The Importance of Church Attendance

In churches all over the country we see church attendance falling. Today more and more Christians are making a conscience decision to not come to church. Many more are losing their desire to attend or even worse they feel they don’t need to attend church. They feel they can be a Christian and not attend church or even worse, be a part of a local assembly of believers. This is a lie straight from the pit of hell! God’s command here is that we “assemble together”.

First, let us look at this scripture to define what it is not saying. So many Christians have used this scripture wrongly. We are not to point fingers at those who miss church or Bible study every now and then. We shouldn’t use it to make people feel guilty. If someone has a sickness or disability and can’t make it, it’s okay. If something personal comes up and they are unable to attend, it’s okay. What God is referring to here is “willful sin”. When someone has deliberately chosen to not attend, when they deliberately avoid not coming, when they feel attending church is not necessary, they are being defiant and rebellious to the commandment of God to “assemble together”. These attitudes are willful sin! Because of the technology of today, we can stream church service. Many Christians love this because they can watch from the convenience and comfort of home and not have to do too much to get “some church”. Church is more than songs and a sermon. It’s a family of believers who come together in fellowship and love to hear from God. To rejoice with one another and praise God for His wonderful works. There is so much to gain from attending church in person. You feel a part of the body, you get encouragement from others, you hear testimonies of what God is doing, and it gives you hope. You can’t get that by staying home. The richness of community among first-century believers provides a worthy model for Christians today. These early believers were devoted to meeting daily in their homes for teaching, fellowship, worship, eating meals, sharing in the Lord Supper and praying together (Acts 2:42-46). If you say you don’t need any of that then you are deceived. The Christian life is not meant to be lived in isolation but in fellowship with other believers.

The writer of Hebrews observed that many of his readers who professed to be Christians were throwing away their trust in the Lord and going back to the old Jewish ways. This is like us forsaking the faith and going back into the world. If we give up meeting together, how can we expect to give support and receive encouragement? We are a family of believers. The Bible calls us a ‘household of faith” (Ephesians 2:19,; 1 Timothy 3:15; Galatians 6;10). Even more the church is a living organism called the “body of Christ”. When we were saved each one of us was given a gift and purpose to be used in the body (1 Corinthians 12:1-31). We can’t function in our gift within the body from home! So ,the writer of Hebrews tells us to “draw near” with our hearts, and “to hold fast” to our hope. We are to “consider” one another and stir up in each other two things.

Love: because love makes us do what we are called to do. Right after explaining that we are one body made up of many members (1 Corinthians 12), Paul then explains that the greatest gift is love because we all need it to do the other gifts (1Corinthians 13). Good Works: We need to share the gifts we have obtained from God to do the good work of spreading the gospel and discipleship. We need to exhort one another to do them and have an urgency to do these good works because we can see “The Day” approaching. What Day is that? The Day of the Lord, Judgment Day (1 Corinthians 3:13, 1Thessalonians 5:2, Philippians 1:10)

Only through love and authentic relationships with other believers can we live out the faith we profess and be all we are called to be, and do all that we are called by God to do—when we do not give up meeting together with other Christians. Let us develop a heart like the Psalmist in Psalms 122:1, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go into the house of the LORD.’”

PRAYER: Dear Lord I pray that all believers see the need to do Your commandment and assemble together. That as a family of believers we encourage one another to do Your will and spread the gospel to others before it’s too late. Increase our love for You and for each other that a sense of urgency to hear from you may increase. In Jesus name, Amen
Minister Arnell Carter