“I don’t need to go to church” may be one of the easiest lies a Christian can believe. It sounds reasonable. The church can be a disappointing place. Sunday may be your only day off. And you can stream the best preachers in the world from your couch.
Jesus told two short parables that point another way. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field, which a man found and covered up. Then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field” (Matthew 13:44). A merchant finds “one pearl of great value,” and he “went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Matthew 13:46). Some things are so precious that you rearrange your whole life to have them.
The local church is one of those things. Here is why.
Precious Like a Grandmother’s Recipe
Think of the best dish you have ever eaten at a grandparent’s table. Part of the reason it was good is that it was delicious. But the bigger reason is that it was precious. You could only get it at that table, with those people, in that kitchen.
The church is like that. The people, the songs, the messages, and yes, even the buildings. You will sometimes hear someone say, “The church isn’t the building, it’s the people.” That is true. But it is usually said by someone who doesn’t want to go to the building. The people of God are meant to gather somewhere.
1. The Memories of the Church Are Precious
Ask anyone who has walked with God for years and they can name things that made church precious to them: a Tuesday night prayer meeting, a Sunday night service that went a little longer, the way guests were welcomed, the old songs. For some people, church was a refuge from chaos at home, and every little detail of it was part of that refuge.
Scripture tells us to deliberately recall what God has done. “I will remember the deeds of the LORD; yes, I will remember your wonders of old. I will ponder all your work, and meditate on your mighty deeds” (Psalm 77:11-12).
Two kinds of memories are worth revisiting:
- The testimonies. The day God set you free. The service where He met you at the altar. The psalmist remembers how God “drew me up from the pit of destruction, out of the miry bog, and set my feet upon a rock” (Psalm 40:2). Looking back at what God brought you out of builds faith for what He will do next.
- The trimmings. The songs, the style and the feel of the season when you met the Lord. Those things are not the gospel, and the church cannot freeze itself in anyone’s favorite decade. But it is good to remember them with gratitude, because God used them.
If you are new to faith, you are building those memories right now.
2. The Reality of the Church Is Precious
It is easy to look back at the church through rose-colored glasses and miss what God is doing today. It is just as easy to get “busy here and there” (1 Kings 20:40) and let the church slip.
“Sunday is my only day off” is a real feeling. But there is a refreshing in the house of the Lord that a day at home cannot give you. Scripture speaks of “times of refreshing” that “come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:20). That refreshing does not depend on the preacher, the music, the lights or the temperature. Something happens when believers gather and call on the name of Jesus together.
The church offers you things today, not only in the past:
- Encouragement from people who are walking the same road.
- Discipleship, starting with the preaching of God’s Word.
- Revelation that can shift your worldview, your decisions, your home and your work.
- Power and anointing, a real touch from the Holy Spirit.
The church also steadies you. Peter warns that false teachers “entice unsteady souls” (2 Peter 2:14). Regularly gathering with the household of faith is one of the ways God keeps your soul steady.
3. The Future of the Church Is Precious
Jesus made a promise: “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).
Contrary to what you may hear, the church of Jesus Christ is not shrinking or failing. The world may feel like it is getting crazier, and that tension is real. Paul says “the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God” (Romans 8:19). That longing is exactly why the church keeps building, reaching people and making disciples.
In fact, the church tends to grow under pressure. Around the world, persecuted and underground churches are some of the most vibrant on earth. What Paul called “this light momentary affliction” (2 Corinthians 4:17) has a way of producing revival rather than ending it. There is no mechanism on earth that can stop the church of the living God.
Why You Need the Church, Not Just Church Online
The writer of Hebrews speaks to confident, blood-washed believers who have access to God “by the new and living way” Jesus opened. And to these strong believers he says:
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 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 10:23-25).
Online sermons, podcasts and small groups are gifts. They are not a substitute for the gathered church. Every person needs a church. Every person needs a pastor who is watching over their spiritual direction. Every person needs a Spirit-filled gathering and a place of renewal, regularly.
The church also gives you something no online feed can: diversity. You need people who are going through something and people who know how to pray through something. Young believers full of zeal need older believers full of wisdom, and the older believers need the fire of the young. Men and women, young and old, new believers and seasoned saints all need each other.
Make Church a Rhythm and a Routine
None of this is complicated. So decide.
- Put it on the calendar. If you can show up to work, school and dinner, you can show up to church.
- Make it a rhythm. Let Sunday become the day that feels off if you are not in the house of the Lord.
- Fight through the inconveniences. Parking, bad hair days and tired mornings will always be there.
- Help someone else. Sit with the new person. Get their number. Text them on Saturday: “Are you going to be at church tomorrow?”
The church is a treasure worth rearranging your life for. It is for you. If you are looking for a church home in the Saraland and Mobile area, there is a seat for you at Citylight Church, where we are Building Lives on Jesus.