Why is it important to attend the church service?

By: Mikey Pesqueda

The end of 2020 is finally here! Is it just me or has it seemed like this year has lasted forever? This year has been filled with difficult decisions and unforeseen scenarios for everyone. One of the questions that comes to mind as we end the year is, why is it difficult to go to church? 

Even before COVID people struggled with making it a consistent habit to go to church. Some of us wake up on Sunday morning still trying to decide whether or not we should get the kids ready for church or hit that snooze button one more time. Maybe we are asking ourselves the wrong question though. Maybe the question should be, why is it important that we go to church? I’m not talking about the person who is staying home because of health risks and really I’m not talking about COVID at all as much as I want to give you a couple of reasons of why going to church is important for the believer.
 
1. We go to church for our spiritual safety: When I say this I don’t mean that we are doing this so we stay saved. We are saved by the blood of Christ and nothing else. No works that we do change that. What I mean is that going to church helps to keep us from wandering. James 5:19-20 talks about this as he ends his letter. The church helps to keep the believer from wandering from the truth of the gospel. Brothers and sisters in our local congregations are there to help each other endure trials patiently, pursue the Lord fervently, and to protect each other from falling away.
 
2. We go to church for our spiritual growth: Deciding not to go to church will keep us stagnant in our spiritual growth. The church is there to grow together and present everyone mature in Christ (Col 1:28). This is why we have Sunday school, prayer nights, and Sunday morning worship. We do these things because through them we grow together in obedience. We learn to kill our sin together, to be obedient in areas we didn’t know we were being disobedient in, and to be molded to be more like Christ. Our growth doesn’t end at the church service but it can be hindered by not going to church. The Sunday service is a vital ingredient to your growth as a believer.
 
3. We go to church to retune our hearts: Going to church on Sunday helps to remind ourselves that we live for a higher purpose. Maybe the Sunday service will convict you of areas that you have let slide. The service might help you catch your breath and remind you of how our God is in control even at times when it seems that he isn’t. We go to the Sunday service to retune our hearts to be gospel-minded in a dark world.
 
4. We go to church to worship God: Sometimes we forget that the worship service isn’t about our preferences but it is about worshipping God. This is the most important reason we come to the Sunday service. We come to worship God for his goodness and faithfulness. We come to praise him for all he has done for us. We don’t come to be served but to serve as Christ has served. As we look to begin the new year I pray that you would remember these key reasons on why we attend the Sunday service and ask that God would remind you of his faithfulness everyday.