Church

Two years ago, I wrote about the importance of attending church. I stand by that. I believe we grow in the faith faster and further when we surround ourselves with other believers whom we can learn from and be encouraged by.  

But let’s be very clear—attending church is NOT necessary for salvation. John 3:16 famously tells us that “believing” in God’s Son, Jesus, leads to eternal life. Ephesians 2:8 says we are saved by grace through faith. And in Matthew 22:36-38 Jesus said that the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, mind, and soul. None of these says anything about attending church or gathering with other believers.

We don’t attend church in order to be saved. We attend church in order to grow spiritually—in other words, to grow closer to God and to become more like Jesus.

Gathering together to worship God has long been part of the Jewish faith. The center of worship for the Jews was at first the Tabernacle, and then the Temple. The Jews were forbidden to offer sacrifices to God at any other place.[1] Furthermore, God required all adult male Israelites to come together in Jerusalem three times a year: (1) Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread; (2) the Feast of Weeks (aka Pentecost); and (3) the Feast of Booths.[2] Psalm 34:3 emphasizes this practice of gathering to worship God: “O magnify the Lord with me, And let us exalt His name together.”

Like the Jews, the early Christians regularly gathered together. Acts 2:44-47 tells us that, shortly after Pentecost, following Jesus’s death and resurrection:

And all the believers were together and had all things in common; and they would sell their property and possessions and share them with all, to the extent that anyone had need. Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord was adding to their number day by day those who were being saved.

While some Christians did not gather together with other believers, the writer of Hebrews clearly thought coming together was the better practice:

and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.[3]

Jesus certainly anticipated that his disciples would gather together, because he promised that, when they did so, “I am there in their midst.”[4]

Since gathering together as believers is something God wants us to do, we should do it.

Do you find church boring? Find a better church.

Have you been hurt in church? Find a better church.

Did your church preach racism or hatred? Find a better church.

Did your church advocate misogyny? Find a better church.

Better churches are out there—churches where members sincerely try to love God and serve others; churches where people treat each other with kindness, respect, and consideration; churches which teach that everyone is a child of God who deserves to be loved and cared about; churches where the goal for every believer is to become more like Jesus.

If you’re not currently in a church, search diligently for one of those “better” churches—one that will help you draw closer to God and become more like Jesus.

[1]. See Deuteronomy 12:5, 12:11, and 12:18.

[2]. See Exodus 23:14-17, 34:23-24; Deuteronomy 16:1-16

[3]. Hebrews 10:24-25

[4]. Matthew 18:20