Last week I met with a fellow church planter. He has been struggling for the last four years trying to get his church to grow. I asked him what his greatest need was. His answer was commitment from his people to come to worship on Sunday morning. Only a third of his members would show on any given Sunday.
 
He is not the only pastor who feels this way. I have heard so many pastors say that if they could convince their people to at least make Sunday morning a priority, their churches would be bursting because everyone came on the same day. Sunday worship is no longer a priority for too many Christians today. We go to church as long as we have nothing else planned. If something comes up in our schedule on Sunday morning, we dare not say refuse to do it because of church, instead church takes a back seat. This only demonstrates where a our real priorities lie.

This is nothing new. I have been reading a book that was printed during World War II by an author named Sidney Powell. The book is titled "Where Are The People". In it he shared a letter written by Rev. M. G. Dickinson of Elizabeth, PA. This is a powerful letter. I implore every Christian who has read thus far to read thoroughly the words of this letter and ask yourself how do you compare to what this letter says.
 
My DEAR FRIENDS:
Please read this letter throughout very carefully. Every Christian owes it to himself to worship God in his House every Lord's Day if it is at all possible. No person can follow Christ as he should, and not follow him to his sanctuary. He may be honest, moral, truthful, but he cannot develop Christlike character apart from the church.
 
Every Christian owes it to his minister to stand loyally by. His heart breaks and he fails as his people desert him. He is in the greatest business on earth-saving men, building fine characters. Not for his sake, but for Christ's sake, stand by him. He never can do the work alone, and three hundred can do three times as much as one hundred.
 
Suppose a man and his wife invite their minister to dinner, and prepare an excellent meal. He fails to appear. He gives no reason. What could they possibly think of him? They would say, "A very discourteous man!" But the minister pours his very life into preparing the best food for mind and spirit for his people because he loves them. He kindly and frequently invites and urges them to attend and partake. They stay away, make no explanation, break his heart, discourage the people, set a bad example.
 
Christians owe it to younger folks, and parents to children, to set before them an example of godliness and devotion. Children grow up and remember that mother was a sincere follower of Christ, or father was a devoted disciple; or they grow up and say, "Dad never went, why should I?" Such parents are responsible for such influence.
 
Church members owe it to the community to go to church. As the church goes down, crime goes up, our boys and girls are in danger. As we neglect the church we are responsible for crime. Life and property are much safer where Christian influences are. No sane man could ever rear children where they are not found. And it is not fair to enjoy these influences--culture, refinement, music, libraries, hospitals, schools-and not stand by the church that fosters them.
 
Church members owe it to the other church members to stand together and encourage them. Christians owe it to our Father to worship him in his House. Air, water, food, clothes, homes, health, all come from the kind hand of God, and we surely ought to give him one little hour out of one hundred and sixty-eight that he gives us every week. Would it not hurt parents if a son were to leave home, and refuse to come back? Does it not hurt the heart of God when his children leave his House and refuse to come back?