Read:1 Thessalonians 2:13-16

It’s a Sunday morning and it’s time to go to church again. Are you excited to be going? Do you enjoy going to church? Do you listen to the minister as he preaches?

Sometimes you might not be that excited about going to church, but do you know that the church is the workshop of the Holy Spirit. It is when you are gathered with other believers and are listening to the minister preaching that the Holy Spirit is at work in your life. Of course, he can and does work in your heart at many other times, but the Lord has chosen the preaching of the gospel to be the main way that he works faith in our hearts. That is why you need to go to church and listen as the minister explains the Bible passage to you. And if you don’t understand everything, ask your parents to explain it to you after church.

The people of Thessalonica received faith to believe in the Lord Jesus when they heard Paul and the other apostles preach to them. They didn’t even have Bibles to read and so they listened for hours as the apostles preached. And God worked through this preaching so that they welcomed the gospel. They realized that the apostles weren’t just preaching any words, but that what they were preaching was the truth. They were happy to hear these words of God.

Maybe you have always believed in the Lord. Maybe your parents have always taught you the Bible and explained to you the work that Jesus has done for you. The Lord has used your parents to help you grow in faith. As you get older you will continue to learn about the Lord. You will keep learning from your parents, teachers, catechism instructors and others. But it very important that you always listen to the Word being preached. That is the main way that God has chosen to teach us about himself and to grow our faith.

Reflection with your child:

Why is it important to go to church?

Source: Sermon by Rev. H. Alkema