Does Jesus Expect Me To Go To Church?
In one sense, “going to church” is a misnomer. The Bible refers to the body of believers as “the Church.” Nowhere in the Bible is the word “church” used to refer to a building. It is only used in reference to an assembly of believers. In fact, the word “church” comes from a Greek word (ecclesia) that literally means “ a called out assembly.”
God calls us to Himself as individuals and we are redeemed individually. However, He puts us in groups of like-minded believers to mature and live out the realities of our salvation. The Church is the corporate body of God’s people, which shows the world God’s plan for human kinship. As we see in Jesus’ high priestly prayer before His death, the quality of Christian unity is a powerful testimony to an unbelieving world. “May they be brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me” (John 17:23)
Paul himself saw the church as the instrument of God’s wisdom. He said, “His intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Ephesians 3:10-11) Truly the Church has a glorious calling.
Yet, Christians are still imperfect and their gatherings only bring many imperfect people together. Disappointments with irregular folk are bound to occur. While the command to love one another is difficult enough between family and friends, it is humanly impossible between strangers from diverse walks of life. Yet that is the point. Living the Christian life and loving the brethren in truth is impossible unless the powerful presence of the Holy Spirit is energizing and motivating our hearts to love others like Jesus loved us (John 15:4).
Apart from the compelling enablement of the Holy Spirit, people often miss the point and misconstrue the simple act of “going to church” for the high calling of “being the Church.” Nevertheless, the Apostle Paul encourages believers to see God’s larger purposes and display of His grace by loving and caring for one another. He said, “May the Lord make your love increase and overflow for each other and for everyone else, just as ours does for you.” (1 Thessalonians 3:12)
In spite of the problems, God wants us in relationships with other believers and that means He wants us to gather together for prayer, study, communion and fellowship (Acts 2:42). Worshipping our great God together as a community of believers pleases our heavenly Father (John 4:23) and is the source of great blessing for all participants. A Christian loner or a religious maverick cannot accomplish the full purposes of God. This love for independence and individualism has to take a back seat to community and interdependence.
The author of Hebrews warned his readers about “skipping church”, saying, “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:25). This admonition is an extension of the Sabbath principle established in Genesis 1, where God rested on the seventh day. Since creation, God has intended for people to set aside one day each week for rest and reflection. “Going to church” is broadly an extension of this principle. Meeting with God’s people on the Lord’s Day (Sunday) has been part of Christian experience since the day of Pentecost, the day when the Church was first established. While church attendance is not required to “go to heaven,” it is certainly an important part of the life of a maturing Christian.
