Don’t Need Church_

Been struggling lately.  Getting my kids and sometimes myself to church has become more difficult.  My youngest son asked “Why do we have to go when we can watch online?  I can learn about God right where I’m at.”. So, I ended the title here “Don’t Need Church_” with an underscore; for you what punctuation goes there? 

I know some that would place an exclamation‼️ point or two there; they want nothing to do with church and God in general.  I know other’s it would be a question❓mark.  Maybe they are wondering and want to know if they should start going.  Maybe they are going and wonder why they should continue.  I know other’s the punctuation would be a period  and it’s not that they don’t need worship or teaching but they feel the church has become so corrupt that they can do it better or find better on their own.

Before anything, shouldn’t our question be, “What does the Bible say about gathering with other Christians?” Well, it says in Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” We meet with others because God chooses to be more present where more than one person is located with others. But isn’t God everywhere you might ask? Why, yes, yes He is. The question is not one of location but of awareness and focus. In school a teacher may have said “Mikey, be present with the rest of us”. Mikey may be there and somewhat aware of what is going on but not focused or focused on other things. God has promised that where we gather “in His name” with others “in His name” He will definitely be there with a greater focus and awareness.

(Heb 10:24-25 NKJV) 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 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.

Paul under the direction of the Holy Spirit tells us not to “forsake the assembly of ourselves”. The word assembly there is episynagōgē which is formed in part from the words that make up synagog referring to the place Jews would gather on the sabbath to hear the words of scripture read and be explained. The root words epi one place and synago to collect or gather together the whole in one place. It is a command to not stop meeting together but to gather together in one place. It is more than just two or three but all the two or threes meeting through out the week in home groups into one place. How are we doing this if we are just watching online? But what benefit is there for getting together? The same passage tells us. We are supposed to “stir up” one another to “love and good works”. The word “stir up” is paroxysmos and it means to provoke, incite or irritate one another to good works. It says in (Pro 27:17 LSB) “17 Iron sharpens iron, So one man sharpens another.” You can hide behind a screen or on the other end of a phone or chat, but it is hard to hide forever when you are face to face. We need this face to face to challenge us to become more like Christ.

Well, we just go to church and run out the door after service. It is clear from the Bible that this is not what God intended. So then do we get closer to what God intended by watching from home, since we are going to run out of service anyway? My oldest son came home from the Army and his station in Fairbanks Alaska this year. He had started working with a Christian group EYD or Engage Your Destiny. It was Christian organization started to combat suicide with Faith. Growing up we would go to Sunday School and then Church. Now many churches no longer have Adult Sunday school, and you just go to service and run out. At EYD it doesn’t work that way. You have the service and then breakout into small groups right after to discuss worship and the teaching. Now that sounds like a shift in paradigm that might change things.