​I Get To Go To Church

​I Get To Go To Church (Psalm 122:1)
 
Psalm 122:1, I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.
 
God’s house should be a place where we can enjoy deep and intimate fellowship and interaction with the Lord through worship and the work of God’s Spirit in our lives. It is also a place to share and express God’s love with others who are devoted to the Lord. What a blessing there is for God’s people to be able to assemble together for worship. As Israelites ascended to Jerusalem for the high holy days each year, there was joy and excitement as they anticipated arriving in the Tabernacle and later the Temple. Christians to this day ought to have the same joy upon entering the meeting place of the local church.
 
Recent trends in Christianity reveal that the church is revamping traditional worship services to accommodate the world. More and more congregations are calling off Sunday evening service in an attempt to promote family and leisure time. Statistics prove that although America is still a religious nation, it is placing less emphasis on faithful church attendance. The current trends that de-emphasize church attendance are not producing mature Christians; on the contrary, the results show that more and more believers are becoming colder and more secularized in their faith. Such a practice is contrary to Biblical commands. In these dark days we need the church more than ever. The Church of Jesus Christ is a place of refuge, rejoicing, and renewal. If we fail to make church a priority we have failed in our priorities, and we will certainly hinder our spiritual growth. The Lord God established the church, Jesus gave His life for the church, and the Holy Spirit empowered the church; we should be willing to go to church! Don’t allow the schedules of life to hinder you from going to the House of God!  Be as David said in Psalm 122:1, I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.
 
David was delighted and he rejoiced at the opportunity to go to the house of the Lord. As a man after God’s own heart, David loved being in God’s presence. He accepted the invitation with enthusiasm. Like David, our hearts should fully anticipate going to God’s house. For believers, God’s house is the local church (I Timothy 3:15), and the Lord has commanded us to assemble regularly there with other believers (Hebrews 10:25). We ought to rejoice when the appointed time comes to go to church.
 
If we lack gladness for worship, we have a spiritual problem. Of course, there are some who are tools of Satan who would make the house of God an undesirable place. Sadly, many professing believers today do not worship in God’s house regularly. And for many of those who do, going to church is a dreaded duty rather than a delight. Just as sad are those who allow their lives and their children’s to become so crowded with activities that there is no time for church. Others are so exhausted by work and family responsibilities that they find it difficult to go to church. We need to make corporate worship a joyful priority in our lives. Joyful worship is possible only if we love the Lord. Scripture is clear, corporate worship is not optional. We must not neglect to gather with God’s people for worship and for nourishment from God’s Word (Hebrews 10:25). While it is possible that worship and preaching may become routine and be taken for granted. We tend to rationalize that our relationship with God is a personal thing, and we don't have to participate in a church to be nurtured in our faith.
 
However, the Scripture teaches us that the Holy Spirit within us draws us together into a fellowship with other believers. We are the "body of Christ" in the world today. As a collective group of believers, we are to worship, to witness, and to carry on the ministry of Christ. God has created the church for the purpose of our growth in discipleship and the Word, that we might be encouraged and strengthened in our walk with the Lord. Too many people look on church attendance and participation from the perspective of whether or not they get anything from it. The worship service may not be stimulating, and the sermon may be boring, so we rationalize that it doesn't do us any good. We may consider the people who attend to be hypocrites whose lives do not reflect what they profess on Sundays. But we must remember that it is not about the style of worship, the sermon, or other people but our relationship with God and worshipping of Him. Our focus should be on Him, and regular participation in corporate worship is essential to maintaining the focus of our daily lives.
 
We must not submit to a self-centered perspective on church attendance as if it is about us and what we get out of it; we have an obligation to others. The church is for us to encourage and minister to others that we all might live out our faith in the world more effectively. Be as David said in Psalm 122:1, I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord. David was delighted and he rejoiced at the opportunity to go to the house of the Lord. You will find that the more of yourself that you invest in your church, the more you will love it.
 
Prayer: Lord, thank You for the privilege of corporate worship. I pray that I would have a proper attitude about participation in church, that it would be an experience of meeting You, a time of personal renewal, and expression of ministry to others.
 
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