Why Church?

How often have you heard someone say, "I don't need church; I can worship God better in the woods"? I know I've heard that said often enough. The truth is, there are times when I can worship God better in the woods, by the lake, in my own  home. As I've said before, however, worship is an attitude of the heart.

But church is so much more than worship. Yes, we get together to corporately worship God in music, in prayer, in learning, in fellowship with others. It is the "others" that is so crucial to church.

Granted, we are sinners saved by grace gathering together. Some of us are well-versed in Scripture; some are just beginning to study the Bible. Some of us are Christians who have walked with God for years, who have gained a certain level of maturity, although even mature Christians stumble and fall; some of us are brand new Christians, learning and growing. We even find seekers in our midst, people who do not yet have a personal relationship with God. And I'm sure you also find those who meet with us simply to watch, even to criticize.

But we need each other. And the Bible encourages us to gather together whenever possible:

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering,

for he who promised is faithful.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,

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.

Hebrews 10:23-25 ESV

Note: Right in the middle of those verses we are told not to neglect meeting together. Where do we meet on a regular basis? Church, of course. Perhaps in Bible studies and small groups as well.

Why meet together? So we can encourage one another. Let's face it: life is never easy even if we are the children of God. And I've noticed that when life is easy, I tend to slide through life, I tend to skip my private times with my Savior and rely on my own strength. Then life slams into me with pain, with hurt, with suffering. Complaints and criticism come easy. I need the encouragement of other believers. I may even need confrontation.

Then there are doubts. We all experience doubts about our faith at some point (or even many points) in our lives. We need each other to get through those times, too. Often it's something in the message preached by our pastor that rekindles our faith. Sometimes it's a word of Scripture, or a kind word from another believer. Continued meeting with other Christians puts us in contact with those who may be able to help us through those times of doubting, especially if we have developed some close friendships within our church family.  They can remind us of all the times God has proven Himself faithful in Scripture, faithful in their lives, or even when they've seen Him working in our lives. 

Of course it is possible to come to church week after week and be nothing but a "pew warmer", but I don't believe that's what God wants from us. We should seek relationships with other believers. We should be in a place where we can watch and emulate mature believers. We need to receive their love and learn more about love from them. We need to be inspired to reach out to others, to do good works because of our love for others and for God.

As we gather together with other believers, as we study the Bible, as we give and receive encouragement, we learn more about God's kind of love. I believe godly love is seeking the best in another person even at great sacrifice to ourselves. That's not always easy. Sometimes we need another person to come along side us and help us love that way, to encourage us in the midst of our discouragement (this is not an excuse for gossip, however). There may be someone who is a thorn in your flesh, a constant irritant, a difficult person to love. When you are repeatedly hurt by this individual, it is especially difficult to be loving, to seek their best in spite of their behavior. But church, the people within your church, is where you are stirred up to love and good works even toward a difficult person. Church is where you are encouraged to keep showing love no matter how hard it is. 

Yes, God is sufficient to meet our needs, but sometimes He meets those needs through other people. Sometimes He uses you and me to meet the needs of others.

Let us not neglect to meet together where we can be encouraged, strengthened and stirred up to love and good works!