Actually, you DO need to go to church!

Over the years I have heard several of my friends say things like, "I don't have to go to church to be a Christian," or "Going to church doesn't make me a Christian any more than lying in a hotdog bun makes me a hotdog!"  (Brace yourself for a love-based tongue-lashing!)

Recently in a communion service (and doubtless through our pastor, Albert Gillin’s message) I was impressed with these thoughts:

è    What do you bring to the table?  Hebrews 10:24-25 says, “²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving 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.”

o So first we must note the obvious:  It is a direct biblical imperative to meet together.  Assuming you respect the authority of the Bible, nothing further needs to be said on that point!

o But let us look a little deeper at these verses:  “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds…” Another verse with this idea is Proverbs 27:17, “As iron sharpens iron, so one person sharpens another.”  And yet again in Romans 12:10 “Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves.”  These are just a thimble-full of the many verses about Christians working and being together!  Do you get it?  Going to church is not just about you!

è    God has put us here to praise Him.  (See Ps. 86:9; Isa. 60:21; Rom. 11:36; I Cor. 6:20; 10:31; Rev. 4:11).  Aside from the obvious testimony to the world of just going to church in the first place, one of the best ways to praise Him is to serve each other!  Not to over-inflate anyone’s ego, but whom are you depriving of the blessing of you?!  There is someone YOU could be blessing, encouraging, and ministering to at church!  Does this mean there’s no one for you to bless, etc. outside of church?  Certainly not.  Are you more likely to encounter other Christians who need your blessing—your presence—when you are at church?  Absolutely.  (i.e. “Duh.”)  Moreover, “Be devoted to one another in love” sounds pretty serious!  The Bible tells us we are One Body—the Body of Christ.  Should not the members of one body be more devoted to each other than any other?  Again, I am not advocating for cloistering us away from the world, but I am trying to point out that the Bible instructs us to put a high priority on being with and taking care of other Christians!

è    We are designed to be together.  Genesis 2:18(a) says, “And the Lord God said, ‘It is not good that the man should be alone…’”  The one time God looked at creation and said “This ain’t right!”  (uh—loosely interpreted.)  The older I get, the more I believe this verse should be extrapolated to mean “Mankind” is not meant to be alone.  Now if you are agoraphobic or terminally shy, you have other issues going on I cannot address, but as someone who struggles with clinical depression, I often tend to be a bit of a misanthrope, and I can tell you beyond a shadow of a doubt that every time I have been tempted to stay home and not go to church yet made myself go, I have been glad I went!  It is a tough lesson I am still learning, but one thing that helps my depressed moods is to get my head unfocused on myself and to think about others for a while!

è    We are designed to be in relationship with God and each other.  Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)  Let’s use the “Hotdog and bun” analogy from above and put it in terms of a relationship.  Would you say “Spending time with my spouse doesn’t make me married any more than lying in a hotdog bun makes me a hotdog?” Not if you wished to remain married for long!  So let us not mistake the physical location of the church for the community of the church, the actual church—that is the people!

è    The church needs us, but we need the church!  Do you hang out with no one with similar interests to you?  Of course not!  If you like sports, you hang out with other “Sporty” types.  If you like music, you associate with other music-lovers and musicians.  The same is true if you like art, dance, theater, or even stamp-collecting!  So why on earth if, you call yourself a Christian, would you not want to be with other Christians?  Don’t listen to that little whisper in your head that says things like, “But there are so many hypocrites in church,” or “But I don’t like some [or] many [or] enough of the people!”  Music-lovers well know that country music aficionados often will not tolerate the opinions of rock-n-rollers.  Even among sub-groups there are differences of opinions—if you love 70’s rock, you may despise 90’s grunge.  Even the most simpatico of spouses will have a difference of opinions, even if it’s just something as seemingly-benign as “Mashed vs. Baked Potatoes!”  In short, a difference of opinion is a poor excuse to avoid someone, and a shallow and prejudiced way to keep your mind closed and avoid broadening your horizons.  (Remember, having a broadened horizon means you have a better view—it doesn’t mean you like everything you see!) 

We may say there’s a difference between avoiding someone with a different opinion and not wanting to go to church because of others’ behavior we perceive as hypocritical.  It’s almost a moot point, because for all we know that person behaving in a way we disapprove of may earnestly be doing their best!  One of the reasons we go to church is to try to be better Christians.  How dare we look down your nose at someone going to church!  We must assume they are there because they are on the same path as us!  So what if they are not as “Well-behaved” as us!  Give them the benefit of the doubt!  And remember, someone might be looking down on our behavior as “Hypocritical,” too!

è    Learning in a vacuum is a poor study habit!  If you tried to turn in a research paper in school with only one reference, what kind of grade do you think you would receive?  Don’t deprive yourself of the wisdom and insight of others, and conversely them of yours!

Now if this missive sounds more like a preachy diatribe, please know it comes from a place of love.  *I* need to see you in church as much as you need to be there!  In short, get off your tuchas and get yourself to church!