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Why Christians Should Attend Church |
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By Dr. Dale A. Robbins For believers, there is no substitute for
attending church. Besides something that pleases God, it is necessary
for a believer’s spiritual well-being. For shut-ins or invalids who
aren’t able to go to church, the ministries on radio or TV might be the only
kind of fellowship or spiritual nourishment that they get. God certainly
understands the circumstances of these people, and recognizes the sincerity
of their hearts. However, it is a different matter for those who could
attend church but are too lazy, or put other things such as entertainment
and amusements before God, or who harbor bitterness or indifference
toward other believers. It is important to attend
church for the following reasons: (1) It
is an Expression of our Love for God. Going to church is a visible, tangible expression of our love and worship toward God. It is where we can gather with other believers to publicly bear witness of our faith and trust in God, something that is required of all Christians (Matt. 10:32-33) -- and it is where we can bring Him offerings of praise, thanks, and honor, which are pleasing to Him. The psalmist wrote, “I will declare Your name to My brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise You” (Psa. 22:22). People are often motivated toward church attendance for how it will bless themselves, however we should remember that the primary purpose of the corporate gathering is to bring “service” to the Lord as a blessing to Him (Psa. 134:2). Indeed, the Lord is deserving of our time and energy to honor Him with our service of devotion. “You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created” (Rev. 4:11). (2) It
builds up our Spiritual Strength. Receiving the preaching
and teaching of the Word of God increases our faith and builds us up
spiritually. Every believer knows what it is to face spiritual conflicts
to their faith, and must realize the importance of being fed spiritually
so that they can overcome the challenges. Paul states that Christians face
a wrestling match with the Devil and his evil spiritual forces, and
warns that the church must put on spiritual armor for protection, as
it will take everything at our disposal to stand (Eph. 6:10-18). How
important that we take every opportunity available to receive ministry
and strength from God’s Word. “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God” (Rom. 10:17). (3) It
brings a special visitation of the Lord’s Presence. There is the promise of
a special visitation of the Lord’s presence whenever two or more gather
specifically in the name of Jesus. By implication, this means whenever
“Jesus” is the object of gathered prayer, worship, praise, preaching,
etc. Even though Jesus resides within the heart of every believer, he
honors a gathering in his name by coming in the “midst,” with his power,
awareness, and anointing. In such a gathering, Christ is able to do things
in hearts that he may not at any other time. The scripture says that
God inhabits the praise of His people (Psa. 22:3), and in such an atmosphere
the Holy Spirit will often manifest spiritual gifts that minister to
the body of Christ. “For where two or three are gathered together in
My name, I am there in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20). (4) It
provides fellowship with other Christians. Gathering together also
has compounded importance to the relationship of the Christian brethren.
The Bible makes it clear that a right relationship with God requires
a “vertical” and “horizontal” alignment — that is, we must have a vertical
fellowship with God and a horizontal fellowship with other believers.
It is not possible to love God and refuse to love the brethren. If you
have a problem loving other Christians, you have a problem in your relationship
with God. Scripture warns us that unforgiveness toward others will void
God’s forgiveness of our own sins (Matt. 6:15). John wrote, “He who says
he is in the light, and hates his brother, is in darkness until now.
He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause
for stumbling in him” (1 John 2:9-10). One of the most important
reasons that we go to church is to practice love toward the brethren
in the form of fellowship. The Bible clearly shows that if we have a
right relationship with God, we have fellowship with others believers.
“But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship
with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from
all sin” (1 John 1:7). Keeping ourselves in love and harmony with other
believers keeps us humble before God so that Christ’s blood can continue
to cleanse us from our sins. (5) It
is an act of obedience to God. Not to be forgotten, going
to church is also a matter of obeying God’s Word. The writer of the
Hebrew epistle tells us not to forsake assembling together, implying
that continued absence can lead to willful sin. “And let us consider
one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the
assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting
one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching. For
if we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth,
there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins,” (Heb. 10:24-26). Once
again, we are reminded that a great part of the purpose of the gathering
is for the consideration of our brethren, coming together to help motivate
and encourage one another. This is a responsibility charged to every believer.
To reject church attendance, is a rejection of one of the sacred duties
of the believer. “Therefore, to him who knows to do good and does not
do it, to him it is sin” (James 4:17). (6) It
provides accountability to spiritual leadership. More strong evidence that
proves that we’re to be a part of a church fellowship, is that we’re
told to submit to the authority of spiritual leaders (within the boundaries
of God’s Word). “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for
they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them
do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for
you” (Heb. 13:17). God designed this system of accountability for the
progress and protection of His flock. Obviously, this really isn’t possible
unless we are a part of an organized fellowship which has identified
elders, pastors, or leaders. It is easy to see that one cannot genuinely
be under submission to a TV pastor who has never met you. Nor is it
possible to be under submission by visiting a different church each
week. The Bible tells us to know them that are over us in the Lord (1 Thes.
5:12). Submission necessitates a commitment and relationship to a local
body of believers and to their spiritual leaders. (7) It
combines our spiritual strength in prayer. The Bible indicates that
agreement in prayer with other believers has special favor with God.
“Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything
that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven” (Matt.
18:19). There is multiplied strength in the combined faith of God’s
people, and it is clear that greater spiritual gains can be realized through
corporate prayer and worship. This agrees with how God has historically
blessed the union of His people in battle against their enemies. “Five
of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand
to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you” (Lev. 26:8). (8) It
honors the Lord’s Day. The fourth commandment
of the law that God gave Moses was to set aside the seventh day of the
week, Saturday, as a holy day to the Lord. “Remember the Sabbath day,
to keep it holy” (Ex. 20:8). This was, and will always remain, the official
Sabbath. However, after Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of
the week, Sunday, the early Christians began meeting together on this day
as well as with the Jewish community in the synagogues on the Sabbath.
History indicates that due to the enmity of the orthodox Jews toward
the Christian Jews in their midst, the Jewish Christians were eventually
ostracized. And although they were no longer bound to a rigid code of
laws (Gal. 3:10-11, Col. 2:16), it is believed that they came to view Sunday
as a combined observance of the Sabbath and the resurrection day of
Jesus (Acts 20:7, 1 Cor. 16:2). This day of Christian worship came to
be called the Lord’s Day (Rev. 1:10), a day to fellowship in celebration
of the resurrection, to worship, pray and study the Word together. Today, the Christian Jew or gentile, is free from the bondage of the old law. The indwelling of God’s spirit has brought a new way for Christians to fulfill the desires of God through His love (Gal. 5:18, Rom. 13:8-10). However, the new covenant does not invalidate the relevance of the ten commandments as they pertained to God’s wishes for His people. As much as it remains God’s desire for man not to kill, steal or commit adultery, God is still very much pleased for believers to honor Him on a day reserved for Him, out of their love for Him and His people. This article
(VL-169) is copyrighted © by Dale A. Robbins, 1995, and is a publication
of Victorious Publications, Grass Valley, CA 95949. Unless otherwise
stated, all scripture references were taken from The New King James
Bible, © Thomas Nelson Inc., 1982. You may download this article for
personal use as long as you retain credit to the author.
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