November 12, 2019 – Click here to listen
I had lunch with a couple of good friends of mine yesterday and the subject of going to church came up. One of them has stopped going to church. Now don’t get me wrong this man is a Godly man who faithfully goes every Wednesday to a prison and teaches inmates about the Lord. I have no doubt that he loves the Lord and will walk on streets of gold in heaven when he departs this earth. I was encouraging him to go back to church and reminded him that Church attendance is not just a “good suggestion”; it is God’s will for the lives of believers including his. Hebrews 10:25 . . . and not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
He responded by telling me that the Holy Spirit speaks to people in different ways and on the subject of going to church He felt the Holy Spirit was telling him not to go to church. With all due respect that is utter nonsense. First and foremost, we are to be imitators of Christ and His apostles and they most certainly went to church. Luke 4:16 “He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read.” Doesn’t it make sense to want to be like Christ in every way to the extent possible?
Christians don’t obey Scripture or go to church because we think it saves us. We do it because God has told us that we are an important part of Christ’s church. Jesus is the Cornerstone of the Church and we are the building materials of God’s “spiritual house,” and are very thankful for what He did for us. He died for us! It is in church that believers grow and actually thrive on fellowship with other believers, the teaching of God’s Word, and doing the work of God. Make no mistake we are not alone, and God is right there with us when we do so. Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”
I’m not saying weekly church attendance is in any sense “required” for believers, but someone who belongs to Christ should want to worship God, receive His Word, and fellowship with other believers. Why would God so strongly say in His word that we should not forsake the gathering together of ourselves? Was He just trying to keep us from enjoying our day off and being lazy on Sunday? Of course not, He loves us with all of His heart and wants us to get the most out of life and He knows that church is one of the essentials for our walk of faith. To gather together in a church together helps us all as God molds us into the image of Christ.
I’ve always loved Proverbs and even though written some 2000 years ago it is still meaningful to our daily lives and will remain so forever. The author, King Solomon had this to say this about the subject: Proverbs 11:14 “Where there is no guidance, a people falls, but in an abundance of counselors there is safety.” Proverbs 18:1 “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.”
With all that said, in the End Days in which we are now living there are many worldly churches being led by false prophets, and some are thriving. In fact, it is often difficult to find a Bible teaching church.
So what?
Isn’t Christ worth the effort?
The other thing I’ve had to come to grips with is that there is no “perfect” church out there, at least to my way of thinking. One can always find something wrong or we dislike if we look hard enough. To that I respond, I’m not perfect and neither are you or anything else in this world save Jesus Christ. Why would churches be any different? Churches are run by imperfect human beings and they are working away and just doing the best they know how. In my search I went to one such church where the pastor was so boring that it was actually painful and all I could do to sit through it. I remarked to my wife that his sermon was perhaps the worst that I’d ever heard, but as I thought about it driving home I told her that I bet that preacher worked all week on it and I should be ashamed of ridiculing him. Further I saw many nodding in agreement with practically everything he said and seemed genuinely moved by his message. Different strokes for different folks syndrome I suppose? At any rate I moved on and eventually we found the church that is our home.
I didn’t give up and just quit going to church and I didn’t blame the Holy Spirit because I couldn’t find the church for me after looking for one for weeks. If you cannot find a church, found a church. The church I attend was founded by Tom Mullins. It began as a Bible study in his home and grew to 60 people and evolved to Christ Fellowship Church with some twenty thousand plus people who regularly attend. If you persevere you can find the right church and I predict if you get deeply involved with it you will never be happier!
Ephesians 5:1
“Follow God’s example, therefore, as dearly loved children and walk in the way of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”