Why should we go to church according to the Bible? What if you live stream every week? What if you’re still spending time in the word of God daily and meeting up with your friends for Bible studies? Should you still have to go then?
The Bible verses used in this post will be from the King James Version of the Bible.
Why do Christians go to church?
In order to establish why we should go to church, we first need to figure out what the reasons are for which Christians go to church. The only place we should ever be looking for biblically sound answers is the Bible itself. So lets first look at the word church and the word Christians.
Church
The word church is not even mentioned in the Bible until the book of Matthew. When Jesus tells Simon Peter “upon this rock I will build my church”
And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Matthew 16:18
Without Jesus, there would not be a church. Jesus first introduces the word and idea of “church”. And I love that in its introduction, He makes it clear that despite everything that may come against it to try and destroy it, “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it”.
How powerful! Satan may get in the way of someone’s calling, their walk with God, or even cause enough havoc in a church to shut the doors. Nonetheless, he cannot prevail against the church (the body of Christ- His saved children).
So when you think of the word church, think of Jesus every time. It is His house where He likes to dwell and hear His children come to Him. The Church is where God likes to show up and meet with His beloved bride.
Christians
Followers of Christ were first called Christians as an insult and to demean them. It was mocking people for following Jesus even after his crucifixion and resurrection.
…And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.
Acts 11:26
We, born again believers, are the church. And it shows here in this verse. The gathering together of believers for over a year to teach and preach the gospel to anyone who would listen is what people recognized. These followers were different.
Every single Christian is called to disciple others. This can look like witnessing to a random person at the grocery store or airport, discipling your children at home, or even witnessing to your coworkers and family members.
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Why should we go to church every Sunday?
The purpose of anything we do in our Christian walk should be Jesus first. Obedience in God’s will for our life should be our motivating factor for anything we do.
So we should be going to church to obediently follow Hebrews 10:25, as it specifically tells us not to forsake gathering together.
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
This is the clearest answer in the Bible for going to church. And notice that it does not command us to go to church as a rule or commandment to follow. No, it says “do not neglect gathering together” as if the “gathering together” aspect is already a given.
We should be going to church every Sunday in obedience to the Lord’s calling of discipleship, fellowship, prayer, encouraging one another etc.
Jesus said that His house will be called a house of prayer (Matthew 21:13). The second half of that verse is Jesus healing the blind and the lame at the temple.
Go to church every Sunday to reach Jesus! To talk to Him, to worship Him, to fellowship with Him, to pray and lay your burdens on Him, to honor Him and so much more.
Like the second half of the verse, the Lord blesses obedience. He blesses your obedience with His presence! If you go looking for Jesus, you’re sure to find Him.
“Draw nigh to Him and He will draw nigh to you”
James 4:8
Obediently going to church every Sunday, lets God know that you are committed in your relationship with Him. You are coming to meet with Him and you’re expecting Him to also show up and meet with you. This obedience will deepen your relationship with God.
Why should we go to church according to the Bible?
There are many Bible verses about going to church that clearly tell us that we should be going. In full honesty, if your motives are pure, there are so many benefits of going to church. However, we may encounter some things we don’t like while there.
There are biblical reasons to leave a church, but more often than not, our issues with the church are issues with the people, not God. This is often a time where we need to self-examine and see if we are focusing on God or those around us.
People are flawed, we all are, but we need to be able to look past the ones who are a hindrance to your walk with God and let God handle them. It is okay to love people from a distance.
We should be going to church for more than just going through the motions and checking off that “I am a good Christian” Sunday box. Can you be a Christian and not go to church? Depends on the condition of the heart.
We should be going to church because of our personal walk with God and see how He is leading us. Not based on feelings of joy or pain, or if we have energy that morning or not. If you’ve not put first in your life, then the drive to serve the Lord and ignore everyone else’s mistakes will be hard to find.
Leave a comment to let me know what’s your reason for going to church? What drives you on those days when you just don’t feel like it?
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