People often talk to me about the reasons why they don’t go to church; the main reason I hear repeated is that they have been hurt by people in the church.
People are killed in car accidents every day, yet every day, we still get in our cars and drive.
I get your hurt. I understand and sympathize with you. I grew up in church and was hurt by many people there, especially family members. The people who I have been counseled by, who have heard my life story, are astonished that I go to church and am involved in full time ministry because I had so much emotional and spiritual abuse from church people (I will explain in a later article). But I don’t get any of the credit. It is completely by the grace and mercy of God in my life, and through His healing of my wounds, that I can walk in victory today. What was meant for evil, God turned for good – Genesis 50:20.
The one, most important thing about going to church: we go for Jesus. Not for anybody else. Not even ourselves. Because if we go to church with looking for what we are going to get out of it, we will be disappointed every time. Church is full of people, like you and me. Most of whom are carrying their own hurts, wounds, and un-repentant sins. You can’t live in a broken and fallen world and not be affected by it; some more than others, some less than others. It also has people who have been healed by Jesus, people who have found forgiveness and redemption in Jesus, and people who want to love, help, and serve others. We all need love, patience, and to continually be directed to THEY WAY HIMSELF (JESUS). I am so thankful for the people God has put in my life that love and are patient, merciful, and kind. The Beatitudes (Jesus giving the one, perfect life sermon on the mount) lays it all out so beautifully for our lives:
“Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
“Blessed are the gentle, for they will inherit the earth.
“Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be satisfied.
“Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
“Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
“Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called sons of God.
“Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
“Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in this same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”
Matthew 5:3-12
Our first (again most important) reason for going to church is because God Himself wants us there, and we must be obedient to Him because we love Him more than anything/anyone. He does not want us to forsake gathering together: “Let’s hold firmly to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let’s consider how to encourage one another in love and good deeds, 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.” Hebrews 10:23-25
Jesus promised in Matthew 18:20, “Where 2 or more are gathered in His Name, there He will be.” Are you looking to hear from God? To have Him speak to your heart? Yes, He can do it anywhere He pleases. But He specifically promises to be in our midst (by His Holy Spirit) when we gather in His Name.
Another reason to be in church: We need one another. 1 Corinthians 12 talks about the body, it’s uses, and us being united in one Spirit. Then Paul closes it with “yet I am going to show you a much better way.” He then proceeds to give us 1 Corinthians 13 – where in 12 verses, we are given the perfect picture of what our love for one another should look like. We can do a whole lot of things in church, and have all kinds of gifts, but if we aren’t first loving the Giver of the Gifts in personal relationship with Him, we won’t be able to love others around us.
God never intended for any of us to go it “alone” (Ecclesiastes 4 – two are better than one). You and I should have the heart and mind of Jesus and walk into church looking to serve and be a blessing.
There is no perfect church. We won’t have that until we are all perfected in eternity, in Christ’s Kingdom. (Revelation 21). There is no perfect pastor. Only Jesus is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for us (John 10). There are plenty of people throughout the history of the church who have given it shame (that is what satan is in the business of doing, ruining and destroying anything having to do with Christ-dom). But you cannot let anyone or anything come between you and your relationship with Jesus. Trust Him to deal with those things. Your job is to obey and please Him. He took care of all of Israel’s enemies throughout history, battle after battle, so He can certainly handle the people that come against us.
Find a church where the pastor is preaching from the Word of God (straight from the Bible), with the power of the Holy Spirit (trust me, you will know), and where you see that pastor loves and is submitted in obedience to Jesus. I don’t agree with everything that I see or that goes on in church, but guess what? I am not always right, and my pastor and the elders need my prayers. It is not easy being in the pastoral position, but I see God working in and through my pastor’s life because he has displayed his commitment and love for Jesus Christ in very real ways. He is not perfect; the first time we met him, he humbly confessed that he wasn’t. But I have seen the results of my prayers for him. God works in his life and heart. As I pray for my pastor, God works in my heart as well, speaking His Truth about situations that I don’t know all the details about, but He does. He gives me His perspective and heart.
If you ask God to lead you to the right church for you, He will. Warning: satan doesn’t want you in church. He is going to do everything he can to discourage and lie to you about it. He knows how powerful it will be for your life. Make a plan, make some friends in church you can be accountable to, go with someone else and be an encouragement to one another in going. There will be many days you won’t feel like going. But, I can tell you some of my greatest life break throughs came on those days—I went anyway and God blew me away! Going to church is much more important than any of the other activities we have come up. I promise you will see the blessings and benefits of obeying God in this area.
Going to church must be a priority because God Himself is our priority. It is not about the building, but the people. You may find a home fellowship, you may go to a large church body or a small or a medium one. Just ask God where He wants you to be. He will not turn away a sincere heart. He will lead you to where He wants you to be. Get to church and walk in the peace and blessedness of the Lord Jesus.
“So, as those who have been chosen of God, holy and beloved, put on a heart of compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience; bearing with one another, and forgiving each other, whoever has a complaint against anyone; just as the Lord forgave you, so must you do also. In addition to all these things put on love, which is the perfect bond of unity. Let the peace of Christ, to which you were indeed called in one body, rule in your hearts; and be thankful. Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Whatever you do in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” Colossians 3:12-17
**if you have a physical disability or are without transportation, call local churches until you find one that has someone who can give you a ride or help you get there. I know our home church always has individuals ready to help those who need transportation, and I know of several churches that offer free transport to elderly and handicapped.
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