4 Top Reasons We Miss Church (But We Shouldn't)

Photo culled from Ghana News Page

1. “There is no command that says I need to go to church every Sunday.”

I have never understood this one. It is either innocently ignorant or intentionally dishonest.

I wonder if we would say the same thing about our jobs. “There are no verses that say I need to show up at 7am, like my boss says, so I’m sleeping in.” And the same goes for verses about the Trinity .

We know that Scripture’s truth claims are deduced from explicit truth-principles, implicit truth-principles, inferred truth-principles, or illustrated truth-principles.

When it comes to prioritizing church gatherings, we could cite a few passages:

“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near” ( Heb. 10:23-25 ).

One anothers. The one another requires one another. The NT sems to equate those who are in Christ with those who are in local churches.

By application, we could also cite passages that command us to grow (e.g. Phi. 2:12 ; gathering for worship is a great way in which we do so), worship/love God (e.g. Ps. 95:6, Matt. 22:37 ; we gather for worship), use our gifts in the body (e.g. 1 Pet. 4:10-11 ; gatherings are prime avenues for this), and submitting to a visible biblical leadership team (e.g. Heb. 13:17 ; gathering is a prime way to honor this command.

2. “There aren’t any good churches in my area.”

Tragically, this is a common reality for too many people. But, if it is true, does this mean that I can’t plug into a church? Probably not. But it will mean some effort and sacrifice.

I may need to simply pray for discernment, find the best church within a few hours, plug in, be patient, pray for the church, and humbly seek to benefit in every way possible.

Or I may need to move. People do this all of the time. Getting God’s kind of biblical care through a New Testament church is important enough to relocate. It will take prayer and sacrifice, but we can assume that our God is so loving that he will not forsake us should we make a decision to move with the motivation of plugging into a faithful church.

Or, with the help of seasoned biblical leadership, I may need to be involved in planting a new church.

Whatever the case, the absence of a good church is insufficient reason to not plug in.

3. Family/friends are in from out of town.
For many reasons, when family or friends are visiting, we will not gather with the church. Perhaps they are not Christians, thus we do not want to do something they dislike during their stay. But when we prioritize church so as to keep Christ central, that communicates a needed message to unregenerate friends and family. And their disapproval thereof does not mean it’s an unneeded message. In gentleness, these occasions can create discussions around the centrality and supremacy of Christ. This may mean our friends/family refuse to join us, but that’s ok. Jesus had much to say about that (e.g. Matt. 10:34-39 ). When it comes to friends/family or Christ, Christ is the obvious and loving choice.

Perhaps we have a short visit with them, thus want to maximize our time. Our time with loved ones is often best spent by tangibly showing them the centrality of Christ in our lives. One main way to do that is not forsaking Sunday worship or Bible study. Plus, those times very well could be the most meaningful during their short stay. Conversations are started. Consciences are pricked. Christ is seen.

Perhaps we have plans to show them around, thus going to church would not fit in the schedule. Again, we’ll love friends/family best by showing them how our lives revolve around Christ, and not the opposite. And, what better site to see in our town than our local church?

4. “The preacher/teacher I like is not preaching/teaching.”

This kind of thinking puts trust in men. It says, in effect, “So-and-so teacher/preacher doesn’t tickle my fancy as much as so-and-so, thus, God is incapable of working through them to edify me.”

Additionally, it makes obedience to, and worship of, God contingent upon what I like. But, aren’t we glad that Christ did not take that attitude with us? “Yeah, Father, I’m not excited about dying on the cross, so, I’ll sit this one out.”