The Importance of Attending Church

Hello Friends,

I would like to begin today by once again thanking everyone who had a part in our Vacation Bible School last weekend. We had a great time together as well as learning S’more about Jesus. We hope all the kids had lots of fun, but also that they have learned to put their faith and trust in Jesus and serve Him throughout the rest of their lives.

I would like to spend the rest of our time together talking about what seems to be the frustration of most preachers I know. What, you may ask, would that be?

The Christian who thinks attending church is unimportant.

Those words may never pass through their lips, but their action (or inaction) proves otherwise. Such Christians have always been, but in recent years their numbers have seemed to grow. As a result, church services on the Lord’s Day find a building with more empty spaces than worshippers.

I know there are those who will say, “I can worship God just as well out in nature as I can in a building.” While that certainly may be true, it ignores the command given in Hebrews 10:25. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

We may not see the need in attending, but it’s important to God. There’s a reason it’s called the Lord’s Day! It’s a time that belongs to Him. He desires that we join together in worship. When Jesus taught, he promised that where even two or three come together in His name, he would be in their midst (Matthew 18:20). He has promised that He’s always with us (Matthew 28:20), but there is a special sense of His presence each time believers gather in His name.

While God has called us to present one-tenth of our income to him as an offering, he has also called us to give this one hour to Him in worship. We are given 168 hours each week to work, sleep, recreate, and work on the “honey-do” list. Is it too much to give to God one hour of undivided worship and adoration?

It’s also important to our brothers and sisters in Christ for us to attend worship services. The second part of Hebrews 10:25 reminds us that when we meet together, we are to encourage each other. When I enter a worship service and it’s poorly attended, it is very discouraging. It’s a sign of spiritual weakness among the congregation, and causes me to be concerned for those who are not there, as well as the rest of the congregation. Enthusiasm and discouragement can spread like wildfire throughout a congregation! One builds up, the other destroys!

However, we must make sure that when we worship together, we each do our part in trying to encourage one another. We need to take time to talk to one another; make others feel welcomed, loved, and accepted. Some Sundays we may need encouraging words, other days we may need to share encouragement with a brother or sister in Christ.

It is also important to our friends and neighbors for us to attend worship services. Does our parking lot tell our neighbors that there is a living and active body of believers attending our church, or does it testify to a weak and dying assembly that means little to those who claim to be members. What would make anyone think that such a church would have anything of benefit to them? But when church services are well attended, it causes our neighbors to wonder what’s going on in there that all those people are coming. Who knows, they may even show up one Sunday morning and find out for themselves!

I’m convinced the world is not going to take Jesus and His church seriously if those who claim to be His followers don’t. For God’s sake, for your church family’s sake, and for your neighbors’ sake, attend church every Sunday morning!

Until next time.

All glory be to God,

Tim