Really,
Christians Must Attend Worship Services?
God's Word tells us
we need to attend church so we can worship God with other believers, be educated on His Word for our spiritual growth, partake of the
good gifts of the Means of Grace, and finally, hear
that all our sins are forgiven by the shed blood of the Son of God,
Jesus Christ, your Savior. The early
church “...devoted themselves to
the apostles' teaching
and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread
and to prayer" (Acts 2:42). We
should, we must, follow this model of devotion. Back then, they had no designated
church building, but, "... every day they
continued to meet together
in the temple courts.
They broke bread in their homes and ate
together with glad and sincere
hearts" (Acts
2:46). Wherever
the meeting takes place, believers thrive
on fellowship with
other believers, the teaching
of God's Word, and receiving
the Sacrament of
the Altar.
Attendance in Worship Services (and for that matter Adult Bible Class
and Sunday School) is not just a "good
suggestion"; it's
God's will for believers, for you! The writer of
Hebrews says we should, "…not
[be] 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"
(10:25). Even
in the Early Church, some were falling away and stopped meeting together. We
need the encouragement that worship services and education classes provide. And
the approach of the End Times should prompt us to be even more devoted to going
to Church (and education classes!).
Church is the place where believers can love one another (1 John 4:12); encourage
one another (Hebrews 3:13); "spur"
one another to love and good works (Hebrews 10:24); serve one another (Galatians
5:13); instruct
one another (Romans 15:14); honor one another (Romans 12:10);
and be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32).
When a person
trusts Jesus
for salvation, he or she is made a member of the
body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:27). For a church body to function properly, all of its
"body
parts" need to be present and working (1 Cor. 12:14-20). It's
not enough to just attend church; we should be involved, using
the spiritual gifts God has given us (Ephesians
4: 11-13).
These reasons and more,
Church and Sunday morning education class attendance, participation, and
fellowship are to be regular aspects of a believer's life. Jesus
is the Cornerstone of the Church
(1 Peter 2:6), and
we are " ... like living stones ... being
built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to
God through Jesus Christ"
(l Peter 2:5). As the building materials of God's "spiritual
house," we naturally have a connection with one
another, and that connection is evident every time the
Church "gathers together."
What is Regular Church
Attendance?
Many Christians have countless misconceptions about
church attendance. Once a week, once a month, once every couple of months, the responses
would be as varied as the number of people that
you asked. Sometimes,
I wonder if the question really is, "How often do I
need to go to church to keep God happy?" This is a myth. People view
worship as something that they do for God. This error rips the Gospel out of
one's worship life. Instead, we should view worship as something that God does for me!
This
understanding of God's service (Gottesdienst) to us is emphasized in worship services.
What's the first thing we sinners will do in worship services? We confess our
sins. Throughout our life, we hate, insult, offend, lust, get angry, lie, cheat and steal. We sin! Therefore, we need forgiveness! If
we are going to enter into the presence of The Holy and Just God, our sin must be
forgiven. In fact, it is this need for forgiveness that drives us into His
presence. He is the One that judges and He is the only One that can forgive us.
When we
confess our sins in worship service, God's called and ordained servant declares to you the gracious forgiveness of all your sins. Jesus told His
disciples, "If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if
you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven" (John 20:23). When God's servant forgives your
sins they are really forgiven! God comes to you through
His servant and lifts the terrible burden of your guilt. This why Christians go
to Church! That's why you're here this morning!!!
Another
delusion that I hear about worship is that we come, mainly, to offer songs and prayers of thanks and praise. This is true, to a degree; yet it's not the main focus. We don't come to say something
to God, but to listen to what
He has to say to us and receive what He comes to give to us! Therefore, the second focus of our
divine service is the Word of God and the Sacraments.
Every
Sunday His Word is read and a sermon is delivered on a particular text. Jesus
said to His disciples, "He who listens to you listens to me; he who
rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me"
(Luke 10:16). We come to Church to listen to God speak to us through His
messenger. In the Law, God reveals our sins to us. He shows us that we fall short of His glory and
deserve eternal death. But via His sweet Gospel, He tells you that He loves you so much that He sacrificed Jesus, His only begotten Son, to save you from
hell. Once again God comes to you with the forgiveness that Jesus won on
the cross - for you! This He proclaims and serves to you in His Body and Blood! This why Christians go to
Church!
What is regular church attendance? Regular attendance is
taking advantage of every opportunity that God gives you to hear His Word, to receive absolution,
and the Lord's Supper. Our need and
desire for the forgiveness that Jesus
won on the cross motivates us to seek every opportunity to partake of Word and
Sacrament. It is any wonder why the writer of the book of Hebrews (10:25) urges
us to meet together?
My
earnest prayer for each of you is that you attend Church, Adult Bible Class and
Sunday School every Lord's Day! It's for your Eternal Benefit!
Your
brother in Christ,
Pastor Patterson
