I've been asked: Why Should I Go to Church?

This question is usually asked in one of two contexts.  One, from a non Christian who wants to understand why we, as believers, go to church.  The other from believers who think that since they have a personal relationship with the Lord, they have no need to attend church every week.  They might say, "I do church at home." or "I worship the Lord in my own way."  I hope that in my answer I will address both sides of the question.

You've probably heard the phrase, "Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. (or going to McDonalds makes you a hamburger LOL)"  While I do understand the point they are trying to make, there is a slight flaw.  While a person cannot become a car or a hamburger, they CAN become a Christian.  If you are not a believer in the Lord Jesus Christ and have not accepted Him as your personal Savior, there is no better place to move towards a relationship with Him than church.  If perhaps you believe in God, but you still have questions or concerns, a good Bible teaching church where people are authentic is the perfect place to get the answers you are looking for.  Many people have been hurt by the church or had bad experiences, and it can be difficult to find the right one, but once you do, you will see it is worth the search.

For those who already are born again Christians, I believe attending church consistently is vital.   But let's see what the Word of God says about it. 

1) Believers are to have fellowship
Acts 2:42, Philippians 2:1, 1 John 1:3, Acts 1:15, Hebrews 10:25, 1 Corinthians 11:18
While there have been times when I have experienced sweet fellowship over a cup of coffee, a dinner party or a park play date (and I do encourage these additional times with other believers), nothing compares with gathering together with a multitude of like minded people worshiping together and encouraging one another.  While I have definitely been ministered to at church, there have also been times that the Lord has used to me reach out to someone else.  Once I remember a young girl that I had never seen before was weeping while the congregation was singing in worship.  I noticed that she got up and left during a song and as I felt the prompting of the Spirit to follow her, I was able to offer her a hug and a prayer.  Nothing earth shattering, but an opportunity that would not have happened without the gathering together.

2) Believers are to have unity
Psalm 133:1, John 17:22-23, 1 Corinthians 1:10, Ephesians 4:1-3, Ephesians 4:13, Colossians 3:14
If Christians were not meant to assemble regularly, there would be no call for unity.  But since we are expecting to come together for teaching and worship, the Lord gives us directions to strive for unity and how to accomplish this.  We can count on there being conflicts in the church, but when we aim for unity, we can overcome them.

3) Believers are to use their spiritual gifts as many different members of one body
Romans 12:4-8, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4:11-16
Some are called to be teachers, some to encourage, some evangelists. ALL are called to use their specific gifts "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ". Ephesians 4:12  Just as you have many different parts of your body, so is the body of Christ.  If you were missing an arm, or an ear, even a little pinky toe, you would not be complete.  The body of Christ is not complete without your active participation.

4) Believers are to love, encourage, comfort, build up, pray for, serve, be kind to, forgive, speak spiritual songs to, be subject to, be devoted to, give preference to, accept, admonish, and be at peace with one another.
1 Thessalonians 3:12, Hebrews 3:13, 1 Thessalonians 4:18, 1 Thessalonians 5:11, James 5:16, Galatians 5:13, Ephesians 4:32, Ephesians 5:19, Ephesians 5:21, Romans 12:10, Romans 15:7, Romans 15:14, Mark 9:50
This is pretty self explanatory.  How can we do these things if we are not together?!

One more reason

How to stay safe in the world today:

1.Avoid riding in automobiles because they are responsible for 20% of

all fatal accidents.

2. Do not stay home because 17% of all accidents occur in the home.

3. Avoid walking on streets or sidewalks because 14% of all accidents

occur to pedestirans.

4. Avoid traveling by air, rail or water, because 16% of all accidents

involve these forms of transportation.

5. Of the remaining 33%, 32% of all deaths occur in hospitals.  Above

all else, avoid hospitals.

You will be pleased to learn that only .001% of all deaths occur in

worship services in church, and these are usually related to previous

physical disorders.  Therefore, logic tells us that the safest place for

you to be at any given point in time is at church!

Bible study is safe too.  The percentage of deaths during Bible study is

even less.

FOR SAFETY'S SAKE - Attend church and read your bible...

IT COULD SAVE YOUR LIFE!

hahahahaha

In all seriousness, I hope I've given you plenty of Biblical basis for regular church attendance.  But I'd also like to share that in my own personal experience, belonging to a local church body has been a very important part of my life.  Getting plugged in by joining Bible studies and small groups, attending church events, serving in ministry...all of these things have helped me grow in my relationship with the Lord and I can't imagine the last 10 years of my walk with Him without the encouragement and accountability I have received through my brothers and sisters in my church body.

Whether you are an unbeliever still searching for answers, or a Christian who has been trying to go it alone, I encourage you to find a church where you feel comfortable and where they open up the Word of God and teach from it every week. Allow yourself to truly become a part of the body of Christ.

"Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor.   For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up.  Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone?   And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart." Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

~Dawn

I was asked the question: "God wouldn't send a good person like me to hell, would he?"

Yes, he most absolutely would.  You must understand that God instituted his law (Exodus 20:1-17) to show man how incapable they were to live a perfect life (Romans 3:20).  No person can hold up to the commandments of God.  We have all lied, even if a little white lie; we have all stolen, even if it's a pen or pencil; we have all lusted after another person at one time or another.  This makes us all lying, thieving adulterers at the very least.  The bible teaches that the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23); this is a spiritual death, an eternal death, a punishment meted out in hell for all eternity.  If God did not pass judgement on our crimes, he would not be righteous or just.  There has to be a penalty for breaking the law, or why else would we have laws.  Every person alive has in them a moral compass telling them what is right, and what is wrong.  The bible teaches us that the moral compass comes from God (Romans 2:15).  Now why would we all have a compass of right and wrong if there weren't rewards for doing what is right, and consequences for doing what is wrong.  It just wouldn't make sense.  There has to be consequences for doing wrong, and it just does not matter how good of a person you are (Ephesians 2:8).  If you get a speeding ticket and go before the judge, he is still going to fine you for speeding, no matter how nice or good you are.  That is justice.  Now God did provide a way in which you would not have to pay the penalty for your sins.  He sent his only Son to die in our place, for our sins (2 Corinthians 5:21). Jesus has bought the right to dismiss our case from court (1 John 2:1-6).  If we would believe on him, repent of our sins, and accept him as the Lord of our lives, then Jesus would have your case thrown out of court because he already paid the price for our disobedience.

"God is a fair judge, a God who is angered by injustice every day."  Psalm 7:11

~Paul

Several Women have asked me: "Doesn't the Bible degrade women?"

First of all, let me state the obvious.  Something so obvious, it goes without saying, but, well, I'm going to say it anyway.  God loves His people (John 3:16).  All His people.  And since women are people, yes, that means He loves women too.  (Galatians 3:28)

Having said that, let's address why perhaps some women might feel as if the Bible is degrading to them.  Or perhaps makes them out to be less than men.  Probably the most commonly used basis for this is the first directive for women regarding their relationship with men.  In Genesis 2:18, when the creation of men and women is being described, the Lord says, "It is not good for man to be alone; I will make a helper suitable for him."  Typically, women think that because God says that the woman will be a helper for the man, this means that she is in some way inferior to him.  However, the Hebrew word used here for help,ezer, is the same word used for God throughout the Old Testament.  (Specifically Exodus 18:4, Psalm 10:14, Psalm 20:2, Psalm 33:20, Psalm 70:5, Psalm 72:12-14, and Psalm 86:17)  Jehovah Ezer=The Lord our Help.  I'm pretty sure that if the Lord uses a word to describe Himself, it is not inferior in ANY way.  In fact, it actually means the kind of help that you would not be able to do without.  Picture someone with a broken leg trying to walk without the use of crutches.  The crutches are not just a "help" they are vital.  Since God says that man alone is not good, he NEEDS a helper.  He could not do it without us.  But notice that this verse is directed at man and wife, meaning that a married man has been given a helper suitable (appropriate, befitting, pertinent, proper, sufficient, useful) specifically for him.  It does not mean that all women are to be helpers to all men.  What it does mean is that when a man is married to a woman who is fulfilling her God given role as a necessary helper, He is on His way to fulfilling God's purpose for the both of them. 

Another commonly misunderstood section of Scripture is found in Ephesians chapter 5, where the passage says that  wives are to submit to their own husband and to respect him.  While this may seem demeaning to some, it has nothing to do with a woman's abilities.  The charge to be subject to your husband as a leader of the home is simply for purposes of order.  Just as a corporation can't have two CEOs, a house can't have two heads.  And since Ephesians 5:23 says that the man is the head of his wife, she for the sake of order, is to submit to his leadership.  Think of two vehicles on the highway, in two separate lanes, approaching a merge to one lane.  One of the vehicles is a small sedan and one is a semi truck.  One would think that the smaller car would naturally be the one to yield, but what if the truck happens to be 3 feet behind the car.  The fact that the truck is bigger and stronger has absolutely no consequence, because of it's position.  Just as a woman can be a very capable, strong, intelligent person, but because of her position, she will be the one to defer.  It might seem like she is getting a raw deal, but looking back just 2 verses, before any of the male/female specific directives are given, we are told to submit one to another.  Meaning that when two people are married, they are now partners, considering the needs of the other before their own.  When it is necessary in the course of typical events in marriage, for one to yield to the other, the woman is the one who will then submit to her husband's lead.  This creates not only order, but harmony.

One final concern is in a small number of stories in the Bible where women are treated with complete and utter disdain.  While these stories are disturbing, if you were to read them, you would see that in no way does God condone this behavior or mindset.  These are simply narratives being told as they happened.  Just as if I was to tell you an account of a bully on the playground, it doesn't mean I think bullying is okay, all I am is the messenger.  I will address some of these stories specifically in the future, so for now suffice it to say that God is on the side of the oppressed (Isaiah 61) and when a woman is mistreated, God is as (actually more) upset as we are.  

"A woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised." (Proverbs 31:30)

~Dawn

A reader asks: "What kind of a God would create people that can't help but sin and then make it a capital punishment when you do sin?"

This question is asked a lot in many different ways.  It is a very involved question and has a lengthy answer.  The short answer is, it takes a Just and Loving God, but let me explain.

For God to truly know that we love him he had to give us the ability to choose NOT to love him. For this reason we were given free will.  We can choose to love and follow Christ; or we can choose to disobey and not follow Christ.  It is our free will.  When a person has the ability to choose not to love you and they choose to do so anyway, you can be sure that they honestly love you. It would have been easy for God to create us with the capacity to only love him.  But then we would all be just like robots, obeying his command to love by obedience, and not by choice.

Next you must understand how Holy our God really is.  He IS holiness (1 Samuel 2:2);  He IS righteousness (Psalm 48:10); He CANNOT be together with unrighteousness (2 Corinthians 6:14).  The two can not exist in the same area (Habakkuk 1:13-17 speaking of his moral perfection and holiness).  By choosing not to love God, or not to follow him, you are going against his will for your life.  Because He IS holy, his will is also holy (Psalm 145:17).  By not following his will, you are, in effect, sinning, or as it translates literally "missing the mark" (James 4:17):.  By saying God is being harsh to institute a death penalty for sin really says you do not understand how holy God is, and how un-holy sin is.  The two are anathema of each other.

That doesn't seem fair, you say?  If that is where the story ends, I would agree.  But it doesn't end there.  If it did, then God would NOT be loving or JUST.  He can't just make up a set of rules, institute a death penalty for not following them, then tell us these rules are impossible for us to follow and rest on the "I'm Holier than thou excuse" and expect everything to be OK.  Good for us that he doesn't.  You see, being a holy and just God means there MUST be a punishment for our sins (Hebrews 9:22; Romans 6:23).  Being a loving God means providing a propitiation for that punishment so that we don't have to die and be separated from the God that loves us (John 3:16; 1 John 2:1-5; 2 Corinthians 5:21).  If God did not provide Jesus to come down to Earth to die in our place for the punishment of our sins that we could not avoid to commit, then he would not be loving OR fair.  He had to give us free will to test if we truly loved him.  But in doing so, he allowed that we would choose NOT to love him and sin.  Since "the wages of sin is death", God HAD to provide a way that our penalty for sinning would be satisfied (thereby maintaining his JUST-ness) while at the same time preserving those that loved him for eternity (thereby maintaining his Love).  This is the Gospel message; that Christ was born, died for your sins, arose on the third day proving His sacrifice was sufficient for God, and appeared to many people as witnesses to his resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:1-11).  Now the only thing that stops us in receiving his sacrificial gift is us.  We must acknowledge that we believe Jesus did what he said he did and accept his gift of Love in order that we might be saved (Romans 10:8-13).  The bible says there is only one unpardonable sin, and that is the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit.  It is the job of the Holy Spirit to convict us of our sins and point us to Jesus Christ (John 16:8), by continually rejecting that conviction, you are saying that you do not want the gift that Jesus offered (Matthew 12:31-32).  And if you were to die in that state, unrepentant of your sins, you would die and forever be separated from your God (Matthew 25:41-46).  What else but a Just and Loving God would have a plan for salvation that cost his creation nothing to receive except belief in Him and His plan?

~Paul