Why is going to church so important?

I have a friend who believes in God but doesn't see the reason in going to church. He views himself a good person and tries to do well in God's eyes and he says some in the church are worse than him so he doesn't know why he should attend. I need help in explaining to him why it is good to attend church. - NouNou2013

Acts 2:42-47   (The Message)

The Fellowship of the Believers

That day about three thousand took him at his word, were baptized and were signed up. They committed themselves to the teaching of the apostles, the life together, the common meal, and the prayers.  Everyone around was in awe—all those wonders and signs done through the apostles! And all the believers lived in a wonderful harmony, holding everything in common. They sold whatever they owned and pooled their resources so that each person's need was met.  They followed a daily discipline of worship in the Temple followed by meals at home, every meal a celebration, exuberant and joyful, as they praised God. People in general liked what they saw. Every day their number grew as God added those who were saved.

Ephesians 2:20 (NIV)

built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.

A few weeks ago, as we were in the midst of Bible Study, I was speaking on, “What does it take to build a church?”  No sooner had I got the words out of my mouth than a three year old said, “Bricks!”  I want to tell you that she is right!  God has had me meditate on that idea ever since.

It does take “BRICKS” in order to build a church.  When a building is built out of brick, the masons will use a cornerstone; this is important because all of the other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure.  Same goes for the church in a spiritual sense as well.  Jesus is the chief cornerstone and all of the other bricks will be set in reference to Him.  Each area of this acrostic wraps around Jesus, too.  So, why is church important?  “BRICKS” built on the cornerstone of Jesus, and worshipping an audience of one!

B- Believers devoting themselves.  It says that they “committed themselves to the apostles' teaching.”  You know, it is exciting to see people wanting to be excited about learning, making it a priority, and wanting to hear God’s Word.  That is what it means to be devoted to the Word.  We make it a priority to want to be hearers and doers of the Word.

R- Rejoicing with one another.  Rejoicing with one another is better termed as fellowship.  Koinonia fellowship, to be exact.  It means to have things in common.  Fellowship means to have “two fellows in the same ship.”  You know friends, I would not want to try to live the Christian life by myself.  Just because it is possible, doesn’t make it probable.  It certainly would not help our joy.  It would not help me to rejoice in Christ either.  I love the psalmist when he says, “I rejoiced with those who said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the LORD.'” (Psalm 122:1)  When we meet together, we are all a part of the Kingdom of Christ, and when we see that, we can know that there is cause to rejoice and fellowship with one another.

I- Ingesting in worship.  I used the term “ingesting” because Luke says that they “broke bread together.”   Ingesting.  Eating together!  Supping together!  We are called to do this in remembrance of Jesus and what He did for us.  We think about not only that within the Lord’s Table; we remember the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

C- Communication with God.  A huge part of the early church’s and the church today’s foundation is prayer!  The early Christians spent time in their efforts praying.  They prayed for church growth.  They prayed for one another’s needs!  We have got to take it seriously!!

K- Kindness to one another.  Verse 45 says, “they sold their possessions and goods; they gave to everyone who was in need.”  They helped their own people with whatever they needed.  They showed the fruits of the Spirit to everyone.  They took what they had and made sure that everyone was taken care of!

S- Sharing Jesus with everyone.  They added to their number daily.  We are called to evangelize and tell others about Jesus!  That is really how we build the church and add to her number.

Finally, this is no accident! We do not go to church because of tradition. It isn’t about rules and regulations. It’s about wanting to be there and wanting to build a great church; and that surely is going to take some pretty big BRICKS.  Friends, we are building the house of God both spiritually and physically. This is the place where He lives. It is not about concrete blocks, wood, hay, or straw. It is made of the precious gems of your lives and mine, and what’s more beautiful is that Jesus is the Head, and nothing will ever change that.  These things are why it is so important to attend church regularly!  To be a part of a group of believers who think the same that you do, want to worship God just like you do, and want to encourage one another is what church is about!  Remember, it is about an audience of one!  Won’t you join me in laying some more BRICKS for the cause of Christ today??


Resources : http://www.tddm.org/