Jesus Would Attend Church

Jesus Would Attend Church
by Scott Mixon

Attending church is a crucial and vital part of a Christian’s life. Yet many people who consider themselves Christians don’t attend Church on a regular basis. What would Jesus do?

First and foremost, it is God's will that Christians assemble together regularly. Hebrews 10:25-27 says, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching.”

When we forsake the assembly without a valid reason, whether it is occasionally or completely, we are disobeying God and denying Him of our worship. In Matthew 6:33 Jesus says, "Seek you first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." The Church must be a top priority for the Christian.

We have a number of commands associated with the Church that can not be followed unless Christians attend. In I Corinthians 11: 23-26, Christians are told to assemble to commemorate Jesus' death by partaking of the Lord's Supper. How can we follow the command, in Hebrews 10:25, to “exhort one another” if we do not assemble with other Christians? In Ephesians 5:19 and Col. 3: 16, Christians are commanded to sing and admonish "one another.”

Members of the early Church continue to provide an example for us today concerning how often we should attend. In Acts 2:42 we read, "They continued steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine, in fellowship, in breaking of bread and prayer." Acts 20:7 states, "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them.” The book of 1 Corinthians also provides strong evidence that Christians met weekly (1 Corinthians 11:17-18, 20, 33; 14:23, 26). In I Corinthians 16:1-2, the New International Version and the New American Standard translations make it clear that the First Century Christians met at least weekly ( “first day of every week” – NIV and NASB).

We are commanded to be like Christ and follow his example (Phil. 2:5-8). While most Christians will agree with the command for disciples to be Christ-like, many don’t believe that their failure to assemble is a violation of that command. Let’s consider the following:

In Luke 2:42-49, when Jesus was 12 years old, his parents could not find Him after leaving Jerusalem. After searching for three days, they found him in the temple sitting among teachers, listening, and asking questions. He responded to his parents, “Why is it you are looking for me? Did you not know that I had to be in my Father’s house?” Even at a young age, Jesus displayed His devotion to the Father by assembling with those who were studying and teaching the Word of God.

In Luke 4:16, the Bible says that Jesus had a habit (or “custom”) of attending synagogue for worship.

Jesus maintains an example for Christians today. In fact, Jesus has never forsaken an assembly of Christians. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus said "For where two or more are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." Do we want to miss being with the greatest guest of all, our Lord?

When people fall away from the Lord, it is usually not a sudden thing. They usually start by forsaking the assembly of Wednesday night Bible study. Then they start missing Sunday evening worship. Next they stop coming to Sunday morning Bible study; and then finally they stop coming to Sunday morning worship.

When we choose not to gather with other Christians, we are denying ourselves of all the benefits of worship that allow us to grow and strengthen spiritually. If we do not look forward to every opportunity we have to worship God "in spirit and in truth," how will we be able to enjoy worshipping God in heaven?

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