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6th September 2024
FridayReflection
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"Brian Conklin shares"
Brian and Kelly are ordained ministers
"Defining Faithfulness"
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Our state of affairs around the world with COVID-19 has many of us contemplating on a number of things.
Our faith and adherence to our faith are being tested.
Traditions and practices are being blocked or changed in the name of keeping people safe.
All of this has gotten me thinking about how we define faithfulness.
Many years ago, when I was pastoring a conventional church, I was part of a church leader cohort that met over many months.
We were trying to learn and share with one another ways to better minister to our congregations in ever-changing times.
I was reminded of one of the conversations about faithfulness.
Faithfulness has a standard definition and then there is the evolving definition that isn't quite accurate.
If you were to ask people of different generations what the word faithfulness means, you would get many different answers.
Older generations would define it with regard to regular, frequent worship service attendance.
We read the actual definition of faithfulness as:
strict or thorough in the performance of duty:
a faithful worker.
true to one's word, promises, vows, etc.
What did all that mean in the Church as we faced weeks and months-long quarantines and lock-downs?
Can we be faithful without gathering together in one place worshipping together?
Is gathering together regularly in large groups necessary?
These are all great questions.
The Bible references faithfulness a lot.
It refers to an attribute of God, a positive characteristic of some people, and a gift of the Holy Spirit.
Let's look at each of these.
As we read scripture, we see time and again where God says He will do something, and He does.
In fact, He always does what He says He will do.
This is faithfulness in its purest form.
It is because of that faithfulness that we can stand on God's promises.
Faithfulness is also a positive characteristic of some people.
It means someone does what they say they will do and stand with integrity.
Integrity is one of those characteristics best described as doing the right thing even when no one is looking or will know.
To be truly faithful to the Lord we need the Holy Spirit.
We read in Galatians that faithfulness is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit when we accept Jesus Christ as our Savior and make Him our Lord.
We have been faced with global isolation mostly within our own homes.
Many have defined faithfulness as regular, and even frequent, attendance in a worship.
I submit to you that this is an incorrect definition of faithfulness.
We can be faithful to God without coming together at a specified time in a specified place with a specified agenda or order of service.
We can come together in twos or threes.
Gathering together within our family and reading, praying, and worshipping is being faithful to the Lord.
(Jesus would go away to a 'mountain' to be alone with God)
Don't misinterpret Hebrews 10:24-25.
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, (25) not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.
This does not mean we must gather in large gatherings.
We must stay in contact with one another regularly, but that can be done in many ways.
Jesus said in Matthew 18:20.
For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them."
This is faithfulness, friends.
Gather together as you can when you can.
Don't measure people's faithfulness by worship service attendance or giving amount, or anything other than their devotion to the Lord and obedience to His call.
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This is an edited version.
The full article and Bible references are avaiable on request
"Brian Conklin"
Cell Life Church is a non-denominational church and network of home churches and cell churches.
Our vision is to be the Church, not do church.
The church is people, not a building or organization.
We strive to build lifelong followers of Jesus Christ and want to introduce real people living real lives to a real God who loves them and has a plan and purpose for their lives.
The ministry is led by Pastor Brian Conklin & Pastor Kelly Conklin.
Pastors Brian and Kelly are ordained ministers with more than 3 decades of ministry experience.
Cell sites and home churches are forming around the world.
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