Church: Two Forgotten Facts

In our busy lifestyle many  barely have time for leisure events that we consider unimportant. Celebrations with family and friends are many times omitted from our lives because we just don’t’ feel we have the time. Many neglect to visit others even when they need us because we just don’t’ see how we can fit it into our schedule or we simply have something else we would rather do.

So, why would we think that church is any different. After all church is optional,right? To many,  church attendance just seems like a religious social club where we  gather with those who share a common interest.  If this is your thought my friend, you have sadly missed the point.

What is it about church that makes it more important than any other  “social gathering”?

• God commands that we attend

For someone who claims they have a relationship with God through His Son, Jesus this one is huge. We can not escape the fact that God established the church and He has a reason for it’s existence. We should attend if for no other reason than to please our Heavenly Father.

Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.”

• We gain strength
  

This may be the most overlooked aspect of skipping church.

We gain strength by sacrificing our time to be where God wants us.  He, many times, ministers to us through our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We in turn give them strength through encouragement as well. We all need each other to navigate this tumultuous road until Christ comes again.

Notice the scripture above. The last section says that we are to be more attentive to our church gathering and encouraging others in theirs as we see the Day approaching. What day might that be? The day Christ returns to gather the church and take us home to Heaven. If church isn’t important to you now, will you really be ready when He comes?