In the Bible it was normal for Christians to go to church. Throughout the New Testament, there are many examples of believers meeting together in church. In Acts 2:42 the believers met together for church every day. They were devoted to both the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, because we need both teaching and fellowship. In Acts 20:7, it says that Christians met together on the first day of each week (Sunday).
In Hebrews 10:24-25, God commanded Christians to not stop meeting together. This instruction presupposes that Christians are already meeting together. In order to follow this command, we must meet together regularly in church.
Throughout 1 Corinthians 14, being “in church” means attending the church meeting. If a Christian is “in church,” he attends the church meeting. If he does not attend the church meeting, he is not “in church.”
Lord’s Supper
Jesus told us to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, and it’s only possible to do this in a church meeting. Lone Christians cannot partake of the Lord’s Supper. The bread represents not only our fellowship with the Lord, but also with each other, for we are one loaf of spiritual bread (1 Corinthians 10:17). This loaf of the body of Christ is broken and shared during the church meeting. Fellowship among believers is an essential part of the Lord’s Supper.
The Presence of Jesus
Jesus said when 2 or 3 gather together in his name, he is there in the midst of them. Jesus is among his people in church meetings in a powerful way; this is different than his presence in our individual lives. We must attend a Biblical church in order to experience this unique presence of Jesus. When we do, we will avail of the blessings, peace, healing, and power that accompany this unique presence of Christ. This cannot be replicated when we are alone.
Fulfilling “One Another” Commands
There are approximately 100 “one another” commands in the New Testament. Love one another. Serve one another. Build up and encourage one another. Forgive one another. Be patient with one another. Live in harmony with one another. Confess to one another. Pursue peace with one another. These commands tell us how to relate to our fellow Christians, and they can only be fulfilled when we meet with other Christians, particularly when we meet with them in church. But if we never go to a Biblical church, we won’t have an opportunity to fulfill these important commands.
Operating Spiritual Gifts
Each Christian has a spiritual gift, and we are to minister our spiritual gifts to one another (1 Peter 4:10). Almost all spiritual gifts are given for the purpose of building up the church and edifying other Christians. We must go to a Biblical church in order to operate our spiritual gifts. But if a Christian never attends church, his spiritual gifts will atrophy.
Avoiding Destruction
In the New Testament, the worst punishment for an unrepentant Christian was being forbidden from attending church meetings and not being allowed to eat the Lord’s Supper (1 Corinthians 5:11). This was called being “delivered over to Satan” for the destruction of the flesh (1 Corinthians 5:5). Also, some Christians in the New Testament did not break bread properly with the saints, and therefore they were weak, sick, and some of them died prematurely (1 Corinthians 11:30). Meeting with other Christians in church and partaking of the Lord’s Supper is an essential part of the Christian life. It profoundly impacts our spirits, souls, and bodies. If not attending church is a punishment in the New Testament, why would we purposefully inflict that punishment on ourselves by choosing to not attend church?
Symbols of Church in the New Testament
The church is compared to a bride. The bride of Christ is a group of people. In order to be part of the bride of Christ and attend the wedding supper of the lamb, we need to be part of a Biblical church.
The church is compared to a house. We are like living stones built together into God’s house. We must be built into the church in order to fulfill our purpose. A stone scattered on the roadside is no better than rubble, but when it is put into a house it fulfills a higher purpose. So it is for us. If we never go to church, we are unable to fulfill our purpose in God. But in the church we will find our real purpose.
The church is compared to a body (1 Cor. 12:24). No body part will survive very long apart from the body. If a finger is cut off, it’s in a very dangerous position, and its only hope for survival is to be urgently reconnected to the body. If the finger stays separate from the body for too long, it will die. If a tooth is knocked out, it must be put back into the body quickly, otherwise it will perish and be of no use. It’s the same for a Christian. A Christian who never goes to church is putting himself in a very dangerous position, and he won’t survive for long.
The church is compared to a mother (Galatians 4:26). Someday the church will birth the sons of God (Revelation 12:5), and servants of God are like nursing mothers who travail in birth until Christians are formed into maturity. John compared churches to mothers who had children (2 John 1; 13). In our Christian lives, we need both God the Father, and we need church the mother. Children of single parent homes face problems that children of dual-parent households don’t have. Both parents are vitally important. As Christians, we need the Father, but we also need Biblical church as our mother.
Examples from the Old Testament
In the Old Testament, the children of God were commanded to worship God in his temple. They were not allowed to worship God anywhere else. Today, the temple is the church (Ephesians 2:20). We need to worship God in a Biblical church.
The children of Israel had to cross over the Jordan River together in order to enter the Promised Land. One person alone could not cross into the Promised Land, but they had to cross over together in order to defeat the giants. In a similar way, we need each other in the church in order to defeat spiritual enemies.
It was necessary to be inside the ark in order to survive the flood. In a similar way, it will be necessary to be inside the church in order to survive the troubles that will come upon the world at the end of the age.
Examples from Nature
We can learn about the importance of church from nature.
When an animal is separated from the herd, it becomes vulnerable. A herd of wlldebeasts create an almost impenetrable fortress against prowling lions, but if a wildebeast gets separated from the herd, lions will attack it. Satan is like a roaring lion, looking to devour and destroy Christians (1 Peter 5:8). If he can find a lone Christian who never goes to church, he finds prey that he can attack and destroy.
Bees and ants are made to live in community. If a bee is separated from the hive, it will not survive for long. If an ant is separated from the colony, it will soon die. Alone, they lack nutrition, lack direction, can’t heal quickly from wounds, and lack purpose. This teaches us that we need to attend church in order to be spiritually healthy and survive.
Geese fly in formation in order to take advantage of aerodynamic lift and help each other fly farther and faster. Apart from the group, they get exhausted when flying. In addition, navigation is easier for geese in the flock. They have collective knowledge of landmarks and know where to go. They help each other find shelter and food. But a lone goose lacks these advantages, and may not be able to find food or shelter and might get lost. In the flock, geese are protected from predators as they watch out for each other, but a lone goose is likely to be caught and eaten by a wild animal. It’s similar for Christians. We need each other for vision, effective forward movement, healing, spiritual nourishment, and safety.
Christians are like sheep. We are made to be inside the flock, part of a Biblical church. We are not created to survive alone.
Facing the End Times
The Antichrist is coming. Christians will be unable to buy or sell without the mark of the beast. How will they survive? A common economy must be raised up among God’s people. We will have to help each other. Communal living will become increasingly necessary as we approach the end of the age. Persecution and trouble will rise, and we must be part of a Biblical church in order to survive. We will face hard times, and the only way to survive will be together in church.
Going to Biblical church is not an optional add-on to our Christian life. It is essential.
What if There Is No Biblical Church Where I Live?
Many Christians are lonely in this time. They cannot find Biblical church. They want to be part of a Biblical church, but there isn’t one near them. There are many “churches” in the world, but many of them are not Biblical. They engage in vain worship, pagan practices, and promote error and deception. Not everything that people call a church is really a church. Many churches have deviated from God’s word, and they promote false teachings and even allow demons to masquerade in their meetings. We must be careful and measure everything by the Bible. It is better to go to no church at all, rather than go to an unbiblical church.
If there is no Biblical church in your area, then here are some things to do:
Don’t compromise by going to an unbiblical church.
Meet online with a Biblical house church if possible. Online church is not real church, but it’s better than nothing.
Pray. Tell God that you want to attend a Biblical house church.
Share the truth and your desire for Biblical church with others.
If God brings you at least one other Christian (who is not part of your family) who desires Biblical church, then you may be able to start a Biblical house church with that person.
Overcome Silly Excuses
Many Christians give excuses for why they don’t go to church regularly.
They think they don’t need to.
However, as we have seen, the Bible shows us that attending Biblical church is essential.
They feel it’s unimportant.
However, God must be the most important part of our lives. We must seek FIRST God’s kingdom and righteousness, above everything else.
They feel they are too tired or there is no time.
We have time and energy for the things we value. Church should be more important to us than work and entertainment, and if we make time for those lesser things, we can definitely find time and energy for going to church.
They feel they are doing fine without church.
Disobedience to God is never ok. Not going to church will eventually cause great spiritual harm. It’s easy to be deceived and not recognize the harm until it’s too late. Satan will attack lone Christians through sin, discouragement, spiritual coldness, and worldliness. Let’s not needlessly expose ourselves to attacks by not doing something as basic as going to church.
It is important for every Christian to be part of a Biblical church. Don’t join an unbiblical church, but pray and seek God for the real thing. We are living in the time of the bride’s manifestation, and she will be raised up all over the world. Seek God for this. He will make a way.
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