Church Attendance
Discipleship Lesson 2
Hebrews 10:23-25: Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:25 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.
The Definition of Church
“Church” is the local, regular assembling of true Christian believers, corporately and individually fulfilling the Great Commission. A church is marked by the following distinctives:
A church is a local, regular gathering. “Church” means “congregation/gathering/assembly” (compare Hebrews 2:12 with Psalm 22:22). The scriptural references to “church” are usually explicitly associated with a location (e.g., “the church which was at Jerusalem,” Acts 8:1; 11:22; “the church that was at Antioch,” Acts 13:16; “the church which is at Cenchrea,” Romans 16:1; “the church of the Laodiceans,” Colossians 4:16), and the fact that there is not one singular “church,” but rather many “churches” (e.g., Acts 9:31; 15:41; 16:5; Romans 16:4, 16; I Corinthians 7:17), proves that churches are local, regular gatherings.
Though the term “church” can often refer to believers not then-gathered (e.g., Acts 14:27; I Corinthians 15:9), they are “the church” insofar as they do indeed habitually gather. Church is not a location; church meets in a location (e.g., Romans 16:5; I Corinthians 16:19; Philemon 2). However, unless that location is one’s own home, to not go to church is to not be in church at all (see the differentiation between “church” and one’s own residence in I Corinthians 11:22 and 14:34-35).
A church is composed of believers. That “church” is practically synonymous with “believers” is clear from scripture (see Acts 20:28). Church is “the assembly of the saints” (Psalm 89:7). To be “added” to the church by the Lord, one must first “be saved” (see Acts 2:47). Paul takes it almost as a kind of anomaly that an unbeliever would come to join a church meeting (I Corinthians 14:23). Whereas the world generally is under the influence of “the prince of the power of the air [the devil]” (Ephesians 2:2), the church is “subject unto Christ” (Ephesians 5:24). The church is the body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22-23; Colossians 1:18, 24; I Corinthians 12:27), and is married unto Christ (Ephesians 5:31-32)—the church, therefore, has no part with infidels (see II Corinthians 6:15).
All such meetings of unbelievers, like those of the Catholics, Anglicans, and Pentecostals, are best termed “the assembly of the wicked” (Psalm 22:16; see also 86:14), an “evil congregation” (Numbers 14:27, 35), whereas the gatherings of real Christians are termed “the assembly of the upright” (Psalm 111:1), “the congregation of the righteous” (Psalm 1:5). Those who go to meetings of unbelievers have strayed far from the right path, and are as the whorish woman, “which forsaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the covenant of her God” (Proverbs 2:17).
Proverbs 21:16: The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.
A church is Biblically intentioned and occupied. Not just any mere gathering of believers could be considered “church” (e.g., John 21:2-3), but only those gatherings where the purpose is formally spiritual, or, according to scripture. Though unbelievers can have “assemblies” (Daniel 6:6; Matthew 26:3-4; Acts 19:28-41), and may even have a religious purpose in gathering (see II Kings 10:20), yet they are not truly regarded, in God’s sight, as churches—at least, in the Biblical sense. To foster the presence of God, the gathering together must be “in Jesus’ name” (Matthew 18:20), in his authority and to accomplish his purposes.
The Purposes of Church
There are four general purposes we accomplish by attending church.
- We attend church to WORSHIP God corporately
God is greater than everyone and everything else (Psalm 145:3; Hebrews 6:13), and he is worthy of all worship, honor, and praise from his creatures. God doesn’t need our worship (Acts 17:25), but, rather, he deserves our worship (see Psalm 89:7). The most powerful and Biblical way to offer worship to God is by coming together for regular, corporate gatherings in honor of him, where all the proceedings (the fellowship, the singing, the preaching, etc.) will explicitly be in his name and for his glory.
A church service is where we praise and worship God as an assembly of believers (see Ephesians 3:21)—worshipping God together (Psalm 34:3; see also Psalm 86:9), just like it will be in heaven (see Revelation 7:9-12). The Bible commands us to give praise to God “in the congregations” (Psalm 68:26; 107:31-32; 149:1; see also 26:12), which can only be obeyed if we regularly attend church services.
Psalm 26:12: …in the congregations will I bless the LORD.
- We attend church to GROW spiritually
As God’s children, we should be continually learning, growing, and becoming more spiritually mature. Spiritual maturity has two aspects: spiritual wisdom (what we know; Proverbs 23:15-16) and spiritual character (how we behave; Proverbs 10:9; II Timothy 2:22). God expects that we gradually—little by little (Isaiah 28:10)—grow spiritually (see also I Corinthians 13:11). One Biblical means of our spiritual growth is
for us to regularly assemble with fellow believers in church to hear the preaching of God’s word. The primary job of the pastor is to “feed the flock of God” (I Peter 5:2; cf. Acts 20:28; see also Jeremiah 3:15), and we should readily yet wisely receive his instruction (Acts 17:11). We should always be mindful about how we may be edified ourselves, and how we may thereby edify others (I Corinthians 14:12). Being planted in a good local church is the key to flourishing as a Christian (Psalm 92:13).
Ephesians 4:11-15: And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ.
- We attend church to FELLOWSHIP with other believers
God created each of us with the need for companionship and friendship with others (Genesis 2:18). Whoever we spend our time with will largely determine what kind of lives we live, and what kind of beliefs we have (I Corinthians 15:33; Galatians 5:7; II Timothy 2:16-17; Proverbs 27:17). We should not spend time with unsaved or ungodly people (II Corinthians 6:14; see also Proverbs 1:10; 4:14-15), but should rather “walk in the way of good men” (Proverbs 2:20). Instead of having “Jonadab friends” who will influence us towards sin (see II Samuel 13:1-5), we should have righteous friends who will refresh our spirit (see Acts 27:3). A true church, therefore, is
a reliable source of godly influence and fellowship. The best and most faithful friends a Christian could have are those which are faithful churchgoers. God does not merely call us to salvation, but also “unto the fellowship” (I Corinthians 1:9; see also I John 1:3).
Philippians 1:3-5: I thank my God upon every remembrance of you,4 Always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy,5 For your fellowship in the gospel from the first day until now.
- We attend church to SERVE God and others.
An important purpose of church is “for the work of the ministry” (Ephesians 4:12). As believers, we are each part of the “body of Christ” in our respective location, and have a significant role to play in the ministry of our local church.
I Corinthians 12:12, 27: For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. . . .27 Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
We ought to be members of a church, serving the Lord “with all humility of mind” (Acts 20:19) as we work under a Biblically-accountable leadership (see I Thessalonians 5:12-13; I Timothy 5:17; Hebrews 13:7, 17). The greatness of Joshua, Elisha, and the apostles was due to their humble service under other great men of God first: Moses, Elijah, and Jesus (see Exodus 24:13; 33:11; II Kings 3:11). Every great man of God served God through the local church (Acts 13:1-3), either by serving in the church directly (Acts 6:3), or by being approved and sent out from the church (Acts 15:40). Those who do not regularly attend church will not be faithfully engaged in the furtherance of the Great Commission, including such works as soul-winning.
The Practice of Church Attendance
Criteria of the Right Church
Though there are many churches, the majority are not true churches of God founded upon the Bible. “There are many vain talkers and deceivers” (Titus 1:10) in the world, and false churches abound. God himself frequently expresses disgust with religious assemblies of hypocrites and evil people (e.g., Isaiah 1:13; Amos 5:21-23). We should “hate” the congregations of false churches, and have a commitment within ourselves that we “will not sit with the wicked” (Psalm 26:5)—“I hate every false way” (Psalm 119:104, 128).
If there is no good church in our area, and we will not move to an area where there is a good church (which would be sinful), it would be better that we not go to church at all than that we go to false churches (see Jeremiah 15:17). Those who go to unbiblical churches are simple, foolish people who have been greatly deceived (see Romans 16:7-8), and who will “die for want of wisdom” (Proverbs 10:21). The false prophets of fake churches gleefully beckon to the gullible, “Whoso is simple, let him turn in hither,” but “he knoweth not that the dead are there,” and that that churches’ members are, all of them, “in the depths of hell” (see Proverbs 9:13-18). There are three basic criteria which determine whether a church is a good church:
- The right gospel. If a church does not teach that salvation is a free gift of God, only received by believing on Jesus, and that salvation is eternal, and cannot be lost no matter how one behaves, it is a bad church (Galatians 1:9; I John 4:1; II John 9-11).
- The right Bible. If a church does not use a Bible based upon the traditional, received text (in English, the King James Version), it is a bad church (Revelation 22:18-19).
- The right works. If a church does not regularly do the work of evangelism (preaching the gospel), it is a bad church (Revelation 2:5).
Beginnings of the Christian Church
Though believers have always met together for spiritual purposes throughout history, specifically Christian church practice was originally established by Jesus during his earthly ministry (Matthew 16:18-19; cf. Ephesians 2:20-22), and was continued on after his ascension to heaven (Acts 2:12-14). Although the early churches were at first run by the apostles, authority was later localized and shifted to evangelists/elders of churches to accommodate the cessation of the apostles and prophets (Acts 20:29-32; see also I Corinthians 12:28). Thus, today, each local church should be independently operated. It is also essential for every church to have God-ordained leadership (see Titus 1:5), that they “be not as sheep which have no shepherd” (Numbers 27:17).
From the beginning, Christians chose the “first day of the week,” Sunday, to gather together for church (see John 20:19; I Corinthians 16:2), most likely because Christ rose from the dead on the first day of the week (Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:2; Luke 24:1; John 20:1), called “the Lord’s day” (Revelation 1:10). Although the specific day is unimportant (see Romans 14:5-6), sabbath day observance is no longer binding on New Testament Christians (Galatians 4:9-11; Ephesians 2:15; Colossians 2:14-17), and we should not follow traditions of the heathen (like Muslims) or of heretical cults (like the SDAs) (see Deuteronomy 18:9; Matthew 6:7). In fact, we should be in church very frequently (see Acts 2:46; 5:42), more than just on Sunday mornings.
Acts 20:7: And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight.
The Importance of Church Attendance
Church is an essential part of a Christian’s life. Those who don’t regularly attend church are disobeying God (Hebrews 10:25). Therefore, attending church services on a regular basis is expected from every Christian who desires to follow and serve Christ. God expects faithfulness (I Corinthians 4:2), and faithfulness to Jesus is partly measured by faithfulness to church. Jesus himself was very faithful to regularly attend gatherings of the believers (see Luke 2:46-49; 4:16). It was said of Joshua that, even as a young man, he “departed not out of the tabernacle” (Exodus 33:11). We should “continue steadfastly” in church (Acts 2:42). It is astounding that many Christians will exhibit a great zeal for their family, for their health, or for money, instead of having the zeal for God’s house they ought to (see Psalm 69:9; see also Hosea 7:14).
We should strive to attend church as often as possible. As the second coming of Christ approaches, attending church becomes more and more important: “…so much the more, as ye see the day approaching” (Hebrews 10:25). Whenever our Biblical, true church has a public function, we should be there. Whenever there is an opportunity to serve Christ, we should lay down our time. Be a “living sacrifice” Christian (Romans 12:1-2) who doesn’t count their own life dear to themselves, “so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry…” (Acts 20:24). The least you can do for Jesus is make time in your weeks to come to his house.
Malachi 3:16-18: Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his name.17 And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.18 Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not.
Many of the New Testament books were specifically written to churches (e.g., Romans, I Corinthians), and read before the churches at their services, so those who didn’t go to church missed out on hearing God’s word (see Colossians 4:16; I Thessalonians 5:27). Even though no new revelation is given today, there are many “messages” from God the non-church goer will not receive, many lessons they will not learn, and many things they will never discover simply because they did not go to church. Therefore, “he that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches” (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22).
Going to church ought to be a joyful and happy time. David said, “I have set my affection to the house of my God” (I Chronicles 29:3). And again, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1). Jesus himself founded the Christian church (Matthew 16:18-19), loved the church (Ephesians 5:25), died for the church (Acts 20:28), attends the meetings of the church (Matthew 18:20), and daily prays for the church (John 10:16; 17:20-21). We should value our local church at least as much as Jesus values it (see Psalm 84:1-4, 10).