more in larger, contemporary churches than smaller, traditional
churches. But since the majority of all churchgoers now attend
larger churches this is of real concern. The trend is the decline in
percentage attendance. In other words there are less people
attending each church service in comparison with the number of
people who call the church their home. For years a good
percentage would be around 75%. Three out of every four people
would be in church on any given Sunday. Now that number may
well be 50% or even worse. Regular church attendance is
extremely valuable, is very important and should be practiced by anyone who claims to be a follower of Christ. A Christ-follower needs to regularly attend church. Not counting the times that you might miss for vacation or sickness or a particular work commitment you should be in church.
Church is not something that you do individually it is something
that you do collectively. To be a follower of Christ is not just
what you do by yourself it is what you do together with other
people. We are what the Bible calls the "family of God." A family
is by its very nature inter-dependent. What it means to be a part
of a local church is that you're inter-dependent with other people
in your church. There are strong reasons why you should come
to church regularly.
It Is What Jesus Did
Luke 14:6 says, "Jesus went back to Nazareth, where he'd been
brought up and as usual he went to the meeting place on the
Sabbath." The Bible tells us that "as usual" or another
translation of the Bible says "as was His custom" Jesus went to
the place of worship. This is in keeping with obeying one of the
Ten Commandments which is, "Observe the Sabbath by keeping
it holy." When we say we are followers of Christ, we're supposed
to do what Jesus has done. What would Jesus do? Jesus would
go to church and we as followers of Christ should do the same. If
we take seriously our followership of Christ, then we should go
to church regularly.
It Is a Good Habit
Hebrews 10:25 says, "Some people have gotten out of the habit
of meeting for worship. But we must not do that. We should keep
on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the
day of the Lord's coming is getting closer." The Bible says to us
there is a good habit of regularly going to church. Most of the
time when we think of habits we think bad habits but there are
good habits. Some have developed the bad habit of missing
church. Maybe you've gotten out of the habit or maybe you have
yet to develop the habit of regular church attendance. Sunday
morning offers a lot of options. It offers the sleep in option, it
offers a brunch option, it offers the read the Sunday paper option, and it offers all kinds of options having to do with recreation. Good habits bless your life and produce positive results. When you practice the good habit of regular church attendance you reap some very good outcomes.
It Is a Positive Example
Going to church is a positive example. When you go each
Sunday, you're setting an example. You are setting an example
that other people notice. It is an example that becomes an
inspiration for others. People who are trying to make their lives
better, people who want a positive change are going to be
impacted by an example of someone who is committed to
regular church attendance. For those of you who are married,
it's a positive example to your spouse. For those of you that
have children, it's an absolutely positive example for your kids
to know that on Sunday you go to church. For the people around
you, whether it's your friends or your co-workers, whether it's
your family, when they see that you have a commitment that is
leading you to living a better life - that is a positive example that
other people can follow.
It Is Important for Fellowship
Look again at what the Bible says, "Some have gotten out of the
habit. We should not do that. We should keep on encouraging
each other." The church is an encouraging place. We all need
encouragement. Life is hard. Life is difficult. We all run into
various kinds of challenges; health problems, financial issues,
conflict within our families. We have an opportunity to
encourage one another and that is part of what church is about.
Sunday service is where fellowship begins. Being in classes,
groups and serving is where you get to know people on a deeper
level. But it starts on Sunday; the launching point to fellowship
and community is in church services. Every Sunday that you
come, there are going to be people who are looking for you,
wondering if you're there. People will miss you. And the longer
and more consistently you come, the more you will be missed.
Because the more that you are in church, the more you are
involved, the more people miss you and notice that you're not
around. It is a marvelous thing to be a part of a local church it is
like having a much larger family.
It Is Essential for Growth
It is absolutely essential for spiritual growth to regularly attend
church. I have this phrase, "The service you miss is the service
you need." Each service is tailored and designed to maximize
your Sunday worship so that you can leave with the best
possible spiritual experience. You can praise and worship God
and you can learn things that you didn't know before. You will be challenged. You're going to be motivated. Church is where you will be inspired to go higher than you've gone, to live a life that is godlier and greater than you've been living, to sync your life up with Jesus and His purpose and plan for your life. You will come to understand why you're here on this earth: to serve, to give and to love.
Don't come occasionally to church. Don't just come when you
feel like it. Make regular church attendance a priority and let it
be a good habit that becomes a part of who you are. Nothing
does more for your spiritual health than regularly being in
church. Being in a church service is irreplaceable. It is a moment
in time and once it's gone, it's gone forever. There will always
be competition for your time and other things that you could do
on a Sunday. But these are really good reasons you should
regularly attend church.
source: christianpost
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