The Bible does command Christians to gather together, doesn’t it? The gathering of the church is socially, psychically, and spiritually valuable, isn’t it? Above all, when the local body of Christ gathers for worship, it is far more than simply the collective worship of individuals, but the union of individuals in a body where their worship becomes something far more than the sum of the parts, right? In other words, when Christians gather together for worship, something greater than one’s daily worship at home occurs, isn’t that right?
Yes, yes, yes, and yes.
All these things are true.
All Christians should be members of a local church and should faithfully attend every service possible. First, there is the opportunity to serve others, the human reason for church attendance. (The divine, and primary, reason is to worship our God.) There is also the blessing that comes your way, if you attend, as others serve you. But remember, that isn’t so much a reason for attendance as it is an “attendant circumstance,” something extra, something that comes with the territory. The fact is, your biggest blessings come when you attend on purpose to be a blessing.
However, I want to do more with this chapter than simply exhort church attendance. The most well known passage on church attendance is Hebrews 10.24-25.
Heb 10.24-25 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, 25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.
It happens to be one of the “go to” verses in the Christian Covid rebellion. I’d like to take some time to think through the passage so that we can intelligently and Scripturally disagree with the Covid rebels. I believe they at least misunderstand, if not misuse, this passage of Scripture. [Read more…]
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