Church Decorum Series: Being Committed
Lesson Eleven: Being Committed
Lesson Ten: Discouragement | Lesson Nine: Punctuality
Lesson Eight: Visitors | Lesson Seven: Fasting | Lesson Six: The Dress Code | Lesson Five: Altar Ministry
Lesson Four: Presiding | Lesson Three: Prayer | Lesson Two: Learn To Be A Student | Lesson One: Be Observant
Let’s say you visit a church, find that you really like it, and are extended the right hand of fellowship. You meet with the Pastor and agree to abide by the rules and regulations of the church. But then you start asking yourself, “What rules am I supposed to keep?”
Have you ever found yourself in this predicament?
When I went to the first Church Of God In Christ International Holy Convocation held in St. Louis, I was impressed, but a little disheartened, by a book that our Presiding Bishop and Mother Blake wrote about how the saints should deport themselves. While the information was very useful, I was surprised that we needed to be told some very basic things.
Then I remembered when I first came to the holiness church. Can you believe I did not even own a dress! I did not know what to say or what to do. I felt so inadequate those first few times I visited.
For those of us who have been in the church for a long time, we tend to assume that everyone knows the basics of church decorum. But over time, I’ve come to realize that there are just some things we won’t know – unless we are taught.
Well have no fear, this year I am here to help! It’s 2013, a brand new year, and I will be focusing on church decorum – those things we wished someone told us so we wouldn’t have felt out in left field while everyone else was in right. I’ll be covering lots of topics, including presiding, speaking and teaching; praying for different occasions; dressing modestly; altar work and laying on of hands and more. I’ll also be taking topics from you! Simply email your suggestion to Blog@holinesstabernaclecogic.org and you just may find your idea as the focus of one of my monthly blog posts.
Before we begin, I would like to start with a disclaimer: RULES AND REGULATIONS DIFFER FROM CHURCH TO CHURCH. IT IS ALWAYS WISE TO FOLLOW THE RULES OF THE PARTICULAR CHURCH YOU ATTEND.
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The last time we had a census, I applied to work for the Census Bureau. As we sat together filling out the application, we discovered that the section for writing in our employers for the previous 10 years only asked for three. As we began to talk amongst one another, we discovered we were all saying the same thing. We had all worked for much more than three employers in the last 10 years. These applications were undoubtedly printed during a time when people were committed to their employers. People would work for the same company or agency for many years – most times until retirement. They were committed to their jobs, felt they could really benefit the company and greatly valued job security.
Today, we are living in a time where no one wants to be committed to anything anymore. We not only are not committed to our jobs, but also our relationships, our churches and our faith. We exchange them loosely without thinking twice. If it does not benefit us, we move on. To develop and maintain a close relationship with the Lord, we must be committed. As with any relationship, we must work at it and have a determined mind that no matter what hardships we experience, we must remain committed. The following are some tips to help us stay committed to our relationship with the Lord:
- Attend church regularly – The Bible tells us to not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. Attending a good, Bible believing church is crucial to your commitment to the Lord. When you attend church regularly, you can gain strength from other believers. The more you stay away, the more you’ll find the world influencing you instead of God. There is no “perfect” church. Trust me, stop looking! There is, though, a church perfect for you. One where you will learn and grow. One that will have people from all different walks of life; some will be great to spend time with and others will rub you the wrong way. One where the pastor doesn’t just let you do whatever you want to do, but will instruct and correct you; where you may get mad, but you will learn and grow.
- Get involved – I cannot emphasize enough how important it is for you to get involved in your church. God has blessed us with many gifts and talents that the church can benefit from – so do yourself and the church a service and get involved.
- Dedicate times for prayer – Have a dedicated time to spend alone with God. Try to do it when there will be minimum distractions. Early in the morning, before bed or maybe even during lunchtime. Find a time that works best for you.
- Study the Word – Don’t just read the Bible – study it. Get an understanding of what it is saying and ask the Lord to show you how it applies to you and your situation. If you have a difficult time figuring out what to read, make use of a Bible reading plan. These are easily found online. I always encourage my students to read the Bible from cover to cover at least once in their life. There is a story to the Bible and you will never get a full grasp of it if you don’t read it all the way. When you read a good book or watch a movie, do you get a good grasp by skipping through? Of course not! So make sure you read and study your Bible in its entirety.
- Develop friendships of similar faith – I have discovered that many times when people struggle in their relationship with the Lord, it’s due to their associations. They keep the same unsaved friends who encourage them to do the things they used to do before they got saved. We must learn to develop new friendships with people who believe like we believe. In the church, I admonish new converts to develop relationships with more seasoned saints; this will give them something to strive for.
- Evaluate your progress – One good way to evaluate your progress is to journal. It will help you see if your relationship with the Lord is growing, stagnant or regressing. And not only that, but you’ll gain strength from rereading how the Lord delivered you from certain situations.
Commitment is a virtue this generation seems to lack, but you can break the mold and decide that you will be committed to your relationship with the Lord. The Lord will also help you stay committed in other areas of your life. Determine in your mind that this is going to be a goal that you will work hard to accomplish. Stay committed!