Tag: church

Sporting events, recitals and performances, hunting seasons, sleepless nights, family problems, conflict with others in the church, bad hair days, too much rain, too much sunshine… If you’re looking for an excuse to not be regular in church attendance, you don’t have to look for long. The culture in which we live pulls each of us in a thousand different directions every weekend, vying for our time, resources, and energy. But let’s get to the point. If you are a born again believer in Jesus Christ, you need to go to church. And here are 5 reasons why:

1) To be an active part of the mission of God.

In Mt. 16:18, Jesus tells the disciples that He will build His church for His mission. Later, in Mt. 28:18-20, He empowers His church for that mission. God is up to something in the world. He is advancing His kingdom through the spreading of the gospel of Jesus Christ. This gospel will reach the ends of the earth (Mt. 24:14), whether you are part of that movement or not. God’s mission is that every person lost in sin and scarred by its ravaging effects would hear the good news of salvation, then be given the opportunity to receive that salvation through repentance from sin and faith in Jesus. “What is God’s plan for this global gospel initiative?” you ask. The answer: the local church. That’s right. God’s created and chosen vehicle for worldwide gospel propagation is the local church. And if you are a born again believer in Jesus, He has invited you to be a part of His gospel movement, pushing back the darkness and heralding the light of Christ all over the world through the work and witness of the local church. Through your faithful attendance, sacrificial financial giving, and active service within the Body of Christ (the local church), you are being an active part of the mission of God. You are joining the movement of gospel advance.

2)  To develop contextualized spiritual wisdom and understanding.

In the local church, you have the weekly opportunity to sit under the Spirit-filled preaching of God’s Word and to participate in the interactive teaching of God’s Word in small groups. Christ has chosen and set apart some to be teachers, preachers, and evangelists who are divinely charged and enabled to equip you for the mission of God (Eph. 4:11-12). If you are not regularly positioning yourself under the preaching and teaching of God’s Word in a local church body, you are depriving yourself of being equipped for the mission. In 1 Thess 3:10, Paul told the Thessalonian church that he was praying to see them “face to face” so that he could “complete what is lacking” in their faith. In order to grow up in their faith under the teaching of God’s Word, they didn’t need another internet sermon or social media quick-shot Bible verse. Paul was praying for the opportunity to see them “face to face.” He wanted to brush shoulders with the people he was leading. He wanted to do life with them. Sermons and teaching series within a local church body are timely and contextual. When you hear a sermon on the internet or television, keep in mind that sermon was developed and delivered to a certain group of people in a certain context at a certain time in their life together. If it was a biblical, Christ-centered sermon it still carries value as such, but it is deprived of the contextual elements of church life together. However, if you are regularly positioning yourself under the Spirit-filled, Christ-centered preaching and teaching of God’s Word in a local church, the spiritual wisdom and understanding that you are gaining is being contextualized to your geographic area and to the timely issues of your own day. You need this.

3) To participate in corporate worship of King Jesus.

Yes, you can worship God on your own. But no, it’s just not the same. Scripture is replete with teaching on the value of corporate worship gatherings. When we lift up our voices together in song, prayer, and Scripture reading, it is a powerful thing. In Acts Chapter 4, the believers all “raised their voices together to God and said…” (v.24). The result of this corporate prayer was that “the place where they were assembled was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak God’s message with boldness” (v.31). Even in Heaven, there is and will be untold power in the joining of the saints’ voices: “they sang a new song…” and “they said with a loud voice…” (Rev. 5:9, 12). In Luke Chapter 19, The religious better-than-you’s instructed Jesus to stop His followers from worshipping Him. He responded that if they did not corporately do so, the stones would cry out! Psalm 19 teaches us that the heavens and the skies proclaim the glory of the King. When we gather together in corporate worship, we may be singing new songs but they are all part of an old song which has been sung since the foundation of the world. Through participation in corporate worship within the local church body, we have the great privilege of joining in with all of creation to declare the greatness, goodness, glory, and grace of King Jesus. But if you don’t go to church, well, you’ll miss out.

4) To live in biblical community.

Believe it or not, the word “fellowship” in the Bible is not a synonym for “potluck.” Fellowship happens as a group of people become more and more united in a common identity, with a common mission born from a common motivation.  It happens when God’s people begin to understand that we don’t attend Outskirts Baptist Church; we are Outskirts Baptist Church. Fellowship was something to which the early church “devoted themselves” (Acts 2:42). The believers were not in a constant consumer-driven, church-shopping state of mind, ready to move on to the next greatest thing. They were devoted. When things were good, they celebrated together. When things were difficult, they dug in and shared a common commitment to each other. This fellowship was unique in their cultural context. It was different – a good different. So much so that they were “enjoying favor with all the people”; as a result, “every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47). Listen, 21st Century American Christian… you don’t just need to go to a local church; you need to be the local church. Learn to live in biblical community. Learn to give up your preferences and desires so that the unity of the church body and advancement of the gospel will be gloriously peculiar in your day, as it was in the day of the early church. Serve and be served. Do life together with the believers in your local church body. Be committed. Be devoted. This is what it looks like to live in biblical community.

5)  To live in obedience to God. 

This is where God plays the “because I said so” card. Even if you don’t completely understand why being actively devoted to your local church body is valuable, if you are going to live in obedience to God’s Word you must regularly attend a Bible-beleiving, Christ-centered local church. In Hebrews 10:24-25 we read, “And let us watch out for one another to provide love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching.” Not attending church regularly can become a habit very quickly. The culture in which you live pulls you in a thousand different directions every weekend. Your options are endless. But God’s Word is clear that Christians are to make regular church attendance a priority. Even if you don’t understand why, the biblical instruction is to trust God’s will and live in obedience. Christian, if you are in the habit of not attending church, it’s time for a new normal.

Grace and Peace,
Tony