The Importance of Church Attendance
Rev. Sean Lester
For Living Water Assembly of God
May 25, 2009
(484) QUOTATION QUESTION. How important is church attendance? (30)
(NIV) Hebrews 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
(KJV) Hebrews 10:25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Heb 10:19 Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20 by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body,
Heb 10:21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,
Heb 10:22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.
Heb 10:23 Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.
Heb 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.
Heb 10:25 Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Introduction:
A friend was visiting a church for the first time. Now, this friend had grown up in the church, sometimes his father being the pastor. Because of his inside-and-out perspective of the church, I asked him what he thought of the one he was visiting.
“It’s a church”. He replied.
Not being a man of few words, I was surprised by the brevity of his answer. I plied him for more information.
“It’s a church. People come. They sing. They take an offering. A sermon is delivered. They pray. They go home.”
The biggest challenge I have faced as a pastor has been to keep the churches I have pastored moving forward into better things as representatives of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. But, it is easy to become just a church. I think that people in a congregation can get an image of what a church should be, and when that vision is fulfilled, they tend to want to stay where they are at. But once a church, or any organization for that matter, arrives at a place of satisfaction, the church tends to lose passion. It tends to lose urgency.
Beyond the consideration of what church growth is like from a worldly standpoint: how many people attend, how much they give, and how big are the facilities; I want to challenge you toward spiritual growth as a congregation. I believe, rather I know, that a Spirit-filled congregation powerfully affects the community and the world. Spirit-filled congregations are church going congregations. They are giving congregations. They are teaching congregations. They are active congregations.
Church attendance is a vital part of the Spirit-filled believers’ life. It is the social, spiritual, and emotional backbone of a people that influence others to enter the kingdom of heaven.
Transition: Our passage this morning tells us why church attendance is important.
1. Encouragement from being in God’s presence.
a. Being in God’s presence does bring courage. Just being with the people of God, who also bring the presence of God (where two or three are gathered in my name…) calms the nerves and reminds us that God knows where we are and what we face.
i. When we are at church, we are ascending to the throne of God. It is no small thing to have an audience with the King of Kings. Kings have a tendency to destroy those who enter their presence presumptuously or carelessly.
ii. But, we have assurance to enter His presence because our hearts and our minds are being made clean. We are acceptable for entering into His presence.
b. After Peter and John escaped prison, they returned to the believers and reported to them what had happened to them. They had been beaten and warned not to preach in the name of Jesus anymore. When they returned to the church, they had a decision to make, preach in Jesus’ name and face hardships, or refrain from publicly proclaiming His name and find a safer way to do it. The church decided to pray for more boldness so that they could proclaim His name publicly and more effectively yet. Then, the place where they were meeting began to shake with the presence of God.
c. There are issues that you face and that require wisdom and courage. But before answering the question or before looking for another way to calm the nerves, the best course of action is to find the church, the assemblage of people who follow Jesus Christ, and just get into His presence. In His presence there is peace and safety for making decisions based on His righteousness.
Transition: Seeking His presence in the church allows you to hear from Him in the safety and calm of those who love God and love you.
2. Encouragement from the Word.
a. Hearing God’s Word preached gives courage to hold to our faith even when troubles and trials threaten to sap our motivation to believe.
i. Sickness that does not go away even after fervent prayer can sometimes cause us to wonder if God really loves us.
ii. Tragedy tempts us to hold God responsible for not making our lives joyful as He promised.
iii. Job loss can provoke us to believe that God won’t take care of us and doesn’t care for us.
b. Hannah was troubled because she was unable to conceive children for her husband. She thought her barrenness was the result of God not noticing her or caring about her. Her sorrow was compounded by her rival wife mocking her sterility while the other wife had children of her own. Hannah brought her sorrows to the tabernacle, the church of the time. The priest, an old and cynical man noticed her tears and thought she was drunk. But after she shared her heart, he blessed her. She went away cheered because she knew that God had noticed her and heard her.
c. That is the kind of thing that happens at church. God uses people to speak His Word and to bring encouragement. We can’t promise that God will answer the request of every person because God is doing a work in each person that is unique to that person. But, we can always remind people that God does notice us, that He hears us, and that He does answer our prayers.
Transition: Knowing the right decision to make is the start, having people hold you to account and push you forward causes you to act.
3. Encouragement from mutual push.
a. Believers spur one another on to do good works. Literally, let us keep an eye on each other and consider how we may provoke each other to love and good works. We need each other to be our counselors. We need to be reminded of the two great principles for making any good decision:
i. Is this an act of love? Or is this an act of lust? Lust is an intense feeling of need or desire that provokes a person to do something without regard to the consequences to self and to others. Love acts for the well-being of self and of others, and often provokes one to sacrifice self in order to help others or save others.
ii. Is this going to produce what is good, or the very best outcome possible for righteousness? This is the consequences question. Each person is responsible for their own decisions, but it does help to have people around who love righteousness and who ask the right questions when it comes to making a decision.
b. A friend who recently accepted a pastorate and I were sharing that we were glad that the candidating process was over. He shared that he prayed that God would give him answers, but discovered that God gave him James 1:5, “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him.” For me, it was friends in the church who confronted me about decisions that I had to make about following God’s will. Sometimes I asked for their input, sometimes they just gave it. These friends were keeping an eye on me and asked questions of me about what I was considering. They made me answer the big questions in order for me to make a wise decision that would keep me in God’s will.
c. You may be astonished or even offended by people suggesting that you consider helping with the ministry. However, we notice each other’s talents and heart. We want God’s best for each other and therefore open each other’s eyes to the fullness of God’s purpose being expressed in our lives. Never try to know more than you know, but understand that a friend provokes a friend to ask the right questions.
i. Questions about “is this going to be hurtful to your family?”
ii. “Will this be a loving gesture, or will this be taken as an insult?”
iii. “Is this moral?”
iv. “Have you considered the consequences?”
Conclusion: The passage we have considered reminds us to encourage one another, and even more so as the day of Jesus’ return approaches. The church is more than an experience of worship to make God happy with us. It is a place of empowerment. It is where God dwells with His people, speaks to His people, and comforts His people. Consider that in Scripture, no one was baptized in the Holy Spirit alone. It always happened as a group, as a church. Consider that courageous decisions were made as a church. God created the church and ordained the church to represent the Kingdom of Heaven on earth. What is more, it is the place where people can leave the life of the world and begin to live for Jesus Christ.
