My Old Excuses For Not Attending Church (Part 4)

The Bible does not state that you must attend church in order to be saved or reach the Kingdom of God. But the Bible does say in Matthew 18:20 “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.” My old excuses for not attending church were just that, excuses. Of course there are hypocrites in churches just as exists in the corporate world. We have to remember that the church is people, not a building. People are flawed and we are ALL sinners.

But It Is Nice To Have A Place Out Of The Weather

I used to say that I felt closer to God out on the lake while fishing than in church. Here’s the truth; It was an excuse not to go to church and go fishing instead. I could have done both. I still do feel close to God out there in nature, but we gather for Christian fellowship and to learn Gods word. Proverbs 27:17 says: Iron sharpeneth iron; so a man sharpeneth the countenance of his friend. And Proverbs 18:15 says: “The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.”

I never learned much of God’s word from those fish anyway.

Gathering As Christians Is Important

We are not saved to simply go back home, watch TV, go fishing and continue exactly as before. 2 Corinthians 5:17 says “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things become new.” We are saved to serve the Lord in our actions and everything we do. God desires that we spread the Gospel so that others might be saved. In order to do these things we need some knowledge of His Word.

Once I became a born again Christian, The Holy Spirit entered and has guided my way to a better understanding of God’s Word (The Bible) The Holy Spirit knows that knowledge comes best from people who already have some and are willing to share it. Unless I am called to seminary school this would be my church which consists of the people and my pastor.

Judge Not

I am talking about me here. There may be born again Christians out there that can educate themselves in all God’s Word and ways. They may serve him in ways I can’t even imagine, spreading the gospel and saving souls so that others may have eternal life. If this is you, then God bless you. But it seems to me that most of us are called to learn together and serve together. A group of Christians gathered together is very powerful, just as an army in battle is stronger than one.

There is no doubt; we are in a very desperate battle.

John 3:16