What track event is being a Christian like?

What does it profit?
BQ: It's Easter. The churches were packed today; articles in the paper talked about how people make sure to attend on Easter. Many people reassure themselves that they're "Christian" and going to heaven by showing up once or twice a year.

Q: What track event does the Bible compare being a Christian to? What does he say about the assembly? 
A: 2 Tim 4:7 & 1 Cor 9:24. Acts 20:7, 1 Cor 14:23;26, Heb 10:25

Being a Christian is likened by God to a race. There is a prize at the end.  Often God asks what "profit" there is in something. Being a Christian is also a marriage of the church to Christ.

Here are some things to consider: we're told to hold fast to the things given to us. One of those is the assembly on the Lord's day. It isn't one day a year, or two. Would you win a race by exercising once a year? Would you make much profit if you went to work once a year? Would your marriage do well if you professed your love and saw your wife only once a year? What about twice? 

Are you trying to serve your own self, or are you giving God's race all you've got? Those who sit on the sidelines will not get a reward. 2 Thess 3:10 applies to the spiritual health of a person. "if anyone is not willing to work, then he is not to eat, either." Let's work for the Lord every day! 
(PN63)

Is fellowship with those in Christ important?

Importance of Fellowship
BQ: Is fellowship important? This deserves MUCH more, so it'll DEFINITELY be a subject of a note in the future!  Thanks Ashley M! This is awesome.

A: Heb 10:25 “not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.” Prov 27:17 “Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.”

For you to look up: Eccles 4:9-12, Eph 4:11-16, Mt 18:20, 1 Cor 10:16-17, Eph 5:19-21, 1 Cor 12:14, Gal 3:28

Attendance problems are often a sign of a deeper problem—a problem where Satan's playplace is more appealing than being held up out of it by our brothers and sisters in Christ. It's usually the first sign that we're moving back into the world.

My brother J. Schaefer said, "If you think you can do the things you used to do and get away with it...you are SO wrong. And you are gambling your soul, and if you have kids, you're gambling theirs, too." If we let the world be our home, we lose the kingdom. Fellowship is critical. Absolutely critical.
(PN7)

How should we act during communion?

Partaking in what manner?
BQ: Once during the Lord's supper, a friend of mine was trying to cut up with me and tell jokes, etc. It would usually be considered harmless playful or flirtatious behavior. 

Q: What does the Bible say about how we should act during of the Lord's supper?
A: 1 Cor 11: 26-29

From the verses above, "Therefore whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the body and the blood of the Lord." In the case above, the person was simply ignorant and had little familiarity with God's word, coming from a church that rarely took communion, but God's word is a matter of eternal life or death. Let's be serious about the cost of our freedom. 

What does the Bible say about giving?

Giving it all you’ve got.
BQ: My friend Luke pointed out the example of Levi the tax collector in Lk 5:27-28, who, when Jesus said, "Follow me," left everything behind. Are we still clinging to things of the past? There's a tendency for us to want to give and receive credit for it, while holding a little back.

Q: What does the Bible say about giving?
A: 2 Cor 9:6-7, Acts 5:1-11, Lk 16:10-12

Ananias and Sapphira wanted to give some money, but they also wanted to hold back a little in secret. Much more dangerous for us is wanting to worship God a little, yet hold back some secret sins. 1 Cor 10:31, Col 3:23, and many other verses tell us to do everything for the Lord, holding nothing back.
(PN54)

The Lord’s supper—what and when?

The Lord’s supper—what and when?
BQ: Someone once said to me about, "Wow, you guys take the Lord's supper, it's been a long time since we've had it at Grace (church)." My inner reaction about that large church was, "uh oh...."

Q: What is the Lord's supper, and when do we take it?
A: 1 Cor 11:1, Philp 4:9, Act 20:7, 1 Cor 10:16-17, 1 Cor 11:20-32, Mt 26:26-29

"For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes:" We are told to imitate the example given, and the example is that the assembly took it weekly. I once had a friend who wanted to make jokes during it--but it's a remembrance of the price paid for us, a persistent and living hope, and a reminder of our new covenant with God. It's both somber and joyous. The Lord's supper is an incredibly important event, and not something to take lightly.
(PN42)