Seven Reasons You Should Go To Church
1. The bible says you should.
Hebrews 10:25a says, “Let us not neglect our church meetings, as some people do…drawing near.” (TLB) In this passage God calls us out. “Come on now,” He says, “you are not doing right to neglect church.” Come back and He will bless you for it.
2. Jesus went regularly as an example for us.
Luke 4:16 tells us that, “Jesus traveled to Nazareth, where he had grown up. On the Sabbath day he went to the synagogue, as he always did, and stood up to read.” (NCV) If you are going to follow Christ, well then, you should follow His example.
3. You need friendship with other believers.
See it here in the Bible: “All the believers were together and had everything in common.” (Acts 2:44, NIV). And Acts 2:46 says, “Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts…” (NIV). We need each other. See what the Bible says about this further in 1 Peter 1:22b: “…love one another deeply, from the heart.” (NIV) You can tell people you love them, but unless you spend time with them it can’t be true. You need to show up so you can love and be loved.
4. You need to hear good teaching from the Bible.
Acts 2:42 tells us, “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” (NIV) They met together in the temple (a large group gathering) to hear the teaching of the Bible from God’s servants regularly. People who don’t go to church are often hiding so they don’t have to grow. They tell themselves and others, “I am fine just the way I am. I don’t need help from a church or a preacher.” Well, if that is true, then why did God say to his preachers in the Bible, “Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching.” (2 Timothy 4:2, NLT) You show me a person who doesn’t gather in the church with other believers and I’ll show you someone who doesn’t want to be held accountable for their own growth. After all, “correction, rebuke and encouragement,” can’t happen if you don’t show up. And it’s not just them, it’s me and you. We all need the grace and truth of God’s word applied to our lives to keep us on track.
5. It is a great way to bless your family.
One of the best things you can do for your family and yourself is to find a great Bible-believing, Jesus-centered church and attend regularly. “Really?” you ask. “Yes, really!” Your kids will learn Bible values, not worldly philosophies and, as a result, they will have a much better chance of making good decisions in life. It is the best place to find the love of God, good friends, and good friends for your kids. When you settle in a great church, your family will find great blessing. Parents, we need to lead the way for our children. The Psalmist said: “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord.’” (Psalm 122:1, NLT) This parent loved the place and he wanted to be there. Another great man of God said in the Bible: “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15b, NKJV) Lead your family to a good church and, in the end, you will find that it was one of the best things you ever did. If you don’t believe me, just ask someone who has taken their family to church regularly for years and listen to their answer.
I need to say that yes, there are some churches that don’t do it well and your experience may have shown you this, you may have even been hurt at church. But don’t throw the baby out with the bath water. After all, if any of us finds the perfect church and joins it, it won’t be perfect any more, LOL. There are many, many excellent churches out there. Find one and get your family into one.
6. God asks you to gather with others to praise Him.
Psalm 100:2-4 says, “Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.” (NLT) There is nothing like joining together with other people and lifting His name in worship and praise with thanksgiving. It will lift your heart and remind you of who God is, how powerful He is and how loving He is, and you need that.
7. You may have the wrong idea about church.
If you think church is a bunch of self-centered, boring, old-fashioned people who are judgmental, then you have just bought into every negative stereotype that the enemy of your soul has thrown your way. Many churches these days are teeming with young people, alive with the spirit of God and with worship that is current and will blow you away. The children’s ministries are not only safe, but excellent, loads of fun and kids can’t wait to come back.
Google churches online and you can tell the ones that are healthy and effective for families and helping them come close to God.
Grace and Truth,
Pastor Stan