To Church...Or Not?

March 10

A lot of believers choose other than church attendance as their Sunday morning activity. Many who claim Christ as Lord see no discrepancy in their lack of association with a local body of believers and the salvation they profess. They assert that Jesus can be worshiped as effectively on the golf course or from their own beds as He can in the corporate worship setting of the local church.

While the Bible does admonish that we maintain an on-going communion with the Lord, even though prayer and Scripture and the Holy Spirit have been given to us toward that end, the reality is that we are admonished to fellowship regularly with those of like precious faith. Doing so is the pattern established by First Century believers.

Why should people who have worked hard all week—rising early and returning home late, who have sacrificed their Saturdays to errands and chores they simply can’t perform on week days that consume their time—dedicate the one day they can have to themselves to going to church? The Word of God does supply an answer to the ‘Why?’ that perplexes so many harried Christians.

In I Peter 2:9 the Apostle says, “You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God! You may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His wonderful light.” If we believe that about ourselves, we recognize that the Church is the best place to celebrate our priesthood, our holy nationhood, our security in belonging to God! It is the best place to praise Him in the light of His presence and power which are most evident when we gather in His name.