Summer was in full
swing in Pupperville. The skies were clear, the temperatures were
soring into the 90's and well, I suppose you could say it was the
lazy days of summer. No one felt like doing anything but hang around
at the beach and, well, be lazy, lazy and boring. I just so happened
that those two ideas were on Barney's mind the other day when he met
up with April Zaspella.
“Hi.” April
said, “Is that you Barney? You sound sort of depressed.” “Yeah,
it's me.” Barney said “But I'm not depressed, just bored because
I have nothing to do.” “Nothing to do?” April questioned, “I
thought Harold was back.” “He is” Barney said, “But he
doesn't want to do anything, but be lazy.” “Oh.” April said
disappointedly, “I thought he had changed.”
“Well, yeah, he
has changed.” Barney said, “But I’m not sure I like the new
Harold.” What do you mean?” April asked. “For starters,”
Barney went on to say, “I'm finding that he is no longer a
challenge. There was a time when he kept his room so messy you could
get lost in there for days. Now he keeps his room spotless.”
“I could get lost
in there even if it was clean.” April said with a giggle. “That's
because your blind.” Barney said. “So, what does Harold do all
day?” April asked. “He just sits and studies the Bible.” Barney
told her, “And that reminds me, Even church has been boring because
of Harold?” “Ah” April said, “I know I've been out of town
for a few weeks but how is Harold making church boring?”
“By being good.”
Barney said. “But you're suppose to be good in church.” April
protested. “I know.” Barney sighed, “But with Harold you
always expected some kind of trouble to happen and now it doesn't
happen. People are even starting to quit coming to church as a
result.” “What?!” April exclaimed, “You mean people were
only coming to church to see what kind of trouble Harold would cause
in church.”
“Well,” Barney
said hesitantly, You have to admit, things got rather exciting when
he was his old self.” “But all those distractions messed
everybody up and kept them from worshiping.” April protested. “I
suppose.” Barney said, “If that’s why they were there.” “Is
that why you go to church?” April asked when she heard that.
“Well,” Barney said, “It's like this. I need to get going.
Bye.”
And God spoke
all these words, saying, "I am the LORD your God, who brought
you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery. "You
shall have no other gods before me. "You shall not make for
yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in
heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the
water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them or serve them,
for I the LORD your God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of
the fathers on the children to the third and the fourth generation of
those who hate me, but showing steadfast love to thousands of those
who love me and keep my commandments.
Exodus
20:1-6 (ESV)
God gave a simple
command – worship Me and Me only. “God wanted no one, no thing,
to take His place and yet this command is broke over and over and
over. One god/goddess was Diana. Also called Artemis. Let's find
out what happens around her.
And it happened
that while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul passed through the inland
country and came to Ephesus. There he found some disciples. … And
he entered the synagogue and for three months spoke boldly, reasoning
and persuading them about the kingdom of God. But when some became
stubborn and continued in unbelief, speaking evil of the Way before
the congregation, he withdrew from them and took the disciples with
him, reasoning daily in the hall of Tyrannus. This continued for two
years, so that all the residents of Asia heard the word of the Lord,
both Jews and Greeks. And God was doing extraordinary miracles by the
hands of Paul, … many of those who were now believers came,
confessing and divulging their practices. And a number of those who
had practiced magic arts brought their books together and burned them
in the sight of all. And they counted the value of them and found it
came to fifty thousand pieces of silver. So the word of the Lord
continued to increase and prevail mightily. … About that time
there arose no little disturbance concerning the Way. For a man named
Demetrius, a silversmith, who made silver shrines of Artemis, brought
no little business to the craftsmen. These he gathered together,
with the workmen in similar trades, and said, "Men, you know
that from this business we have our wealth. And you see and hear that
not only in Ephesus but in almost all of Asia this Paul has persuaded
and turned away a great many people, saying that gods made with hands
are not gods. And there is danger not only that this trade of ours
may come into disrepute but also that the temple of the great goddess
Artemis may be counted as nothing, and that she may even be deposed
from her magnificence, she whom all Asia and the world worship."
When they heard this they were enraged and were crying out, "Great
is Artemis of the Ephesians!" So the city was filled with the
confusion, and they rushed together into the theater, dragging with
them Gaius and Aristarchus, Macedonians who were Paul's companions in
travel. ... Now some cried out one thing, some another, for the
assembly was in confusion, and most of them did not know why they
had come together.
Acts
19:1-41 (ESV)
Eventually, we read
that the crowd was calmed down and dispersed. They worshiped a false
god/goddess and yet, while there is much to learn from these verse I
found it interesting that once they had gathered together, they had
no idea why they were there. One might also ask the question when we
gather at church... So why do we?
- Hebrews 10:25 - Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (NIV)
- 1 Timothy 4:13 - Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. (NIV)
- Acts 2:41-42 - Then those people who accepted what Peter said were baptized. About three thousand people were added to the number of believers that day. They spent their time learning the apostles’ teaching, sharing, breaking bread, and praying together. (NCV)
- Ephesians 5:19 - Speak to each other with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing and making music in your hearts to the Lord. (NCV)
When we comet
together do we do these things? When we come together are we like
the Psalmist who says I was glad when they said to me, "Let
us go to the house of the LORD." Psalm
122:1 (NLT)
Here's Something
To Ponder
- Why do you gather together?
- Do you come with gladness or boredom as a goal?
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