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Not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Hebrews 10:25, ESV).
Years ago, a businessman told me he didn’t attend church anymore. As the pastor of a church, I immediately asked why, and he said, “I can worship God at home.” After a few futile minutes of trying to convince him of the error in his thinking, and frustrated by my lack of progress, we said goodbye.
As I drove away, the Spirit said to me, “Watch his life and see what happens.” I never saw him again, but I heard that in a few short years he went bankrupt, started an affair, went through a divorce, was estranged from his children, and died unexpectedly at an early age.
I enjoy going to church because my spirit is elevated when I worship with other believers in a way I can’t get at home by myself. I understand seasons where attending church can be problematic, including division in the church, wounded relationships, poor doctrines, and — we’re sinners — so stack up the reasons.
However, Scripture teaches us not to neglect meeting together. I say this humorously but also seriously: there’s no better way to learn forgiveness than by associating with other believers!!!
Not too long ago, a leading university studied the health benefits of regular church attendance. Now take a moment to guess the college. If you thought Cedarville, Wheaton, Asbury, or Taylor, you would be wrong — it was Harvard.
HHHHMMMHHM!
A professor at Harvard notes that there is considerable research on the health benefits of church attendance, and he summarizes their combined findings with this quote…
Weekly religious attendance is associated with lower mortality risk, lower depression, lower suicide, better health behaviors, greater marital stability, happiness, and purpose in life.
Considering this statement, I take all the health proclamations of those promoting oils, vitamin D, eating prunes, cleansing, walking 10,000 steps a day, not drinking from plastic bottles, adding pistachios to the diet, and losing 20 pounds, then combine them all together and add this exhortation, “Go to church too!”
Another study indicates that those who attend church not only live longer, but also have lower blood pressure, reduced cortisol and stress levels, and better cardiovascular outcomes. I think it’s now okay to respond to someone who asks why you go to church by saying, “I want to live a healthy lifestyle.” Thinking about the businessman I mentioned earlier who blew up his life, and the early signs that he didn’t want to attend church, we should carefully consider the health and relational risks of staying home on Sunday.
I remember one Sunday when a young college girl leaving the building after the 11 a.m. service purposefully walked up to me and said, “I’m glad I came to church today; it’s been a rough week, but I was encouraged.”
I was encouraged as well!