Why Go To Church?
Have you ever tried inviting someone to attend church with you? Perhaps you have tried in the past and were turned down with one of the following responses:
- I believe in God, but I do not believe in church
- I don't want to go to church - there are too many hypocrites there
- Everyone is too judgmental at church
- Church is too boring
- Church is not relevant to my life
- There are too many rules at church (i.e. "don't do this" or "don't do that")
You may even have struggled with some of these thoughts and wondered privately "why go to church?" Let's study the Bible together and see what the Bible says about the importance of going to church.
Let's turn to Hebrews 10:25; 1 John 1:3; and Acts 2:41, 42, 47.
When you go to church, you can have fellowship with other believers. You can welcome and mingle with new guests. You cannot have this kind of experience if you sit at home and study the Bible by yourself. Even if you watch a church service on a TV or online, you will not be able to experience joys of Christian fellowship.
Let's turn to Acts 11:25-26 and Revelation 18:4.
When you go to church, you can be instructed in truth. You can study with other believers and learn more about the truths in the Bible and gain more insights in the character of Jesus Christ that you might not have been able to discover on your own.
Let's turn to Ephesians 4:11-15.
When you go to church, you can benefit from the gifts God gave to the church for its edification. When you go to church, you can learn to serve and help others. You can grow spiritually through acts of service. You may even discover a talent that you can utilize to further the cause of Christ.
Let's turn to Joshua 20:1-9; Psalms 91:2; Psalms 46:1; and Proverbs 18:10.
When you go to church, you will come to a place of safety. The cities of refuge in the Old Testament times pointed to the reality that we are the running man fleeing the avenger of blood and Jesus is our refuge. With this in mind, a good church worthy of Jesus will be a place where sinners are welcomed in with open arms. A good church will have members who will condemn sin by its right name, but will not condemn or look down upon sinners, for they know that they are sinners themselves.
Let's turn to Luke 10:30-37.
In the parable of the good Samaritan, Jesus is symbolized by the Samaritan. We can be symbolized by either the man attacked by robbers, the priest and Levite who did nothing to help the man, or the innkeeper caring for the man while the Samaritan was away. Church is supposed to be a hospital for the spiritually sick (Matthew 9:12). We go to church to get spiritual healing or we help minister to others who are suffering and struggling with sin.
Let's turn to Ephesians 4:4-5; John 15:4; and Colossians 1:18.
The best reason to go to church is that we are the body of Christ. Individual body parts like the eye or the hand cannot survive on their own outside of the body. Jesus has chosen the church to be His instrument to reach out and share the Gospel message (Matthew 16:18; John 10:16; 1 Timothy 3:15). We are to work together as one body with a common goal to win souls to Christ.
Remember that church is not merely a building - it is a living community of like-minded followers of Jesus Christ. Jesus loves the church and gave Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25). Following Jesus requires commitment. Jesus' sheep hear His voice. While there may be hypocrites in church, we are not called to follow other sheep in the fold or goats - we are called to follow the Good Shepherd (Psalms 95:6-8; John 10:26-28). When you go to church you can be healed spiritually or you can help others heal spiritually. When we study and fellowship together at church, we will learn that going to church is more than just about following certain rules and not doing certain things - it is about coming together as a single body and worshiping God together. When you allow Christ into your life, you find that church is not boring at all and that many of the truths you learn are very relevant in your own personal life.
Friend, will you go to church and be part of the body of Christ?