Before being called to pastor a church, I was privileged to preach in nearly every church in our county and some churches in adjoining counties. It was a great and joyful privilege, but one thing concerned me in each church I visited: empty seats and often whole empty pews. I’ve been accused of worrying too much about numbers. But numbers are important because they represent souls, some saved but careless, and some lost. The reason for empty pews and seats is that we don’t do enough inviting and exhorting others to attend our churches. Most of us have family members, friends, and neighbors who no longer bother to attend church. This is a shame. People come to church because they are invited. They return if they feel welcomed. They stay if they feel suited to the spiritual environment and that they fit in.

Those who stay away from church do not know what they are missing. Some of these have gotten dissatisfied with the preacher or the way things were done in their churches. The solution is to simply find a church you like. People come and people go, and that’s all right. We are always disappointed when they go, but we always acknowledge their right to find a more suitable environment in which to worship. Worship of God, fellowship, and love of other Christians is all that really matters.

God has told us in His Word to assemble ourselves—and that means going to church. Hebrews 10:25 says, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching.” Surveys reveal that 80% of our people, even in Thomas County, attend no church regularly. What a crying shame! I think that a lot of what is wrong with our society is due to the lack of spiritual values that we learn in church. So, do your family, your friends, your neighbors, your society, and your very country a great favor and invite people to church. It will make such a difference in their lives, both now and in all eternity. If you love someone, you should be very concerned about his soul, because the soul never dies. It lives on either in heaven or hell. Keep in mind, too, that the single most important thing anyone ever does on earth is to call on the name of the Lord for God’s pardon and salvation.

The thing that makes calling on Christ for salvation urgent is that He is the absolute only way to heaven and life on earth is one’s only chance to be saved. Of more concern is the fact that once someone dies, he loses forever his chance to see heaven. Even more disturbing should be that no one knows when he will die and forever lose his chance to be saved from hell.