IS THE SERVICE OVER?

“And daily in the temple, and in every house, they ceased not to teach and preach Jesus Christ.”–Acts 5:42   I read about a man who arrived late at church and the people were already leaving. He asked an usher,”Is the service over?” The wise usher replied,”The worship is over, but the service is just beginning.” That’s a good answer!   Several years ago I placed a sign on the inside of the church door, to be seen by those leaving the building. It said—“YOU ARE NOW ENTERING THE MISSION FIELD”. Sometimes we forget that. Some folks think they have discharged all their duties to God by simply attending the church service. They could not be more wrong.   Our responsibility goes far beyond the walls of the church building. It involves every area of our life. As disciples we are never off duty. We are to be salt and light wherever we go. We are to bear witness to God’s saving grace throughout the whole earth. In the gospel, we have the message that the world needs most and God expects us to deliver it.   The worship service is of great importance. It should instruct, inspire, and motivate us, but we also need to get to work! We need to take the gospel to the streets. Singing “Amazing Grace” with the saints is an awesome experience, but we need to get the message of grace to the sinners. It is not their duty to come and get it. It is our job to take it to them. It should also be our joy. What could be more thrilling than to tell others of the greatness of God’s grace?