simple to know. Consider Jesus’ own words: “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (Jn. 14:15). Let’s keep on loving the Lord!

Keep Studying the Bible

Since “faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17), the only way our faith can continue to grow is by continuing to study the inspired word of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17). Studying involves effort. The word translated “study” in “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth” (2 Tim. 2:15), is from a Greek word that means to “Be diligent” (NKJ), to make every effort (2 Pet. 1:5, 10). Listening to God’s word may not always be deliberate, but studying God’s word always is! As Sam said in our meeting, we cannot expect to grow in the faith if the only Bible study we do is the few hours a week the church meets. We must also study on our own if we are to “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18). Let’s keep on studying the Bible!

Keep Attending Church Services

One thing that made or meeting a success was how well it was attended. Attendance made the singing better, which in turn encouraged the preaching, which in turn built up the entire assembly! The Hebrews writer said that assembling together with the saints is for the purpose of considering “one another in order to stir up love and good works” (Heb. 10:24, NKJ). When we do not attend, we do not receive the encouragement we need to live faithfully in this unfaithful world. Not counting the visitors who attended our meeting, why did we attend so regularly? Was it simply because the preacher was someone different than the regular preacher? Was it because of the Power Point presentation? Was it because of the topics on the family? Whatever the reasons, we are glad the attendance was good, but should we not want to attend because we love the Lord and studying His word? Loving God and loving to study the Bible should keep us attending all the time, not just when we have Gospel Meetings. Let’s continue to encourage one another “to stir up love and good works” by “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” (Heb. 10:25). Let’s keep on attending church services!

Conclusion

Gospel Meetings should be uplifting as ours was. Let’s keep the momentum going by keeping on loving God, His word, and His church. Will we keep our momentum going?