“I
was glad when they said to me, "Let us go into the house of the Lord.” (Psalm 122:1).
This Scripture was on my heart
one morning when I was getting ready for church. When you wake up and get ready
to go to church, is your heart’s attitude the same as David’s? Do you say, I
was glad when they said to me, let’s go to church? If not, then it’s time to
ask ourselves why.
Why is it people don’t get
excited about going to church? When I first became a Christian, and started
going to church in the fall of 1990, I would go to church every single time the
doors were open. Jesus Christ had saved me from my sins, and made such a
difference to me, I WANTED to go to church. They didn’t have to send someone
from the church knocking on my door to make sure I was going to church. If they
were having a worship service, a mid-week Bible study, I wanted to be there. And
you know what? That’s still true today. Why? Because church is not just a religious
exercise for me – it’s a time to meet with my God. It amazes me that there are
people who debate whether or not to go to church on a Sunday morning. “Should I
go to church or stay in bed, or watch TV, or go to the beach?” Unbelievable.
But sometimes when people lose their vision for something, they lose the joy
that accompanies living on purpose. So here’s a quick reminder of three of the
benefits to going to church.
1. TO ENCOUNTER GOD
Psalm 27:4 – “One thing I have desired of the Lord, That
will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,
To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.”
King David, the person that
the Bible says was “a man after God’s own heart” said that he had one passion
in his life: to dwell in God’s house, to see Him, and hear His voice. The first
and most important reason we go to church is to meet with God and to behold His
beauty. It’s not just to sing songs and hear stories about what God did in the
past, but to actually encounter our living, loving Heavenly Father, His Son
Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. As we encounter the Lord, we are blessed,
encouraged, transformed, healed, delivered and refreshed by His presence.
2. TO BUILD UP OUR FAITH
Romans 10:17 – “So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing
by the word of God.”
The Bible says that when we
sit under the preaching of God’s Word, it builds up our faith. Faith is our
spiritual muscle. Jesus also said that man does not live by bread alone, but by
every word that comes from God’s mouth (Matt. 4:4). When we hear God’s Word,
our faith grows. The more we learn about how good God is, and how much He loves
us, the more we will confidently trust Him in every situation.
3. TO ENCOURAGE OTHERS
“Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good
deeds. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but
encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back
again is drawing near.” (Heb. 10:24-25)
The third reason we go to
church is to get together with the rest of God’s family. God wants us to
encourage one another, to pray for each other, and to bear one another’s
burdens. I often say that “There are no Lone Rangers in the body of Christ.” If
you’re a Christian, then God wants you to get connected with other Christians
and be an active part of His family. If you need encouragement, then church is
the place to find it. If you are encouraged and blessed, then it’s a place to
encourage and bless others.
The next time someone says,
“Let’s go to church” then get happy. It’s a time to encounter God, to build up
our faith, and to encourage others – GOD’S purpose for church.
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