For a long time, I had my own excuses. Once I looked at all of my excuses truthfully
and honestly, they all boiled down to pride, laziness and selfishness. There was no other way to define it. I couldn’t blame it on anyone else, anything
else or any past situation. I was being
selfish. Thank You Lord for bringing me back to You and drawing me to church
where I can be closer to You!
So why go to church?
Church is for seeking and building our relationship and God
with others. It is all about an
encounter with God and others that changes who we are.
“Church is full of
hypocrites.” Oh my…a church with sinners
in it! We are all sinners. Church is for sinners. We all need the Word of God and
forgiveness. All humans are hypocrites,
to be honest, because we all consistently fail to live up to any standard of
defined behavior.
The difference with Christians is that Jesus forgives the
hypocrisy of believers. He sends his
Holy Spirit to guide and transform those who walk with Him.
A common misconception about church is that it makes us
better people. It is not the action of
attending church, but the encounter with God and following of His Will and Word
that changes our lives. If we don’t
follow his Word and Will, then, no, church may not do much for us. We must follow God’s plans.
“I had a bad
experience with church.” First, let
me offer my apologies. Getting a bad
experience in a place that should be sacred and safe is not pleasant. It is understandable that it would leave a
bad taste in your mouth. However,
remember that not all churches are like the church in which you had a bad
experience. Letting a bad experience
keep you from finding the right church for you would be like saying, “That food
made me sick. I’ll never eat any food
again.” Sounds silly in comparison,
doesn’t it? Attend different churches
until you find the one that is right for you. Pray and ask God to lead you to where you
belong. He will guide you.
“I can study the
Bible alone.” Private Bible study is
excellent and should be an everyday part of your life. However, it is not a substitute for hearing
the preached Word. The Pastor holds the
divinely appointed office of preaching by God’s will. Christ speaks through him. The Pastor has been blessed with a gift of
teaching God’s Word. He has gone through
extensive study to become a ‘specialist’ in God’s Word. God speaks to us through sermons, Scripture
and praise. He guides us into
truth. He reminds us what is right and
warns us what is wrong. Church is God’s
tool for bringing us into full maturity in knowledge and faith.
Romans 10:13-17 NLT:
“13 For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be
saved.”[a] 14 But how can they call on
him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if
they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone
tells them? 15 And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is
why the Scriptures say, “How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring
good news!”[b] 16 But not everyone
welcomes the Good News, for Isaiah the prophet said, “Lord, who has believed
our message?”[c] 17 So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News
about Christ.”
“I can pray alone.” Yes, you are correct, you can pray
alone. We are encouraged to pray and to
pray frequently. Jesus encourages us to
also pray together. “I also tell you
this: If two of you agree here on earth concerning anything you ask, my Father
in heaven will do it for you.” (Mathew 18:19 NLT) There is power when Christians pray together.
“I don’t need to be
in church to follow God.” The Bible
says that believers must not keep apart from other believers. “24 Let us think of ways to motivate one
another to acts of love and good works. 25 And let us not neglect our meeting
together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the
day of his return is drawing near.” (Hebrews 10:24-25 NLT)
By gathering together, we affirm our beliefs. Jesus says that where we are gathered in His
name, He is there. “For where two or
three gather together as my followers,[a] I am there among them.” (Matthew
18:20 NLT)
Scripture calls Christians together, “the body of Christ”. We are loved and encouraged by other
Christians at church. In church, we
interact with other Christians, the body of Christ. We receive or give an encouraging word, hug
or smile. We have someone to listen. How often one Christian will have a spiritual
insight that benefits another!
Need more
reasons? How about these…
- It is an act of obedience to God
- We benefit from being taught and led in worship by others, rather than depending on ourselves to read and study the Bible
- We need regular reminders of our standing in Christ
- We need regular help in acknowledging and confessing our sins
- We need regular teaching about God’s truth
- We need to hear and learn how other believers overcame obstacles through faith
- We need to hear reminders of God’s never-ending love for us
- We need to hear the Truth, rather than the constant messages of a culture that frequently ignores God
- We need a break from work, life issues, self interest, etc. in order to focus and concentrate on the Lord
- We need other believers we can count on to help us make it through tough times when they arise
- God richly deserves our worship, praise, thanks and prayer. Everything we are and have is a gift from Him.
- We need accountability. A person who answers only to himself can easily rationalize sinful attitudes or actions; regular contact with other Christians can keep us sharp.
- It honors God
One of the great blessings in a believer’s walk with Christ
is fellowship with other believers.
God’s desire is for us to build each other up and share our experiences
so that we may grow from them. When we
consider all that God has done and all that He is doing for us now, the very
least we can do in return is to praise His goodness and thank Him for His mercy
with other believers.
For anyone who isn’t
in church right now that would like to be, I encourage you to go out and visit
some of your local churches. Pray and
the Lord will lead you where you need to go.
Need one to get you
started? Daystar Church is an excellent
place to start! http://www.daystarchurch.tv/timesdirections
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