Tough Topics: Church Attendance: Is It a Must?

Scripture Reading:

• Hebrews 10:23-26
• Exodus 25-31, 35-40
• 1 Kings 5-8
• 2 Chronicles 2-7
• Psalms 120-134
• Acts 2:42, 47
• Colossians 3:16
• 1 Corinthians 12

I’ll cut right to the chase. The biblical answer to the title question is yes. That’s not my opinion. That’s the biblical answer. And, the Bible is so clear on that question that there’s no room for debate. 

For starters, scripture contains a direct command to attend church. Check out Hebrews 10:23-25:

“Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;) And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 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.”

Where do believers primarily assemble or gather together and draw encouragement from each other? Church. That’s where. Furthermore, if you read Hebrews 10:26, ignoring this direct command to go to church becomes a lot scarier…

Not only is there a direct command to attend church in the New Testament, as we just looked at, but there’s a rich history of the importance of corporate worship dating back to Old Testament times, long before the birth of the church.

In Exodus 25-31, the Lord gave Moses detailed instructions regarding constructing the Tabernacle and everything within it. Then, Exodus 35-40 describes in detail the construction of the Tabernacle from start to finish, from gathering materials through the glory of the Lord filling the Tabernacle. Now, when we read and study those chapters, it’s easy for us to get overwhelmed by all the details. But, the fact that God supplied such intricate blueprints and provided craftsmen with the talent and ability to bring them to life as well as the fact that so much care went into constructing the Tabernacle only emphasize how important it was for God’s people to have a sacred space devoted to worshipping the Lord together. Furthermore, the Children of Israel during the wilderness years grumbled and complained about everything. At every turn, they were claiming they were going to starve or die of thirst and proclaiming how they should have just stayed in Egypt (because things were so wonderful for them there). But, rather than grumbling about making offerings for the Tabernacle, they gave so much and so willingly that Moses had to tell them to stop giving. (See Exodus 36:2-7). Clearly, they were invested in having a place for corporate worship.

Fast-forward in the Children of Israel’s history, and they needed a more permanent place for corporate worship in the Promised Land, so seven years were spent building the Temple. Seven years. You can read the account from preparing to build through dedicating the Temple in 1 Kings 5-8 and 2 Chronicles 2-7. And, again, such divine provision of materials and skilled labor, such time and care taken in construction, such intricate detail of the building itself to make it an architectural masterpiece–all of this emphasizes the level of importance God places on corporate worship.

The Book of Psalms, often referred to as the hymn book of ancient Israel, provides us with more evidence of the rich history of corporate worship in the Old Testament. Many of the psalms were used in worship. They were intended to be sung by God’s people collectively. Take, for instance, the “Songs of Ascents,” Psalms 120-134. The Children of Israel used these to worship together in song as they made their way up to the Temple to worship together.

Then, from the New Testament, aside from the direct command from scripture mentioned already, Acts, one of the longest books in the New Testament, records the birth and spread of the early church. Also, nine of Paul’s letters were originally written to churches: Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and 1 and 2 Thessalonians. And, three of Paul’s letters are pastoral epistles originally written to young church leaders: 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus. James would have been circulated in house churches of Jewish Christians. Similarly, 1 and 2 Peter would have been circulated among congregations in Asia Minor. While no specific audience is mentioned for 1 John, “the elect lady and her children” of 2 John 1 is likely a reference to a particular church and its members. Also, Revelation begins with seven letters to churches. It does not make sense that so much of the New Testament would be addressed to churches and/or contain instruction for churches and church leadership if church is not vital. It doesn’t make sense at all. 

I mentioned how Acts records the birth and spread of the early church. Specifically, in Acts 2, on the day of Pentecost, 3,000 souls were added to the church. And, verse 42 reveals, after being added to the church, “…they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.” They continued to worship and fellowship with other believers, and the Lord continued to add to the church (Acts 2:47). 

In Colossians 3:16, Paul wrote, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.” While church is not the only place where joint study of the Word or joint worship in song can happen, it is the best and most common place for it. 

Additionally, 1 Corinthians 12 discusses spiritual gifts and how their purpose is to be used to benefit the body of Christ, a body composed of many members who are all valuable to the body and who suffer together but also rejoice together. Believers are not meant to live in isolation. Now, obviously, the body of Christ encompasses all true believers the world over. However, a local church is the best place for us to worship with and serve with other members of the body of Christ. It’s the best place for us to share burdens and celebrate victories.

In one blog post, I can’t possibly cover everything the Bible has to say about corporate worship and church, but I hope I’ve covered enough to thoroughly emphasize the value and importance of attending a good Bible-believing church and doing so faithfully. People offer a lot of so-called reasons for not going to church, but the bottom line is they don’t hold water. Not to faithfully attend church is disobedience to God. Plain and simple. Churches may be full of hypocrites, but hopefully, those hypocrites will get under conviction and change. People do, unfortunately, get hurt in church, and it cuts deep. Guess what… It’s not fair (or right) to blame God for what imperfect people exercising their free will do. Guess what else… Forgiveness is another direct command in scripture. Church can be lonely, and it can be hard, especially for those of us who are not social butterflies, to get plugged in and feel a sense of belonging in church. I totally understand that, but personal preferences and social anxieties cannot outweigh a direct command from the Lord. Then, there’s the “Sunday’s my only day off” excuse. Well, God should always come first, and since Jesus did die on a cross for us, giving Him our only day off doesn’t really seem like much…

I hope I’ve firmly established that biblically church is a must. That said, we should not go to church simply because we’re commanded to do so in God’s Word. We should want to go. We should be eager to worship the Lord together with fellow believers, to learn and to grow with them. It should be a joy to go to the Lord’s house.

“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.” -Psalm 122:1

For Further Study:

• 1 Chronicles 22 and 29 – David’s work in preparing for Solomon to build the Temple
• Ezra 1-6 – Rebuilding of the Temple
• Matthew 18:15-20 – Jesus’s instructions for church discipline
• Acts 6:1-7 – First deacons
• 1 Timothy 3:1-13 – Qualifications for elders and deacons