Why do you need to go to church? Why attend church meetings?

Why do you need to go to church? Why attend church meetings?

Peace to you!

The question is interesting and important. Let's start by understanding what the church is and who established it?

In the Bible, the word Church does not mean a building, as some believers believe today. In the Bible, the word church is represented by the Greek word ekklesia. It means a national gathering, gathering, meeting of summoned, invited people. In other words, these are people who stood out from the general population and united for some common purpose. The concept of church is close in meaning to the Jewish concept of synagogue. In Hebrew, synagogue means a place of meeting. And church in Greek, in which the New Testament was written, means a gathering of people. That is, the meaning is close. It is worth noting that the ancient translation of the Old Testament of the Bible from Hebrew into Greek, called the Septuagint, also uses the word church - eklessia. The church in the Bible in the Septuagint translation is the congregation of the Israelites - the people of God.

The New Testament of the Bible clearly states that Jesus established His church - that is, His congregation, a society of people who, having believed in Him as the Son of God - Lord and Savior, would come out of the world and other religions and enter His congregation. Jesus stated:

“I will build MY Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it” (Matt. 16:18)

And so it happened - Jesus created His society, congregation. The followers of Jesus, who at first numbered only a few dozen people, created a church - a congregation of believers in Jesus Christ. Neither Satan nor those in power could destroy the Christian Church. Now Christianity is the largest religion in the world.

Why do you think Jesus started the church? He didn’t have to do this - let all those who believe in Him live separately without uniting in any societies or organizations. But no, Jesus Christ created the church and said that the gates of hell will not prevail against it. That is, Satan will not destroy His church no matter how hard he tries. Of course, Jesus did not create the church by accident, but for a very important purpose. And this purpose was well explained by His apostles.

The Apostle Paul compared the church to a body, where Jesus is the head, and all Christians are members of the body, where everyone plays their role for the full functioning of the body - the organism.

“God arranged the members, each in [the composition of] the body, as He pleased... so that there would be no division in the body, but all the members would equally care for each other. … And you are the body of Christ, and individually members” (1 Cor. 12:18-27)

Paul explained that just like the human body, each member of Christ's body, that is, Christ's church, has its own purposes and purposes. And even the most insignificant people, like the unseemly members of the body, play an important and necessary role in the life of the body.

Therefore, a reasonable question arises: if Jesus Himself established the church, then why today do people who believe in Christ - Christians - often not go to church?

There are many reasons for this. And this question is very broad. Previously, before the advent of Darwin's theory, when the world was religious, believers could not imagine life without going to church. Society even condemned those who did not go to church. Now, when the world is dominated by a materialistic atheistic idea of ​​the creation of the world, that is, Darwinian thinking, visiting church has become purely voluntary. Now only ardent believers and those who really want to receive something from God go to church.

The rest of the believers do not go to church at all. And the reasons are different. Someone is disappointed because he sees something he doesn't like in the church nearby. And he is afraid to go to other churches, since in our society today there is a widespread stereotype that there are many sects around. People are afraid to look for another church. There are actually dangerous sects, but they are few. And the rest of the churches are not sects - they are basically global Christian churches with tens of millions of members. Today it is not difficult to read on the Internet about such widespread Christian churches as Adventists, Baptists, Pentecostals, Lutherans, Methodists, etc. These Christian churches exist in almost all countries and in almost every locality in the world where Christianity is not prohibited... And of course these are real churches, and they have nothing to do with sects. You can read more about this in the material specifically dedicated to religious sects, totalitarian sects, and where it is discussed whether they are all so dangerous

There is no need to be afraid to look for another church, but rather to seek the truth. The Apostle Paul teaches on the pages of the Bible:

“Test all things, hold fast the good things” (1 Thess. 5:21).

There are also people who don’t even try to go to church. But they say that they believe in God... There are many such people today. And probably even the majority. Going or not going to church is often an external reflection of a person’s inner world, his spiritual aspirations. Many people think. I believe in God and that's enough. God is in my soul. They came up with a god that suits them, that suits them. Which corresponds to their concept of justice. As the song from the movie “Sandpit Generals” says, “You pray to your gods forever, and your gods forgive you everything.”

The god they invented forgives them everything. Of course it's convenient.

And vice versa, it is uncomfortable when they show you that you are wrong, that this is not right, that you need to live differently. These believers understand that they have some obligations waiting for them in the church, so they don’t even try to go to church. After all, if a person comes to any church, they are faced with certain rules. Mostly in Christian churches, such as ours, these rules are based on the teachings of the Bible. And in some Christian churches other rules are added to them.

Naturally, people often do not want to change their lives. And even if they don’t really like it, it’s still familiar to them. Therefore, it is more comfortable for them to live in harmony with the god they have invented. I hope you understand that just because a person has hidden himself from not knowing God’s standards of morality and the rules of life set forth in the Bible, this does not mean that they will disappear. An illustration with an ostrich fits here. When he sees danger, he buries his head in the sand. But even though the ostrich now does not see the danger, this does not make the danger itself disappear.

So the true God has not changed, because someone imagines Him differently. And God’s criteria of morality and rules of life in relation to man have not changed either, even if a person turns a blind eye to them. God, according to the Bible, is always the same, and His moral law has not changed, and His will in relation to man is also the same.

There are also people who went to church but stopped attending for some reason. This is often related to what we talked about earlier. A man began to study the Bible and saw that in his church they acted, as it seemed to him, differently from what was written in the Holy Scriptures. Then someone completely stops going to church, and someone looks for another church.

There are also cases when a person stops going to church because he is offended by the minister or by brothers and sisters in the community.

It is not right. It is necessary to separate the church and God. Yes, God established the church, but then people go their own way. That's why we see many churches. We are all sinful people... Therefore, both church members and their ministers make mistakes. God gave freedom to people, we see this right away in Eden. God did not want us to be slaves or robots... But just because someone in the church does not behave the way we want, this does not mean that we should stop going to church. After all, we go to church, not for people, not for show, but to GROW in God.

This is how we come to an important question. Why go to church?

Visiting church is necessary first of all for the person himself. Therefore, I would like to immediately note that there is no point in formally going to church. If you come to church and just stand or sit there, without listening to anything, without delving into the teachings of the Bible, into the law of God, then this is a formal faith. Then, whether you go to church or not, there won’t be much difference. Such a formal belief is close to superstition. Like, I go to church, because they say it helps, maybe it will help me too, or just in case... In this case, the person does not want to change, realize his sinfulness and repent of the bad deeds he has done... With a formal approach, the person’s soul is not actually connected . He wants to receive a reward for simply performing some actions - rituals. So I came to your church - God grant me a reward! But God needs our heart, not formal attendance at worship services. The psalmist David says from the pages of the Bible:

“The sacrifice to God is a broken spirit; You will not despise a broken and humble heart (you will not leave it unnoticed), O God” (Ps. 50:19)

Therefore, when talking about visiting church, you need to immediately understand that we are talking about full participation in the meeting. Let us remember what a church is – a meeting of believers. The Bible lists what was done in the first Christian meetings, that is, in Christian churches in apostolic times:

1. This is the study of the Word of God - the Holy Scriptures. The Apostle Paul wrote:

“All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness” (2 Tim. 3:16)

This Bible study can be in the form of Bible lessons or in the form of a sermon.

2. Glorifying God by singing psalms, hymns, reciting poems...

“Let us therefore...offer to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of lips that glorify His name” (Heb. 13:15)

3. Communication with brothers and sisters, as well as helping them if necessary. You also receive moral and even material help from brothers and sisters in the church.

“Do not forget also to do good and to communicate for others, for such sacrifices are acceptable to God” (Heb. 13:16)

4. And the fourth is the communion of the symbols of the flesh and blood of Jesus Christ who died for us.

“(Jesus) took the bread and, having given thanks, broke it and gave it to them, saying: This is My body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me. Likewise the cup after supper, saying, “This cup [is] the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you” (Luke 22:19,20)

The Lord wanted believers to REMEMBER the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us. And therefore, sipping a grape drink - a symbol of the blood of Jesus, we seem to come into contact with this sacrifice, mentally transported to the time when the Savior suffered for us on the cross. And by breaking and eating bread, we seem to commune with the body of Jesus, experiencing how His body suffered when the guards mocked Him all day long - so that Jesus Himself could no longer go to execution, but all the time fell under the burden of the cross. How Christ hung for 6 hours nailed to the cross!

By remembering Jesus' suffering for us, we better understand the love of God. And these rituals help us not to forget this love. It is no secret that our life, which is filled with various worldly experiences related to family, work, study, housing, etc., takes over our entire mind and we sometimes forget God. The way He loves us, cares for us. And confirmation of this is the death of Jesus Christ on the cross. The celestial being - the Son of God - descended from heaven to earth, became a mortal man in order to accept martyrdom for our sins... This is regularly reminded in the church.

5. And fifth is group prayer. Jesus said directly that group prayer has special power.

“Truly I also say to you that if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven, for where two or three are gathered in My name, there I am in the midst of them.” Matthew 18:19,20)

Of course, this does not mean that prayer alone with God is not necessary. Jesus taught that you need to close yourself in a room alone with God to pray. But God also showed the value of the congregation—that is, the value of the church. If people gather and ask for something common, something important for everyone, then such a common prayer of the meeting will have a special blessing.

I know from myself how important it is to communicate in church with like-minded people. It would be difficult for me to live without such communication. When a person regularly goes to church, he meets there with other believers like him. Only in church can one share the experience of help and admonition, and God’s punishments. Only in church can we pray together about some common problem. Only in the church together can we effectively bring the Gospel to the world so that other people can be saved. Only regular weekly attendance at church where the Bible is studied will maintain a person's knowledge of the Word of God. If a person stops going to church, then, imperceptibly for himself, he gradually grows cold towards God and His Word. Such a believer’s moral principles gradually change. What he previously considered a sin, over time becomes the norm for him. So, little by little, week after week, month after month, year after year, the believer moves away from God and begins to make mistakes that he would not have made before or falls into some kind of sin. That is, failure to attend church will primarily affect the quality of life of this person and his loved ones.

It was not for nothing that I noted that only in the church together can we effectively bring the Gospel to the world, although some believers claim that they do not know how to speak beautifully, and accordingly, they believe that they can help the church in little way.

This is fundamentally wrong! Every person can serve God. And a true believer should have such a desire. Look how the psalmist wrote:

“What shall I render to the Lord for all His good deeds to me?” (Ps. 115:3)

Every Christian can participate in the overall main mission of the church. What is the main mission of Christians? Talk about Christ, bring people to God, thereby saving other people. Each person has a role to play in this ministry. Let us remember that the church is the body of Christ. Each member of the body has its own tasks and functions. Some may not know how to speak beautifully, but they know how to cook well and can serve in a church canteen or in a missionary kitchen, telling people through their work how good the Lord is. And if he doesn’t seem to know how to do anything, then he can serve by helping to tidy up the church, so that people see cleanliness and tidiness in the house of worship, understanding that God is a God of order and He has the same children. Agree, there would be fewer parishioners if there was a pile of garbage on the church grounds or there was an unwashed, dirty floor in the building. Non-believers who came to such a church for the first time would think: what kind of God is this, that He has such sloppy followers... And they would not come to the church again. As you can see, any service is important in the activities of the church. Each member of the body of Christ is important in its place. And everyone can find this place where they will benefit Christ and His church.

In addition, it is not necessary to speak beautifully. Sometimes in church we hear what miracles God has done in the lives of believers. And in our lives, God also works miracles and we share them in church. And then we can tell our non-believing relatives or friends about our miracle or about a miracle we heard in church. And this will be a story about the love of God. Some of the non-believers or weak believers may become interested and also begin to seek the Lord. So, being able to speak beautiful sermons is not necessary to bring the message about our loving God.

So, going to church is really important both for the person himself and for other people, and of course, you need to attend services regularly.

Valery Tatarkin

"Playing place of unclean spirits"

According to representatives of the church, a person who is confident that he is a temple of God’s Spirit is nothing more than “a playground of unclean spirits.” How can he be sure that the God who has settled in his heart is true, and not trying to present himself as such?

Saint Theophan the Recluse in his book “Thoughts for Every Day” wrote about this:

Demons sense a faster and a man of prayer from afar and run far from him so as not to receive a painful blow. Is it possible to think that where there is no fasting and prayer, there is already a demon? Can. Demons, when they move into a person, do not always reveal their presence, but lurk, secretly teaching their owner all kinds of evil...

Spiritual tuning fork

According to religious experts, if a Christian voluntarily withdraws from church services even while performing fasting and prayers, this indicates his spiritual ill health. The Monk Barsanuphius of Optina spoke about this as follows:

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A person who grows cold toward God first of all begins to avoid going to church. At first he tries to come to the service later, and then completely stops visiting the temple of God... A sign that God abides in the heart is love for temple worship...

A Christian’s desire for church service is a spiritual tuning fork with which one can compare the state of one’s own soul.

Occult practices

Church experts believe that in this performance, where a person acts as a director, the demon willingly plays along. He is able to provide the necessary inspiration, deep experiences, mysterious revelations and luminous visions that do not go beyond the needs and plans of the person himself. That is why people are so keen on occult practices. Occult teachings seduce a person with exceptional benefits in earthly life, as well as the illusory possibility of controlling the other world with the help of special skills and knowledge.