The house of God is the church of the living God (1 Timothy 3:15), which Jesus promised to build in Matthew 16:18.  The promise came to fruition in Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost, as recorded for us in Acts 2.  At that time, Peter preached the first gospel sermon, and about three thousand souls were baptized (Acts 2:36-41).

If you have obeyed the gospel, you are a family member in the house of God—one of God’s children, adopted by Him as a result of His great love (1 John 3:1).  The only question to be answered is, what kind of child are you?  All this week I have emphasized how we should behave in the house of God, and tonight I want to conclude by emphasizing the importance of being active.

Being a member of the body of Christ, you play an important role in the success of the church, especially from a local standpoint.  A local church can only reach its full potential if the majority of its membership is active.

Ephesians 4:16 (ESV)
¹⁶  From whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

While God should get all the glory for any success the church experiences, according to Paul, there is a sense in which the body builds itself up.  This takes place when members of the church do their part by working properly, being actively involved in laboring for the Lord.

How do you behave in the house of God?  Are you standing around watching others do all the work, or are you putting your hands to the plow and participating in the Lord’s vineyard?  There is enough work to go around for everybody.

Are you actively involved in spreading the gospel?  It is the job of every member of the Lord’s church to go and teach whenever the opportunity presents itself.  If you know anyone who needs the gospel, why not invite them to a worship service or ask them for a home Bible study.  Do what you can to be a soul-winner (Proverbs 11:30).

Are you actively involved in encouraging the brethren?  There is never a time when there is not a brother or sister in Christ who needs encouragement.  It is easy to be a discourager, but it takes care, concern, and compassion to be a consistent encourager.  Which one are you?

Are you actively involved in the public assemblies?  We know, of course, that only the men can serve publicly in the assemblies of the saints (1 Timothy 2:8-15), but if you are a man, are you actively helping serve in the church?  Everything we do in our worship services is important.  Whether you are leading the song service, reading scripture, waiting on the Lord’s table, etc., you are helping the church to be edified.  The question is, if you are capable, do you do your part?  If you are a wife, maybe you cannot serve publicly, but do you push your husband to participate and encourage him in his efforts.

Are you actively involved in prayer?  This is something all of us can and should do regularly.  Pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).    That is a wonderful way to behave in the house of God.

No one loves for us to be idle more than the devil.  Let us all do what we can to thwart his desires.  Let us be the best workers we can be for the Lord by behaving actively in His house.

As you wind down for the night, think about these things.