Do I have to go to church to be a Christian? (3)

The Lord said to Moses, ‘Speak to the Israelites and say to them: These are my appointed festivals, the appointed festivals of the Lord, which you are to proclaim as sacred assemblies’… Leviticus 23:1-2

Jesus went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. Luke 4:14-16

And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing but encouraging one another… Hebrews 10:24-25

Last time I gave some of the Bible background which encourages us to take seriously the practice of meeting together as Christians  – of “going to church”.

We saw how, from the very birth of Israel as a nation, God gave detailed instructions about both big annual festivals and also regular weekly services on the sabbath day (eg, Leviticus 23). And then how Jesus, a faithful Jew, obeyed these instructions, both by visiting the Jerusalem temple for the festivals, and also by following the “custom” of regular synagogue worship (Luke 4:14-16).

This time I want to try and be very practical about how this applies to our own lives. I want to ask two questions: first, Why might I be tempted to get out of the habit?; and second, What good does going to church do me?

But first, a word about attitude. The question we started with – “Do I have to go to church to be a Christian?” – betrays a wrong attitude, as if going to church is a duty or chore we feel we had better carry out, however grumblingly: rather like going to the dentist at regular intervals, or making sure I get the washing up done.

No! Meeting with others for regular worship should be a pleasure, the highlight of the week. And this applies even when it has also become a routine and therefore lost the freshness of novelty.

I can only suggest that if we have developed an attitude whereby regular worship is just a tedious duty, then it’s time we got before God and had a thorough self-examination. Just as we recognise various symptoms in our bodies as signs of physical ill-health, so too such an attitude of mind is a sign of spiritual ill-health.

But now to those two questions…

First, Why might I be tempted to get out of the habit?

The writer of Hebrews 10:25 urges his readers not to let this happen “as some are in the habit of doing”. Apparently the problem is not new! – it goes right back to the earliest days (though that’s pretty cold comfort).

It’s clear that it needs to be something pretty serious to justify breaking off from “meeting together”. The kind of feeble excuses we sometimes make for ourselves just won’t wash, and point to that spiritual ill-health I mentioned earlier…

“I’m just so busy!” What, too busy for God? Too busy for Jesus, who gave his life for us? It’s time to review our priorities!

“It’s really rather boring!” All right, our minister or preacher may not be the greatest, but do we pray for him or her? Do we go with an open, encouraging and expectant spirit?

“I really can’t get on with certain people!” Oh, poor you! But have you considered that the problem could lie with you, not the other person? “So-and-so really is a pain in the neck” we might think. But what if So-and-so is thinking exactly the same thing about you…? Have you tried – really tried - to see things from their point of view?

“I don’t like the way my church is going!” Well, we are never going to find a church where we see eye to eye with everything. Is it possible we need to take a fresh look at our own opinions – could some of them be sheer prejudices, or ingrained views we’ve never actually thought through?

Second, What good does going to church do me?

The Christian life is often hard, and we can easily become discouraged, so it’s worth thinking hard about Hebrews 10:24-25. The writer talks about “spurring one another on to love and good deeds” and “encouraging one another”.

Putting it bluntly, I need you, and (amazing though it may seem) you need me!

Regular corporate worship acts like a pulley; it draws us back to an awareness of God. Of course, a Christian’s life should ideally be centred on God every minute of every day. But in the sheer busyness of life we all know how hard that is. So meeting to worship, to sing, to pray and to receive God’s word helps us to re-focus.

One of the things we have learned only too well during the pandemic is that we need human contact - and while Zoom may be better than nothing, it’s only a weak substitute for the real thing. Just the sight of your face may be what I need to challenge and spur me on! Yes, really! We can all lapse from “love and good deeds”, becoming lazy and careless.

Personally, I look back over more than half a century of church membership and attendance, and I can only say that one of the greatest joys has been the people who have loved me, taught me, challenged me, perhaps corrected and rebuked me, helped me in practical ways, and been to me truly what the Bible says we all are, brothers and sisters.

All right, perhaps in theory you can be a Christian without going to church, in the sense of believing the right things. But make no mistake, you won’t be a very good Christian: not much use to God, to your fellow-believers, to your non-Christian contacts, or to yourself.

Thanks be to God for his family on earth, the church! Let’s take to heart what the Bible says, and get stuck in!

Heavenly Father, your church can often seem frustrating, demanding, even infuriating. But that’s because it’s made up of people like me. Teach me to value and cherish it, and to aim to make it just that little bit stronger and better in whatever ways I can. Amen.