I Attend Church to Empower My Love of Christ
I Attend Church to
Strengthened
Belong
Serve
Keep Sabbath
Why do I attend church? I am afraid I am giving away my age here. When I was young, people attended church. Frankly, they attended church because most things were closed. Today, church attendance has become optional. We are free to do many more exciting things. Religion is no longer deemed as important as it used to be.
In addition, we can attend a virtual church. We can turn on our television or cellphone to watch a service. We can listen to a preacher on the radio as we drive.
I often hear the phrase “I’m spiritual but not religious.” Usually, what they mean is they have more interesting things to do on Sunday. They don’t feel that attending church is a necessity.
I Attend Church to Strengthen My Love of Christ
Jesus said the first commandment is to love God.
To be truly spiritual takes effort. A weekly reminder strengthens me to contemplate Jesus. With COVID-19 restrictions, I missed having my spiritual batteries recharged each week.
We can be very forgetful. When preoccupied with the world, we easily fall prey to its many enticements. Attending church empowers me to focus on spiritual things. Pondering spiritual things helps me feel serenity in a chaotic world.
One reason I attend church is to help me feel peace. That alone would make attending church worthwhile.
To learn more about peacemaking, see: https://christiansearcher.com/5-powerful-ways-to-become-a-peacemaker/
I Attend Church to Belong
Fractured relationships fill much of the world. At church, I have found a group of like-minded people. Not that we agree on every topic. But we are all striving to serve the Lord in the best way possible.
Together we raise our voices to sing His praises. Singing hymns with my congregation is indeed a joyful noise. It makes my heart swell and often brings tears to my eyes. It is a unique blend of singers, all part of the Lord’s family.
We are a family. We support each other. When I was sick, they brought me meals. When my husband passed away, my church family was there for me. I am part of a congregation that cares for each other.
I realize every organization has its cliques. People who exclude others. I try not to be part of those cliques. They have enough members already. This leaves me free to befriend anyone and everyone. To welcome each individual to God’s house.
Scripture states he will be present wherever two or three gather in Christ’s name.
Attending Church Empowers Me to Serve Others
Jesus said the second commandment is to love our neighbor.
I have found that being affiliated with a church helps me serve others. My church is fantastic at organizing community service projects. As a group, we can do many things we could not do as individuals.
I enjoy serving others. Serving as a group means sharing the joy.
My church family and I have collected coats for the homeless. Sent clothing and shoes to refugee camps. Collected food for Thanksgiving and Christmas baskets. Every year, we do an Angel Tree to provide toys for children in struggling families.
Jesus asks us to serve our fellow man. We can do that more effectively by being part of a genuine church.
With a virtual church, we can send money. But we miss the one-to-one service that’s available when attending a brick-and-mortar chapel.
I attend church to receive and give hugs. To partake in communion is a significant act of faith. I love to marvel and coo over a new baby. To smell the flowers on the altar. To teach a Sunday school class of six-year-olds. Oh, how I love those precious little ones.
Attending Church Helps Me to Keep the Sabbath
Keeping the Sabbath day holy is a commandment.
Exodus 20: 7-10 says: “Remember the sabbath day to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labor and do all thy work. But the sabbath day is the Lord’s Day. In it will thou shalt not do any work.”
Matthew tells us that Jesus attended synagogue on the Sabbath “as was his custom.” Therefore, if I want to follow Christ’s example, I must also attend church on the Sabbath.
Personally, I don’t care if you consider Saturday or Sunday the Sabbath. I have heard legitimate arguments for both days. But the commandment found in Exodus does not specify a day. It says to set aside one day in seven to worship God.
When I was young, the Sabbath was easy to keep. All the stores were closed. They shut down all the entertainment places. Today, that is no longer true.
I try not to work or to make others work on Sundays. One way I prepare for Sunday is by filling my car’s gas tank on Saturday. I often prepare Sunday meals on Saturdays.
I owned a construction company for 30 years. Occasionally, customers would demand that we work on Sunday. I would take the problem to the Lord in prayer. Something always seemed to prevent us from working on Sundays. To me, it was simply God answering my prayers.
The world makes keeping the Sabbath holy difficult. Attending church makes it easy.
Why I Attend Church
I love going to church. It lightens my heart and helps me feel at peace. It strengthens my resolve to stay true to Christ.
Somehow, attending a virtual church would never do for me. It would be like hugging a robot instead of a living human being.
At church, I have found people who love the Lord. We work together to meet the needs of others. We attempt to welcome all,
Attending church helps me keep God’s commandments. That brings joy to my heart, and I hope it gladdens the Lord’s heart, too.
If you have not attended a genuine church for a while, I hope you will reconsider your Sabbath day activity.
For some of us our church has failed us. Read our article about What to Do When Our Church Fails Us
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