Go to church! Going to church is about Christians coming together on the Lord’s Day for several reasons. From Bible usage, we know the Lord’s Day is Sunday. Christians come together to worship God every Sunday. If one wants to worship God correctly, we must do as Christians did in the New Testament. God approved their worship activities. How do we know? Because it’s in the Bible, in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit moved those New Testament authors to record worship so that we have God’s instructions today.
What is a church? A church is a community of saved* people glorifying God in prayer, thanksgiving, making our requests, singing to God from our hearts, sharing our resources, hearing God’s word, sharing the Lord’s Supper, and living righteous lives. You can’t do this alone, nor by yourself at home. It means all Christians coming together for worship.
What about me? Friend, worship is not about you directly. It’s about God. Many ask, “What church makes me most excited about being there? Which one makes me feel good?” Many seek a church where they can raise their emotions to a high level – the use of bands is often more like a concert; the clapping, shouting, the singing; it’s like a production. The question gets asked: “Did you get a lot out of church today?” The reply might be, “Oh yes! I enjoyed the music and really got into raising my hands and shouting, and the sermon was so uplifting!”
This never happened with the first-century church. Being a Christian in those days was difficult. One could be killed for admitting he was a Christian. Lots of persecution, danger, and fighting with beasts in an arena for the amusement of a large crowd. Christians gathering for worship were sincere people who wanted and needed their heavenly Father. There was no entertainment and not necessarily uplifting sermons – only the truth of the apostle’s teaching.
True worship according to the Bible. They sang from their hearts to the Lord, Ephesians 5:19. Please notice that verse is a command to sing from the heart. It’s something we give of ourselves. No instrument can do this. You see, worship is about giving our hearts outward. It’s not about what one gets inward – but more on this later. They prayed to God, 1 Timothy 2:1-6. And they shared their resources for the benefit of needy Saints and the church’s needs, 1 Corinthians 16:2, out of love for their brethren. They shared the Lord’s Supper – unleavened bread and “fruit of the vine,” Luke 22:18. They shared the memory of Jesus’ death for the world and His resurrection in doing this. And they heard God’s word as it was revealed to the apostles. These are the worship activities of the churches in the New Testament. John 4:24 has this: “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” These are Jesus’ words.
Well, do we get anything out of worship? Yes! Our emotions arise when we appropriately sing from the heart to the Lord. We fill our hearts knowing we worship God in a way that He wants to be worshipped. Our hearts are tender as we remember our Lord’s crucifixion and grateful in prayer, considering God’s grace. We are edified, built up in our faith, hearing Bible-based sermons. We give from our hearts some of the resources wherein God has blessed us. Oh yes, we get a lot out of services when we worship by the Bible.
Go to church? Yes, every Christian should attend services. There is a Bible command to do so, Hebrews 10:25. When you do what’s commanded, you know you’ve done right. When you don’t do as commanded, you know you’ve done wrong. There is a right way to worship God, only that way and none other. Man’s attempt to entertain for worship is absolutely not Biblical. This is important because it’s important to our Father.
*Saved: Hearing God’s word, Romans 10:17; believing Jesus is the Son of God John, 8:24, and acting on it, 2 Thessalonians 1:8; repenting of sin, Luke 13:3; confessing Jesus as Lord; Romans 10:9-10; and being baptized to wash sins away, Acts 22:16. It is vitally essential everyone understands this.