Why should we go to church?

So, this question has been posed twice in the last week and has been nagging at me every day for the last several days.  I am going to try and answer this question in a way that shows we SHOULD be going to church and why some of the reasons and excuses that are given are invalid even when the argument is compelling.

First off, I think many people (Christian and not) have an incorrect definition of what the church is.  The church is not a building.  It is not a place we go.  It is the gathering of believers.  It does not matter if we are in a building that is called a "church" or in a park or wherever.  Wherever the body of believers are gathered in the name of Christ, where they are worshiping and fellowshipping together is the church.  Also, the church can refer to a small gathering of believers or it can refer to the church as a whole (every Christian on the planet).  For this post, I will mostly be referring to a small gathering of believers.

The people who attend church are a bunch of hypocrites.
One of the most common reasons I hear of people not wanting to attend church is that the church if full of hypocrites.  Aren't we all hypocrites one way or another.  Haven't we all said things then turned around and did something completely different?  One BIG example of that is all the people who say murder is wrong, but then say a woman should be given a free choice about having an abortion.  I heard it summed up like this "The church is a hospital for the sinner, not a museum for the saints."  The ONLY place where no one sins and is not a hypocrite is in heaven.  And we only get there by the grace of God!

Matthew 9:9 As Jesus went on from there, He saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax office, and He said to him, “Follow Me!” So he got up and followed Him.
10 While He was reclining at the table in the house, many tax collectors and sinners came as guests to eat with Jesus and His disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”
12 But when He heard this, He said, “Those who are well don’t need a doctor, but the sick do. 13 Go and learn what this means: I desire mercy and not sacrifice. For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Here, Jesus calls Matthew, a tax collection (tax collections were hated and were often greedy and money hungry and often took more than they were required to line their own pockets).  When people see Jesus associating with a sinner, they immediately question, and get this response:  For I didn’t come to call the righteous, but sinners.  If you do not sin, you do not need a savior.  Jesus did not come for you if you are already perfect.  Jesus came to make you perfect.  (Though we will not see that until heaven!)

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Every man is a sinner.  Every man who has ever lived (except Christ) has sinned.  So, is the church full of hypocrites?  Yes, absolutely.  However, the difference between a true Christian and a true hypocrite is that the Christian is trying to do something about it.  They are trying to live according to the will of God.  A true hypocrite does not.  In a true Christian, you will see changes and improvements over time, in a true hypocrite you will not.

I can have church at my own home, by myself.
Well, no, you can't.  You can worship at home, you are not a church by yourself.  The Bible is clear that you should be gathering with your fellow believers regularly.  The "church" makes this very convenient in that they have specific times where the body of believers gather so you can come together with fellow believers without having to plan it all yourself!

Hebrews 10:23 Let us hold on to the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, 25 not staying away from our worship meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

The purpose of coming together as a body of believers is to encourage one another, to promote love and good works.  How can you encourage your brothers and sisters while never visiting with them?  How can you promote love and good works if you are never there to help your fellow brothers and sisters in ministry? Christians need accountability.  God does not want us to do this alone.  He gave us brothers and sisters who care for us to help us on our journey and if we fail to meet with then regularly, then how are we to help them or how are they to help us when we have a time of need?

Another reason it is difficult to do church at home by ones self is that coming together with many different Christians can help you grow and mature in your understanding of scriptures.  If you are reading your Bible alone, you only have your thoughts.  By fellowshipping with other believers, you can learn more about different passages and learn of new connections and concepts.

I do not need to go to church to get to heaven.
This is the statement that really prompted all this.  While it is true, going to church does not save you, I feel that if you are a Christian, then you should WANT to go to church.  If you are a true believer, then the Lord should be your main focus in life.  You live for Him.  As Paul says in Philippians:

1:21 For me, living is Christ and dying is gain.

Where the church is gathered is where you should want to be.  If you have no desire to attend church, then I fear you may not be a Christian.  If you hate to go to church or it is too much of a hassle, then where are your priorities?  You are not focused on Christ, so what are you focused on?

I fear that many people do not know what it really means to be a Christian.  They feel that since they "said a prayer" or  believe they "are a good person" then they will get to heaven.  Well, being a Christian is more than saying a prayer and being a good person.  Having fire insurance does not mean you will not get burned!  Being a Christian is about having a personal relationship with God.  The church is God dwelling with man.  Yes, his spirit dwells with in each of us, but it is when we are all gathered together as one body of Christ that we can really see the love and power of God.  While you do not need church to get to heaven, you do need Christ.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now closing this post I want to add that this post is written to Christians.  If you are not a believer, then there is no reason for you to attend church.  Going to church does not save you or get you any brownie points with God.  Many "churches" get this wrong.  They plan services to bring in the sinners and save them, but what they should be doing is making disciples and sending them out to sinners.  God saves people where they are and brings them to the church to grow and change.