Nehemiah 10:39

". . .And we will not forsake the house of our God."

The first part of this verse is in reference to the sacrifices being restored in the temple. Just as the Lord moved Nehemiah to rebuild the walls and the way of life in Jerusalem, the Lord moved others to rebuild the temple and restore worship. The people were to bring in the offerings and sacrifices to their appointed place. The priests were to do the work that was appointed unto them, as well, the porters, and singers. And then at the very close of this verse and chapter, we have this last phrase: And we will not forsake the house of our God - the whole reason of their demise, was that they forsook the Lord God; You can trace it through I and II Kings and I and II Chronicles that when the worship in the house fo the Lord was forssaken, sin arose and th epeople sinned against the Lord. It is so clear and true that the people which serve the Lord in church walk with Him. Those that forsake the church for whatever reason, fall into sin and sorrow. Whether it be an individual, family or a nation, those that forsake the house of the Lord shall find no peace. But yet look at the track record of so many. They may have begun in church but for whatever reason, they sunk out of it. They know they should be in it, but yet they arenot. And these are the very ones that wonder why their life is a mess and falling apart. The answer is easy, 'You have forsaken the house of the Lord, and in essence you have forsaken the Lord.' You cannot walk rightly with God and be absent from the church. Too many find excuses: 'I can't find a good church'; 'I don't like the preaching'; 'I don't like the music'; and on and on it goes. It is not about finding the right one, it is about serving in one. You cannot serve out of one. The house of the Shiloh was forsaken, mainly because of Eli's sons and their vilenss; the temple of Solomon was defiled by the idols and false worship; the second temple was destroyed because of their sinfulness in rejecting Christ; and the church today? Christ said to Peter, "Upon you I will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it". The church will always be, the people that are the Lord's they are the church. But the houses of worship where the people gather is forsaken. Church attendance is down in the US to udner 16%. How can we possible expect the Lord to bless such sinfulness. How can we grow in the Lord when those that profess their Christianity cannot even attend faithful to two or three servcies a week.