Luke 4: 16-17 “And Jesus came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up.  And as was his custom, He went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day and He stood up to read. And the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was given to him.”   Last month, we looked at the principle of leadership where the leader is to set an example before those whom he leads in every walk of life.  He should be doing the things that he wants his followers to do and not be doing the things that he doesn’t want them to be doing.  One of these priorities is attendance and participation in the local church.  If Jesus attended services each week as we read in our Scripture this week, we should follow his example.  His example makes a man’s excuses for not attending and leading his family weak and selfish.  This is a spiritual foundation that both the leader and his followers should be doing.  There are no Lone Ranger Christians and the need to be with other Christians and hearing God’s Word taught and preached has no substitute.

This basic spiritual principle is so important to the long term Christian walk of a man’s children that it cannot be ignored and neglected.  When a man is not taking his family to church, he is not being faithful or obedient to Jesus’ example.  If a man does not like his church, he needs to find the church that God leads him to be an active member.  Children want to see their father leading the way and setting an example for them to follow.  Co-workers also take notice of what a man does on Sundays and following Jesus’ example must be a priority.  It communicates what is important in his life and is a witness to the example Jesus set.  On Monday mornings, the question at work of what a man did over the weekend and on Sunday is often asked.  It was Jesus custom to be in God’s house on the Sabbath.  What will be your answer?