“Where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them” – Matthew 18:20
Many people think it is easy to be discouraged in small congregations for several reasons. Some people claim, fewer people in the church makes the atmosphere less friendly. The hymns do not sound convincing, the prayers become too personal. These folks believe worshipping God requires the element of togetherness with as many as possible. They might think the louder the better. We all know it is the other way around. It is easier to hear God in the moment of silence and peace. From the bible we know that Jesus Christ, the Son of God made the promise to all of us, no matter how few people may come to worship God, he will honor their request to be with them. You can live in a community of atheist, Jews or Muslims where there is no way to find a large group of Christians, God will still attend your worship, if you gather with someone else in his name. For God everyone is important, there is no person that God will allow to live in hopelessness. When I travel to Hungary, I am always amazed of knowing that in every village there is a house of worship, but in most cases two. It does not matter if there is only fifty people live there or five thousand. The church is there and there is an opportunity to worship the Lord. Do not feel gloomy, do not be disappointed in the small church you belong to, on the other hand be grateful to God for his promise that he is with you, when you gather in his name even with only another person.
Loving Jesus, I confess my weakness of forgetting that you have promised to be with us and you already saved us from damnation. I love you and I try to be happier in my life with what I have received from you. Amen.
Many people think it is easy to be discouraged in small congregations for several reasons. Some people claim, fewer people in the church makes the atmosphere less friendly. The hymns do not sound convincing, the prayers become too personal. These folks believe worshipping God requires the element of togetherness with as many as possible. They might think the louder the better. We all know it is the other way around. It is easier to hear God in the moment of silence and peace. From the bible we know that Jesus Christ, the Son of God made the promise to all of us, no matter how few people may come to worship God, he will honor their request to be with them. You can live in a community of atheist, Jews or Muslims where there is no way to find a large group of Christians, God will still attend your worship, if you gather with someone else in his name. For God everyone is important, there is no person that God will allow to live in hopelessness. When I travel to Hungary, I am always amazed of knowing that in every village there is a house of worship, but in most cases two. It does not matter if there is only fifty people live there or five thousand. The church is there and there is an opportunity to worship the Lord. Do not feel gloomy, do not be disappointed in the small church you belong to, on the other hand be grateful to God for his promise that he is with you, when you gather in his name even with only another person.
Loving Jesus, I confess my weakness of forgetting that you have promised to be with us and you already saved us from damnation. I love you and I try to be happier in my life with what I have received from you. Amen.
,,Ahol ketten vagy hárman összegyűlnek az én nevemben, ott vagyok közöttük.” –Máté 18:20
Sokan gondolják azt, hogy a kis gyülekezetek elkedvtelenítik az embert különböző okok miatt. Néhányan azt mondják, hogy ha kevés ember van a templomban, akkor nem elég barátságos a környezet. A templomi énekek sem olyan szívhez szólóak, az imádságok meg túl személyesek. Ezek az testvérek úgy gondolják, hogy az istentisztelet minél nagyobb, minél hangosabb, annál jobb. Mi tudjuk, hogy ez fordíva működik, hiszen Istent könnyebb meghallani egy békés, csendes pillanatban. A biblia pedig arra hívja fel a figyelmünket, hogy az Isten megígérte, hogy velünk lesz, meglátogat bennünket még akkor is, ha csak ketten fohászkodunk hozzá az együttlétért. Élhet az ember bármilyen környezetben; hitetlenek között, zsidók vagy muzulmánok között, teljesen elszigetelve keresztyén csoportoktól, de Isten még akkor is betartja ígéretét, ha csak ketten vagy hárman gyűlünk össze az Ő nevében. Isten számára senki és semmi nem reménytelen. Amikor Magyarországon jár az ember, az a csodálatos dolog fogadja, hogy bárhol van, mindenhol betérhet egy templomba. Lehet az egy ötven fős település vagy egy ötezer fős falu, minimum egy templomot talál az ember, de legtöbb esetben kettőt. Mindenhol alkalma van arra az embernek, hogy az Istenhez forduljon és istentiszteleten vegyen részt létszámtól függetlenül. Legyünk tehát boldogok és köszönjük meg Istenünknek, hogy megtisztel bennünket jelenlétével még akkor is, ha csak páran gyűlünk össze az Ő nevében.
Drága Jézus, megvallom gyengeségemet, hogy sokszor elfelejtem ígéretedet és áldozatodat értünk. Szeretlek és megpróbálok boldogabb lenni azzal, amim van, amivel megáldottál engem. Ámen.
Copyright © 2017, by Rev. Tamas Devecseri, all rights reserved
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