“Our Daily Bread”     http://odb.org 

The Daily Devotions of Greg Laurie    http://www.harvest.org/devotional

Written by Pastor Jim Lee for “The Domain for Truth” @  https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com  

Original post @ https://veritasdomain.wordpress.com/2020/11/20/thoughts-on-biblical-command-for-church-attendance/

Thoughts on Biblical Command for Church Attendance

November 20, 2020 by SLIMJIM

Here’s a comment/question that a brother asked that others have recently asked me something similar so I thought I write a post so it help others too:

I realized I didn’t have a good understanding of this, but the physical act of church attendance isn’t exactly commanded but more so a manifestation/fruit of a believer, is that correct?  I’m referencing to Acts 2:42

The brother made a good observation.  Some further thoughts:

1. I think it is imperative believers should go to church.

2. Some might wonder if there is any direct command to go to church.  I think the closest is Hebrews 10:24-25: “and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, 25 not abandoning our own meeting together, as is the habit of some people, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.”  Note I said close since technically Hebrews 10:24 the verb “let’s consider” is a subjunctive and not an imperative.  Still the subjunctive mood is encouraging believers to do what is right.  Note in verse 25 it says “not abandoning our own meeting together.”  In the Greek it is a participle and I take it is stating the manner in which we are to encourage other believers involves not not meeting together (I realize its a double negative).

3. Still it is not just Hebrews 10:24-25 as the case of the importance of the local church on Sunday.

4. Remember Scripture has many other commandments for believers that involves how we treat others.  Some of those involves how we relate to other believers.  At the core of those commandments from God is to love one another.  This is commanded by Jesus to His followers in John 13:34, John 15:12, John 15:17. Jesus assume there is interactions and relations among believers for he said “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).  Here Jesus is talking about disciples are to love one another and it become so evident even to the lost and dying world.  This means at minimum believers are gathering and deeds done among believers public enough to the point that the unbelieves know about it, and know who are Jesus’ disciples.

5. Yet what does that love of one another looks like?  The New Testament has many imperatives “one another” that assume believers will be at church with other believers to carry out these commands:

   1. Greet one another (Romans 16:16)

   2. Show hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9)

   3. Serve one another (Galatians 5:13)

   4. Admonish one another (Romans 15:14; Colossians 3:16)

   5. Care for one another (1 Corinthians 12:25)

   6. Bear one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)

   7. Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:2, 32; Colossians 3:13)

   8. Be patient with one another (Ephesians 4:2; Colossians 3:13)

   9. Comfort one another (1 Thessalonians 4:18)

   10. Encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

   11. Exhort one another (Hebrews 3:13)

6. Again from point 5 these commands are hard to live out if believers aren’t meeting.  Also to carry out these commandments to the maximum amount of believers would be when the maximum amount of believers gathering, which would be at Church on Sunday.

7. Some of these New Testament “one another” commands are quite prominently practiced on church on Sundays:

   1. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19)

   2. Pray for one another (James 5:16)

   3. Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16)

8. Another argument for believers going and being participants in local churches is from the Bible’s teaching about spiritual gifts.

   1. 1 Peter 4:10 tells us to use our spiritual gifts that God has given us for the benefit of one another: “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the multifaceted grace of God.“

   2. 1 Corinthians 14:12 states specifically spiritual gifts are suppose to be for the church’s edification: “So you too, since you are eager to possess spiritual gifts, strive to excel for the edification of the church.”  Note the word “church.”

   3. 1 Corinthians 12 also teaches us that every believer has a spiritual gift.

   4. If every believer has a spiritual gift and spiritual gift is for the edification of the church then to not be involved with the assembly of the church to exercise one’s spiritual gift would be to neglect one’s gift from God and also disobedience to the Lord’s commandments.

9. Still another line of argument is also noticing what sins are committed when some people leave the church in an unbiblical manner.  Sometime people leave churches for reasons that actually goes against the “one another” that involve prohibitions of how we are not to related to one another, but notice it assumes the assembly and membership of believers to other believers:

   1. Don’t pass judgment on one another (Romans 14:13) I

   2. Don’t grumble against one other (James 5:9)

   3. Don’t bite one another (Galatians 5:15)

   4. Don’t  provoking and envying each other (Galatians 5:26)

   5. Don’t slander one another (James 4:11)

10. Of course added to our case is the many examples found in Scripture of believers meeting such as in the book of Acts and the Epistles.

11. Also there’s also the teachings of what is the Church in the New Testament that should compel believers to be part of a church, after all its relevant for believers to know doctrines of the church since they are members of the church.  One can’t study the Bible and learn about the nature of the church, with its spiritual origin, how its an answered “mystery” of how God brought Jews and Gentiles together (see Ephesians), its basis in the union with Christ, the ordinances, purpose and offices and spiritual gifts of the church without seeing that these truths are for us to BE the church and gather in its local manifestation near us.

12. I think all the points make the argument that believers should be going to church and if a believer is saved and read the Word that would see the importance of attending and being a member of a church.  Yet I know some would still ask why aren’t there more verses on the importance of church in the New Testament: Maybe they wish it was stated a certain way, perhaps more direct, perhaps with a certain phrase such as “Go to church.”  But remember God is the one who dictate how He tells us to go to church.  Let’s say hypothetically there isn’t a lot of passages about going to church (which I think the points above already challenge); still, that’s not a good excuse to not say church is not important for a counterpoint would be the reason why the New Testament might not talk as much about the need to meet up with the church is that the believers who are reading the New Testament are already gathering to read the Word, since back then the Word of God was a church property rather than every individual having their own Bibles, a luxury we have today.  So if there’s supposedly few passages about going to church hypothetically speaking, it might because to have a lot of direct verses and commands to go to church is rather redundant, since its “preaching to the choir” of those already going to church.

13. I realize some who read this are in difficult situations where there’s not a solid Christian church near you.  Nothing I’m saying here is targeting you.  I am praying for your situation; this is addressing those who don’t want to go to a sound BIble church even as its there near them.

*******************************************************************

P.S. (from bruce) When there is no other place to turn…turn to God !!  If you’re not a “born again” Christian, is the Holy Spirit urging you to open this link ??  Here is the truth for this most important days writing, about how God’s grace is received to become a Christian in God’s eyes; through understanding and obeying the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ…   https://godsmanforever.com

To my brothers and sisters in Christ, please feel free to share this message of the cross with those in need…

Picture credit:  https://www.google.com/search?rlz=1C1SQJL_enUS832US832&sxsrf=ALeKk03gWnEiQ6SDIVs6nITp8E_HbaOp8A:1605877351130&source=univ&tbm=isch&q=image+the+importance+of+Church&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiJgcSol5HtAhXOo1kKHVr2AnkQjJkEegQIBRAB&biw=1243&bih=899#imgrc=nXQkRLqxZktkyM