| | SHOULD I GO TO CHURCH?
by Benjamin H. Spalink
Sometimes people say and think, "I don't have to go to church to be
a good Christian." What they say amounts to this: The Bible
doesn't ask me to go to church, for surely, a good Christian wants
to do what the Bible asks of him.
But is this true? We answer, "No, the Bible does very plainly ask
you to go to church." Let us go to our Bible together and find out
about it.
First, turn to Eph. 4:11-13: "And he (that is, Christ) gave some
apostles; and some prophets; and some evangelists; and some pastors
and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come
in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God,
unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness
of Christ."
Question: If Christ gave pastors and teachers, for the purpose of
edifying his disciples, and causing them to grow in faith and in
knowledge, doesn't it follow that He wants us to use them?
Let us turn next to Hebrews 10:24, 25. -- "And let us consider one
another to provoke unto love and unto good works: Not forsaking
the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but
exhorting one another; and so much the more as ye see the day
approaching."
Question: How can we be provoked to love and good works? The
Bible says here: "Through the assembling of ourselves together."
Let us turn next to Romans 10:13-17. "For whosoever shall call
upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. How then shall they call
on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe
in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear
without a preacher? and how shall they preach except they be sent?
as is written: How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the
gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things! ... So then
faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the Word of God."
Question: Is it not true that the Bible teaches here that Christ
sends preachers to awaken the faith and strengthen the faith in
Jesus Christ?
Let us next turn to Matthew 16:18. "And I say also unto thee, that
thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the
gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto
thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven."
Questions: Does Christ want a church? "I will build." Does he
like His church? "My church." How does He build it? Through the
disciples: "I will give thee the keys." What are the keys?
Preaching the Gospel and exercising Christian discipline.
Let us turn next to Matt. 18:17. "And if he shall neglect to hear
them, tell it to the church."
Question: If Christ does not mean an organized church here, how
can you "tell it to the church?"
Let us turn next to Matt. 18:20. "For where two or three are
gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."
Question: Would you like to be with two or three or more, and have
Jesus in the midst of you? You would if you love Him. Go to
church, then.
Let us next consider whether it was the custom of Christ to gather
with the assembly of saints. Luke 4:16--"And as Him custom was.
He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath Day."
Let us next consider whether it was the custom of the early church
to gather with the assembly of the saints. Acts 20:7--"And upon
the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to
break bread, Paul preached unto them." Hebrews 10:24,25 and other
places also proves this.
Next read Matt. 26, Luke 22, and 1 Corinthians 11, and you will see
that Christ wants us to keep the Lord's supper in remembrance of
Him. If you stay away from the assembling of the saints, how can
you?
CONCLUSION: Christ wants the organized church to strengthen the
faith of His disciples, to equip them for their task on earth, and
to prepare them for heaven above. We all need this strengthening
of our faith and this provoking unto good works. All the more
urgent is the need of it, when we consider that the day of our Lord
is approaching. If you want to be a follower of Christ, you should
belong to an organized church. Never soothe your conscience by
saying that the Bible doesn't ask you to go to church. It does.
If you don't want to follow Him and prefer the pleasures of the
world, say so. But don't say, "I can be a Christian without going
to Church."
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED
When Christ asked us to do something, there shouldn't be any
objections by us. We should obey straightway. But let us look at
some objections.
Objection No. 1. If the organized churches are Christ's, why do
they not agree as to teaching? Why so many denominations?
Answer: There are different denominations because man's mind is
darkened because of sin and cannot think correctly. One person
will read the Bible and emphasize too much one thing, and another
person will read the Bible and emphasize too much another thing.
This makes denominations. But this does not hold merely in regard
to the Bible. Men cannot think alike in regard to anything. The
greatest minds in the world, such as Socrates, Plato, and
Aristotle, gave entirely different answers to the same questions.
Christ's kingdom is composed of true believers of all denominations
who hold to Christ crucified as the only means to salvation. You
should belong to that denomination which agrees mostly with your
interpretation of the Bible. Here we shall know only in part, in
heaven we shall know as we are known. Then that which is in part
will fall away, also denominations and also denominational errors.
Objection No. 2. There are too many hypocrites in the church.
Answer: Suppose there are, "What is that to thee? Follow thou
Me." (John 21:22) "So then every one of us shall give an account
of himself to God." (Romans 14:12.) There are tares among the
wheat. Christ will take care of both the Judases and the tares
when He comes. But take heed that when He burns the tares, you are
not burned with them. Come to church and show the hypocrites and
unfaithful ones how to be a good disciple.
Objection No. 3. I often get company which detains me from going
to church on Sunday.
Answer: Tell the company to go with you to church. And if they
won't, tell them you feel it your duty to go where Christ wants you
to be. This is confessing Him before men. And if they become
offended and won't come again, rejoice, for such company isn't the
right kind of company for a Christian anyway. But they may not be
offended, and they many stop to think. You say you are ashamed to
stand up for your principles like that? Don't you think that in
that case He will be ashamed of you in the day of days?
Objection No. 4. I get up too late, and am too busy to get ready.
Answer: Get up on time. It is the Lord's day. It is a day of
rest only from physical labor but a day of great activity for the
Lord and His kingdom. Do you think you could get ready if you
wanted to go to a party?
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Faith, Prayer & Tract League
Grand Rapids, Michigan 49504-1390 ../ |