Scriptures: Hebrews 10:22-25

The church is taking a beating. On the outside the picture looks bright: modern buildings, relevant sermons and worship, great programming for families. But a closer look reveals a darker picture. The church's influence in culture has been on the decline for years. More and more the church is being perceived as just another building; a place one goes for weddings or funerals, or to drop in when you think it’s necessary. It is no surprise that 81% of the American people say they can arrive at their own religious views without regard to a body of believers. Dr. Merritt still believes the church is both viable as an institution, and vital to the health of our nation. It is vital to our faith, it is vital to our future, and it is vital to our family. In this message, he explains why engaging your family in the church is so important.

"I’ve heard people say, 'The reason why I don’t go to church is because they don’t really need me.' What that person is really saying is, 'The reason why I don’t go to church is because I don’t need them.' Listen, you either encourage others to come to church or you encourage others not to come to church. You are either a stepping stone for others to come or a stumbling block to keep others from coming. Yes, you need to come to church to encourage people to come to church; but you also need to come to church to encourage the people who do come to church. There is something that every Christian needs to give and every Christian needs to receive, and that is encouragement. Every Christian needs to receive encouragement from someone else, and every Christian needs to give encouragement to someone else." --Dr. Merritt

Keywords: home, Christ, godly, Christ, America, house, build, Chuck Swindoll, health, Shana Sethi, Stanford University, Martin E.P. Seligman, optimism, influence, religion, Patrick Fagan, Heritage Foundation, Dr. David B. Larson, National Institute for Health Care Research, Aesop parable, The Lion and the Woodman's Daughter