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This article was originally written by Greg Laurie of Harvest Church in Riverside, CA. A very poinient message for the day and age we live in when so many people think church is irrelevant.
The following is from Greg...
I
read an article that actually says going to church is good for your
health. Among other things, the article revealed that people who had
heart surgery and drew comfort from their faith and their church had a
higher rate of survival. People who go to church have lower blood
pressure than those who don’t.
People
with faith who attend church regularly experience less depression than
non-churchgoers. And suicide is four times higher among those who don’t
attend church than among those who do.
These
are fringe benefits of going to church. The real reason we should come
together in worship is because God works in a unique and powerful way
when His people gather together in his name. It is in church that we
refocus and learn and grow. It is in church where we help one another
and use the gifts that God has given to us.
The
church exists for three reasons: for the glorification of God, for the
edification of the saints and for the evangelization of the world. And
Jesus loves the church.
I
bring this up because there are some Christians today who say things
like, “Well, I love the Lord. I just don’t love the church.”
Sorry.
That is impossible. The apostle John wrote, “Everyone who believes that
Jesus is the Christ has become a child of God. And everyone who loves
the Father loves his children, too” (1 John 5:1 nlt).
When I
become friends with someone, I become friends with their kids, too. If I
love them, my love extends to their family. And their kids become like
nieces and nephews to me. In the same way, when we love God, we will
love his children also. And if you don’t love his children, one has to
question how much you really love God.
It is popular today to criticize the church. But understand this: When you criticize the church, you are speaking critically of someone
Jesus loves.
The best way to offend me is to insult my wife. You might
walk up and say, “Greg, I disagree with this, and I disagree with that.”
I have had people do that, and I am willing to talk with them about
those things. On the other hand, if someone comes up and insults my
wife, that is a different matter altogether. I would take that
personally, as any loving husband would.
The church is the
bride of Christ. The church belongs to him, and he loves her. The
apostle Paul used that analogy, saying, “Husbands, this means love your
wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her”
(Ephesians 5:25 nlt).
Some people claim to be Christians, but
they don’t attend church. However, a true Christian should long to be
with God’s people.
Some claim they don’t go to church because they
haven’t found one they like yet. But here is what the Bible says to
believers: “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward
love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the
habit of doing, but encouraging one another – and all the more as you
see the Day approaching” (Hebrews 10:24–25).
Notice this
doesn’t say, “Let us not give up meeting together, unless, of course,
Sunday is your only day off … or if you have a triathlon … or if it is a
great beach day. Then you are excused, because you don’t really need
fellowship as much as other Christians do.” No, if you love God, then
you will love his people – and love being around them.
And if
you don’t love being around the people of God, then are you really a
Christian? The Bible asks the question, “For if we don’t love people we
can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see?” (1 John 4:20 nlt).
I think someone’s desire for fellowship with other Christians can be a
barometer of their love for God. The more someone loves God, the more he
or she will love to be in the church – a part of the church, loving the
church. The less someone loves God, the less he or she will want to be
around other Christians.
Some may say, “Yeah, but I am so over the
church. The church is so critical and judgmental. It is so full of
hypocrites.” To those who say the church is full of hypocrites, I say,
well then, come on. There is always room for one more.
I am not
excusing hypocrisy. The church has its flaws, because it is made up of
people like me – and people like you. However, Jesus started the church.
He loves the church. And He died for the church.
To me, a lack of
fellowship with other believers is a sure sign of someone who is
starting to lose ground spiritually. In the Christian life, we are
either moving forward or moving backward. It is either progression or
regression.
There is no standing still. So if someone is
suddenly withdrawing from church, backing off from reading the Bible,
and has an almost nonexistent prayer life, they are regressing, whether
they want to admit it or not.
Backsliding always begins with
relaxing your grip on that which you need before taking hold of that
which will destroy you. So when someone says, “I am just too busy for
church,” or “I don’t have time,” or “There are other things I need to
do,” that to me is an indication that something is wrong spiritually.
And it trickles down to the next generation. A study revealed that when parents attend church regularly, 72 percent
of their children will remain faithful in their church attendance.
So be a part of the church. Stop critiquing it. Stop maligning it. Don’t
be a church connoisseur. Be a church family member. And then watch how
things will change for you.
So,make sure you go to Church this Sunday!
I agree wholeheartedly with Pastor Greg. I hope you will consider going to church this Sunday, and if you come to Myrtle Point Christian Church you just might discover that our church is NOT one of those judgmental, stuffy churches. We are just ordinary people who love God, and love other people with the passionate, unconditional love of Jesus. Come try it out this week, I think you might be surprised.
God Bless, Roger