A post on Why and How to Go to Church may seem like a silly thing to write on. However, after serving as a pastor over the last ten years, I’ve seen that it’s the simple things that matter. Just as Jesus emphasized the power of faith even as small as a mustard seed (Matt. 17:20, Luke 17:6), a simple thing like a lack of church participation will grow into stagnated disciples. Stagnated disciples result in churches being less effective in their communities, because the focus is skewed away from the glory of God and our enjoyment of Him.
So, here’s a few things on going to church.
Actually Go to Church
I know the word “commitment” scares us. However, we are all committed to certain people, places, and practices. Who and what you’re committed to reveals your priorities and values. When it comes to worshiping with the whole church on Sundays, those who faithfully, regularly, and consistently participate do so because they’ve likely met Jesus.
The writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews says that Christians are to “not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching” (Heb. 10:25). Interestingly, he points out that some folks in the early church fell into the “habit” of the neglecting corporate worship. One thing we know about habits is that they are hard to break. What's even more frustrating about unwanted habits is that we know that they became habits by willful, intentional repetition. The Scriptures clearly admonish us not to fall into the habit of skipping out on gathering with the family of God but to make it a regular part of life.
Go to Church with a Purpose
Notice that part of coming together is to “encourage” each other because there’s coming a “Day” that will end all Sundays. Christians worship a God that rose from the dead on a Sunday, and the day that he returns will be the last “Day” as we know it. Can you imagine if this past Sunday was the last Sunday you’d ever gather with the church? Some may roll their eyes at this question, but it’s a real question because of a real promise. You see, every Sunday when we leave corporate worship we all head back to a tough world with real pain, real sin, real questions, real frustrations, real doubts, and so on. We need all the encouragement we can get from one another. So, one of the major reasons for going to church is not for ourselves only but to build one another up, to point out the wins, to pray for each other, and to remind one another of our God who loves us, is with us, and will return for us.
Go to Grow
As followers of Jesus, we go in order that we might grow. Paul reminds us that we are to “be transformed by the renewing of our minds” (Rom. 12:1). This is done as we gather with other brothers and sisters around the preached Word of God and the sacraments of communion and baptism. We grow as we pray with and for one another. We grow as we confess our sins. We grow as we worship. We go to church because we cannot grow alone. There’s a common statement here in Seattle (and in many other places) that is utterly foreign to the Bible, and indeed to many persecuted Christians all over the globe today, that says “I can grow in my faith without being committed to the church.” There’s so many things wrong with this kind of thinking, but for the sake of brevity—that is simply self-righteousness at its peak. As you thumb through the pages of the New Testament, you won’t find any lone rangers seeking God devoid of the church. God himself dwells in community (i.e. Trinity), he created human beings to be in community, and he’s rigged the whole Christian faith to be one in which we are interdependent upon each other. Yes, God meets with us privately in Bible study and prayer, but this is not to come at the expense of the “Body of Christ.” Paul tells us that the church is like a human body in which every part is needed. “The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I don't need you!’ And the head cannot say to the feet, ‘I don't need you!’” (1 Cor. 12:21).
Is church frustrating sometimes? Yes. That’s because it is a gathering of sinners in need of the grace of God. Remember coming in from recess in school when everyone’s dirty, sweaty, thirsty, and dying to get to the water fountains? There’s pushing, shoving, name calling, and waiting our turn that tests our limits. Church can feel like that. Everyone is coming for a drink of water and we can be quite selfish about getting our needs met first and foremost. However, God says that we’re family and that we need each other and should put others interests ahead of our own (Phil. 2:3).
3 Practical Things on Going to Church:
1) Prepare on Saturday
Many simply pop up out of bed on Sunday morning and scramble to get to church without being too late. However, Jesus gave his life for your soul. So, think it through. Go to bed earlier. Pray with your family for a moment the night before about getting good rest and that God would meet you on Sunday morning. Pray for the Sunday School teachers and Kids workers, pray for your pastor, and pray for your time in what I grew up calling “Big Church,” aka the “Worship Service.”
2) Be on Time
Every day of the week we are expected to be on time to jobs, appointments, practices, and so on. Rather than scramble in while the first song is going, be there a few minutes early to get kids checked in, settle in, and talk to a few folks.
3) Stay for the Whole Service
This may sound silly, but it’s necessary. Here at Redemption, we put some serious time and energy into our liturgy, which literally means “work of the people.” We believe that the entire worship service is vital for our growth as a church family. Thus, to leave right after the sermon and skip communion, giving, prayer, worship through song, and the benediction indicates that our consumerism has crept in and is in need of repentance. So slow down, and make some space, because the God who loves you wants to commune with you.
***My friend Virginia Spotts edited this post for me. Hit her up!
