How Important is the Church to You?

By Edd Sterchi

    In Acts 20, near the end of his third missionary campaign, Paul found himself in a hurry to get to Jerusalem.  He wanted to arrive there by Pentecost (Acts 20:16) which a careful study of his timeline reveals that it was just a little over a month away.  The bottom line is he really needed to get a move-on to get there in time as he had 500 or more miles yet to travel.
    In spite of all of this, he took the time to stay at Troas for a week (Acts 20:6).  Why would he do this, as we know he was in a hurry on such an urgent mission?  We get our likely answer in Acts 20:7, “Now on the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul, ready to depart the next day, spoke to them and continued his message until midnight.”  Paul wanted to meet with the church at Troas and he knew his brethren would be assembled on the next Lord’s day.  It is very obvious that the church was very important to Paul.
    How important is the church to you?  Is it so important that you, like Paul, develop your weekly schedule around its meeting times and activities no matter how busy you are?  Jesus answers the question for us when He said, “But seek first the kingdom of God...” (Matt. 6:33).  Is the church first in your life?                                                                                      -

- Edd Sterchi preaches for the Broadway Church of Christ in Campbellsville, KY. He may be contacted through the congregation's website: http://www.broadwaychurchofchrist.net/