You can worship God in many places, but there are some things you can only do as you meet with God's people. Today we discover seven simple, plain Bible reasons to regularly assemble in a local church.
Transcript: Why Go to Church
Why go to church? I mean, honestly, what's the point? Why did the Lord intend that his people would meet together? You know, we've learned already that the word church means "a called out assembly." Now, while the purpose of the church doesn't stop with the assembly, it does start there. Some people have so emphasized the fact that the church works outside the walls, which I believe that we've forgotten.
We're still supposed to meet with God's people, and that the assembly part is important because in the meeting of the New Testament church, the ministry is set in motion. It is as we fellowship, as we come together, as we are edified, as we grow, that then we can function in this world. Hebrews 10:25 says this, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
There's a lot of truth wrapped up in Hebrews 10:25.
We are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together.
Do you remember the Lord Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (18:20). There's something precious to Christ about His followers assembling. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He very often took His disciples aside, by themselves, so He could teach them.
May I submit to you? He still wants to do that. And then the Bible says in this verse, as the manner of some is, boy, that describes the world we're living in. Here we are, the end of the age when the assembling of God's people ought to mean more and more, and instead it seems it means less and less to many Christians.
On the average Lord's Day morning, you can drive through the community and see people doing almost everything except going to meet with God's people. May I tell you that's not the Lord's way.
We are to exhort one another.
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhort one another.” This is one of the great keys that unlocks the purpose of why we should assemble together.
In fact, the previous verse, verse 24 says, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.”
We've come to the place in our world today where people even look at church selfishly. What can I get out of it? Are my children going to have a good time? How is this going to benefit us?
In fact, we ought to turn the thing around. It should not be about what I can get out of the church meeting, but what can I contribute? How can I be a blessing? First Corinthians chapter 12 tells us that all of the members are connected to the body. All of the members are under the head of the body, which is the Lord Jesus, but they all contribute to one another.
We are to remember the Founder is coming back.
All are participants. None are dispensable. And so we ought to start looking at the local assembly and thinking, what can I do to make my church all God wants it to be? How can I be the kind of member of this called out assembly that will help us move forward to the glory of God, and then listen to the powerful end of Hebrews 10:25, “and so much the more as ye see the day approaching.”
What day is he talking about? He's referring here to the day of the Lord's return. Friend, Jesus is coming back. The Founder is about to return. The Head of the church is going to show up. And I don't know about you. I'd be terribly shame for Him to find me totally disconnected from all the other members when He arrives.
I want Him to find me in my place, doing exactly what God wants me to do. So it brings us back to the question.
Why go to church? Why did the Lord establish that we should meet? Let's see what says. Let’s study the example of the early church, in the New Testament.
Here Are Seven Bible Reasons We Go to Church
1. We Assemble to Pray.
This is very important. And we begin here. Maybe, perhaps not where you thought I would begin. Everybody wants to run to the preaching, and I love preaching, let me tell you, I love to do it. And I love to hear it. But why don't we begin with prayer? Because that's where God began.
What did Jesus command his disciples to do? Go to the upper room and pray. Acts 1:13-14. We read these words:
"And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren."
The first meeting in the New Testament church after the Ascension was not an evangelistic crusade, not a revival meeting, not a Bible study. It was a prayer meeting. Why? Because prayer sets everything else in motion. When we meet together, we should come together to pray with and for one another and notice it's something everybody can do. Not just the men were doing it. The women were praying. So we meet together to pray.
2. We Assemble to Hear the Word of God
1 Thessalonians 5:20 says, “Despise not prophesying.” What's your attitude towards the preaching and teaching of the Word of God? You see, for the New Testament church, they didn't have their own copy of the Scriptures when they came together.
There was an expectation to hear the Bible read. They hear these inspired writings expounded. I wonder if there's still that same hunger and thirst in us. When we come together, we ought to come together excited to hear the Word of God.
3. We Assemble to Sing
Colossians 3:16 instructs us to speak to and encourage one another “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” The Bible says, “speaking to one another.” We speak to ourselves when we sing. We speak to God when we sing. However, we also speak to one another as we sing. We should sing from our hearts.
4. We Assemble to Give
Number four, the assembly met together to give. Oh yes, you knew that was going to be mentioned because it's given in Scripture. 1 Corinthians chapter 16:1-2, “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” It's powerful. On the Lord's Day, bring your tithe and bring your offerings. Be a giver.
5. We Assemble to Exhort One Another.
It was all about edifying, building up each other. It's not about me; it's about us. It's not about what I can gain, but what I can give. And here's the beautiful secret. As you give and minister and exhort. Guess what the Lord does in you? He does the same building up in your heart in life.
6. We Assemble to Observe the Ordinances.
God left us with two ordinances: Baptism and the Lord's Supper.
You must have a visible local church to be able to physically baptize. You also must to have a local assembly to administer the Lord's Table. These are church ordinances. They don't belong to me as an individual. They belong to the local assembly.
7. We Assemble for Fellowship.
Come full circle back to the first principles in acts chapter two, the end of this chapter we have this beautiful little snapshot of the early New Testament church. Observe Acts 2:42, “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”
That passage goes on to report on the ministry of the Word. Those assemblies of believers set in motion a chain reaction outside the assembly of the church. We carry our faith outside the church walls. But it all must begin by meeting together. From this, we minister to those who are outside our assembly.
Could it be that we're getting so little done in this world? Because the meeting of the New Testament church has gotten skewed by so many things. Perhaps we started thinking so selfishly about it. I remember asking a man one time to come to our church and he said, “Oh, I worship God in the woods.” And I said to him, “Wonderful, I worship God in the woods.”
And he looked at me a little surprised, and I said, “I don't go to church simply to worship. I want to worship when I go. I believe in corporate worship, but worship is not a group sport, worship is the individual heart attitude.” You can worship anywhere and everywhere. Yes, you can worship God in your living room, but no, you cannot exhort one another in your living room.
Be Faithful
You can't be a blessing and help to the whole local church by never being there. I challenge you today. Belong and don't just belong. Be there. When the church meets together. Let it mean something to you to be with God's people. If the church was so important that Christ died for it, don't you think our lives ought to be connected to it?
Make up your mind this Lord's Day, at the very next appointed meeting of your local assembly, by the grace of God, you're going to be there.
“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”
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