The other disciples therefore said to [Thomas], “We have seen the Lord.” So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
John 20:25
Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be unbelieving, but believing.” And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!” Jesus said to him, “Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
John 20:27-29
“Ninety percent of discipleship is showing up.” That is what my former pastor told me in 1982. Each of my 35 years of pastoral ministry convinces me more of the accuracy of that statement.
“Doubting Thomas,” as he is often called, wasn’t with Jesus and the other disciples on the Sunday evening when Jesus rose from the dead. Those who were there encountered the risen Savior and believed. They told Thomas about it and he said he would only believe if he could touch Jesus. On the following Sunday, the disciples were assembled again, and again Jesus appeared. This time Thomas was present. He encountered Jesus and he too believed.
Thomas’s problem wasn’t merely that he doubted. It was that he was missing.
One of the ordinary means of grace God has ordained for our spiritual growth is showing up. That means that the Christian who really wants to grow spiritually will, at the very minimum, be in church every Sunday unless hindered by health or being out of town. This does not mean that “going to church makes one a Christian.” It means that going to church (every Sunday) is where we experience corporate worship, hear God’s Word preached, receive the Lord’s Supper, pray together, and give and receive encouragement from one another. Those who are serious about spiritual growth do not want to miss any opportunity to show up to experience those essential factors.
And while we are thinking of it, “every Sunday” is the barest essential. In addition, we do not want to miss other times when the body meets. Those include Thursday evening worship, prayer meetings, Home Fellowships, being in a discipleship group, and yes, even work days.
How serious are you about spiritual growth? How much do you desire to never miss an opportunity to realize that growth? What changes might you need to make to make that a reality? Are you willing to make those changes?