Letter to a brother in Christ

Dear Jeremy

I believe you received my SMS this morning.

I have been praying for you since I noticed that you stopped attending the church service altogether. Initially, I did not want to broach this topic as I thought you may have missed services due to your studies or on occasions when someone in the family was sick. As it became more apparent, I can only bring this up in love, as one who was brought to this church by you, who was discipled by you during my campus days and early years at Zion. I have told Johnny, James and others whenever the opportunities arise that I owe my growth as a Christian to the encouragement & the books you gave me, and more importantly, the example you set for me when I was still a young believer.

Bro. Jeremy,

I write out of concern for you, Katherine, Bonnie, and Johnny whom I teach in Sunday School. As you probably know more than me, a Christian's lifelong growth comes not merely from reading the Bible, but also from essential areas such as corporate worship, praise, prayer, sermons, fellowship with believers, sharing of testimonies, and service to the LORD and body of Christ, among others. As Christian parents, we have an additional responsibility to be a role model for our kids to emulate in this increasingly turbulent world of conflicting values, so that we may train them up the way that should go, in the instructions of the LORD. Our children are a blessing from the LORD. The Bible exhorts us to testify to our children the goodness and mercies of the LORD, so that they are constantly reminded of, and are able to appreciate our personal encounters with GOD as first-generation Christians. I believe that Johnny and Bonnie are a heritage from the LORD, and they need to walk as they see you walk, and grow as they see you grow, in the LORD Jesus Christ, so that this heritage can continue to their children and their children's children.

I hope that I'm mistaken. I hope that you are at least attending services in other churches on the weeks that you miss the services at Zion and having home cell fellowship elsewhere if you are not able to join the groups at Zion.

As Pastor Lim has always shared, it doesn't matter that people leave Zion for other churches. We are all mature Christians and can be trusted upon to make responsible & prayerful choices which honour GOD. We know that this can only lead believers to grow at whichever church they choose to go with, and when we meet again in heaven, we have every reason to rejoice.

Being a Christian is certainly not about earthly church membership, but about honouring GOD, putting Him first, and belonging to & supporting the universal church, which is the body of Christ. No matter which church you choose to grow with, the body of Christ will rejoice as you commit your life to GOD and give Him your very best. After all, we have only a few more decades to do this before we go home to meet with the LORD. I'm sure we can put the right focus on this and that future generations will be blessed because we have been found to be faithful and obedient to GOD, as Abraham has been.

Sincerely,

Thomas

Note: All names (except Thomas') have been changed to protect the identity of the persons & church in this letter.