Next steps - Church

The missing part in your life

You would have reached the point where you realized your need for salvation, you repented and asked forgiveness for your sins, you started reading the Bible, praying and building your relationship with God, however there is still something missing from your life. That missing part is the Church as it was established by Jesus Christ. We are explicitly commanded in God’s Word to gather together as Christians (Hebrews 10:25).

Being a Christian does not mean that you should or even need to go at it alone like some type of lone ranger. Jesus Christ established His Church in order for believers to gather together and read, study, hear and learn from the Word of God, worship God and grow together spiritually because as “Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend (Proverbs 27:17, KJV). The Church by its very nature refers to the gathering together of multiple believers (Matthew 18:20).

This example of church attendance is set forth very clearly by the first followers of Jesus Christ, the original Christians as they were first named in Antioch (Acts 11:26). They would gather on weekly basis and at times on a daily basis to worship God together. They would also form a true Christian community and gather in one another’s homes. Paul and other apostles sent letters to these Church communities in order for them to be read aloud to the congregation as a means of inspiring them and at times correcting their behaviour if it were in contradiction to the Word of God.

Craig Groeschel, the senior pastor of Life Church, stated: “There is something better. To worship God together and be committed to worship Him together, to hear His Word together. Do not reduce Church to listening to a podcast. It's so much more than that. It's community. It's worshiping with others, praying for others, hurting with others, serving others and being involved in the lives of others” (2016).

The Biblical pattern for church attendance

• Every single Christian (without exception) should gather together on a weekly basis in order to hear the Word of God and Worship Jesus together as a Christian community (Acts 2:42, 20:7,20; 1 Corinthians 16:2,19; Colossians 3:16, 4:15; Romans 16:5; James 2:2; Psalm 37:17, 84:4, 92:13).

• Christians will benefit from gathering in smaller groups known as cell groups, home groups or Bible study groups (Acts 2:46).

• Churches have a leadership structure and we are not all called to form part of that structure, but we need to submit to and serve the people whom God has appointed to this structure within the church we attend (Acts 14:23, 20:17; Titus 1:5; Hebrews 13:7, 17; 1 Timothy 5:17; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13; Philippians 1:1b; Ephesians 4:11-12; 1 Corinthians 12:28; 1 Peter 5:1-2).

• If you can’t go to the church due to disabilities or severe illnesses, the church should come to you so you may worship in your home (James 1:27, 5:14).

Why should you attend church?

1. It is a command of God (Hebrews 10:25).

2. It affords you the opportunity to hear the Scriptures and learn from them.

3. It affords you the opportunity to worship God.

4. You may have some of your big questions answered, either in church or in one of the church’s smaller home groups.

5. You can become part of the Christian community.

6. You gain a support network.

7. You meet new people.

8. The people you meet become your church family.

9. You can help one another to grow spiritually.

10. You can reach spiritual maturity through regular church attendance and interactions with your church family.

11. You will be able to discern what you truly believe in terms of doctrines.

12. You will be able to receive guidance for your life.

13. Your church family can support you in times of need.

14. You will be encouraged to read your Bible on a daily basis.

15. You will be encouraged to pray on a daily basis.

16. Christ will be exulted through worship.

17. You can be baptised.

18. You will encourage others in their walk with God.

19. If you have children, they will be taught to value God and the Church.

20. It can help you to develop your personal leadership skills.

21. You will be able to unwind and find your rest in God (Matthew 11:28-30).

22. You can pray for others.

23. Others can pray for you.

24. Learn Jesus’ teachings and to obey them.

25. You can start the new week with a fresh Biblical perspective.

26. It promotes a happy marriage.

27. It promotes a life that is free from sin.

28. It promotes a life that is based upon the example set by Jesus.

29. It provides stability in your life.

30. It provides stability in your marriage.

31. Future generations will benefit from church attendance.

32. It will allow you take up an active role in missions.

33. You will be guided to share the Gospel message with friends, family and co-workers.

34. You will know exactly what you stand for.

35. You will be able to be discipled, mentored and pastored.

36. You will find acceptance without the need of having to try to fit in.

37. You will discover that you need not please other people, but please only God (Galatians 1:10).

38. You will learn to trust, obey and place your faith in Jesus.

39. It will aid the process of sanctification.

40. Faith without works is dead (James 2:17).

What should you look for when deciding on a church to attend?

The church must preach the Word of God. It is through the preaching of sound doctrine that the Word of God will penetrate the hearts of congregants and transform their lives.

The church must call sinners to repentance and not accept, tolerate or in any way allow sin to flourish amongst the members of their congregation. Similarly, the church must not bow to the culture of the day and become too weak to call sin, sin.

The church must encourage and help the downtrodden within the community. If a church has a multi-million rand or dollar building and yet they do not engage in community projects to build up the poor and needy in their community, then it is not a church worth attending as their goal is not Biblical but rather financial in nature.

The church must not try to guilt trip people into giving them money. Giving is a voluntary act not a forced one and if a church tries guilt tripping people, they are definitely motivated by finances rather than the Bible and should be avoided at all costs.

The church must inspire people to love, serve and obey the Lord Jesus Christ. You are not meant to merely keep a seat warm on a Sunday, get involved and share the Gospel and stand up against the current evils that are facing the modern world such as abortion.

The church should not have growth as its main focus, but always exult Christ first and foremost. God will provide the growth as He sees fit, churches should not force it or make it their main goal by becoming seeker-sensitive. Seeker-sensitive churches tend to promote a multiplicity of false doctrines in order to please men rather than pleasing God. These churches should also be avoided.

The church should have a plurality of elders and not a single pastor who takes all decisions and actions. Churches that do not have this plurality of elders may have a leader that makes sure that everything runs his way or the “highway”. This could lead to major divisions within the church and even a complete closure of the church as people will leave due to a fall out with the leader as a result of decisions he made.

Make sure that the leaders are not narcissistic, prone to fits of anger, adulterous, deceitful or engaged in any form of sin that may affect the church and congregation. This is knowledge that some members may be willing to share when you visit the church. BEWARE OF PASTOR WORSHIP – THOSE SYCOPHANTS WHO BLINDLY FOLLOW THE PASTOR AND HANG ON EVERY WORD HE SAYS AS IF HE IS THE ULTIMATE SERVANT OF GOD AND KNOWS EVERYTHING. However, the best way to determine whether a pastor is a genuine servant of God would be to meet with him at the church office and discuss the church’s doctrines, statement of faith et cetera and see how he treats you as a person and whether he is willing to take the time to meet with you.

Avoid denominational churches. There are approximately 38000 different denominations which each believe that they are the correct and true church, however the New Testament does not teach sectarianism or denominationalism at all. In the Bible we read that there is only 1 Church (Matthew 16:18; Acts 2:47, 20:28; Ephesians 1:22-23, 4:4). Denominations divide the Body of Christ and cause there to be no unity amongst them which is clearly contrary to what Scripture teaches (1 Corinthians 1:10). There are churches that are non-denominational and seek to serve as the Church of Christ as it is described in the New Testament. To find these churches you may need to do some research.

References

Langton R, 2014. 99 Reasons you should go to church this weekend. Online article. Accessed from: https://hillsong.com/collected/blog/2014/09/99-reasons-you-should-go-to-church-this-weekend/#.XOWfoI4zbIV, 2019-05-23.

Stoppe R, 2019. 10 Reasons to go to church even when you don’t feel like it. Online article. Accessed from: https://www.crosswalk.com/church/pastors-or-leadership/10-reasons-to-go-to-church-even-when-you-don-t-feel-like-it.html, 2019-05-23.

Think Eternity, 2016. Why attending church is so important. Online article. Accessed from: https://www.thinke.org/blog/attending-church-important; 2019-05-23.