“So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read.” Luke 4:16 (NKJV)
Where are you going to be this morning? Are you going to gather with the saints of God, or will you gather some other place? The casual Christian does not suffer from a lack of commitment. They are deeply committed to what they love. If they love sleep, they will sleep in on Sunday while the church of God gathers. If they love entertainment, they will go to be entertained on Sunday while the saints of God assemble. If they love rest, they will stay home and rest on Sunday instead of going to the Lord’s house. This may be a hard word for some to hear, but I pray you can receive it with the grace and goodness of God from which it is intended.
What do you think it means in Luke 4:16 when it says, “And as His custom was?” It means if the family of God had a scheduled time to meet and worship God, Jesus would be going to meet with them. “And as His custom was,” means that Jesus had a pattern in His life. If you wanted to know where to find Jesus on the Sabbath it would be smart to go to the synagogue. The Bible tells us that Jesus changes not, and if He had the habit of being in the synagogue on the Sabbath back then, then He still has the habit of being with the gathered church today. People say, “I can have church anywhere.” That is and isn’t true. It isn’t true for those who throw that up as the excuse not to gather with believers in Christ. They are not having church and have no intention to have church. However, it is true that believers can gather in any place to practice the same Biblical practices exercised by the early church. Let me encourage you to be a witness for Christ by making it your custom to gather regularly with believers, not only to receive what God has for you, but to minister to those you will meet with. God has gifted you to be in the assembly of the saints. You may have to fight yourself to get to the Lord’s house, but that’s because the enemy doesn’t want you to show up. Be there this morning, because Jesus will be there. It’s His custom.