Weekly Church Attendance is Essential!

A. Christians met every Sunday:

1. The Bible warns against forsaking the assembly: Heb 10:25

a. Acts 20:7 tells us they came together for the purpose of breaking bread

b. The book of 1 Corinthians gives us strong evidence Christians met weekly:

2. Let us show proper commitment and respect for our assemblies

B. Look at what the Bible says about attending the assembly of God:

  1. "I was glad when they said to me, 'Let us go to the house of the Lord.'" Psalm 122:1
  2. "For I used to go along with the throng and lead them in procession to the house of God" Psalm 42:4
  3. "We who had sweet fellowship together, walked in the house of God in the throng." Psalm 55:14
  4. "I will give Thee thanks in the great congregation; I will praise Thee among a mighty throng." Psalm 35:18
  5. "I have proclaimed glad tidings of righteousness in the great congregation; Behold, I will not restrain my lips, O Lord, Thou knowest. I have not hidden Thy righteousness within my heart; I have spoken of Thy faithfulness and Thy salvation; I have not concealed Thy lovingkindness and Thy truth from the great congregation." Psalm 40:9-10
  6. "Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, And His praise in the congregation of the godly ones." Psalm 149:1
  7. "And you say, "How I have hated instruction! And my heart spurned reproof! "And I have not listened to the voice of my teachers, Nor inclined my ear to my instructors! "I was almost in utter ruin In the midst of the assembly and congregation." Proverbs 5:12-14
  8. "I will tell of Thy name to my brethren; In the midst of the assembly I will praise Thee." Psalm 22:22
  9. "Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with all my heart, In the company of the upright and in the assembly." Psalm 111:1

C. Now lets notice what uninspired Christians wrote in between 90 - 400 AD about the need to attend church every Sunday:

1. The Didascalia (The Teaching of the Apostles) was written in 225AD and it is interesting to note that this document in article #2 & #3, it first talks about the Sunday worship with communion, then the midweek worship without communion:

2. The Apostolic Constitutions were a collection of writings in about 400AD:

Yes, church attendance is necessary if a person is to grow in the "Grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ". There are many very valid reasons as to why we should attend the worship services of the church. We might begin by asking ourselves some questions:

First: Has God left man to his choice about the matter? The Bible says in Hebrews 10:25, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as you see the day approaching". After the Lord's church was established on Pentecost, it's members met weekly and often daily. Acts 20:7 says, "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them.

Second: Is it God's will that we attend church services regularly? Jesus said in Matthew 18:20, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them". Remember, Jesus has never forsaken an assembly and every Christian should want to meet with Him.

Thirdly: Is Jesus just as pleased when we do not attend?

Listen to his words recorded in Matthew 6:33, "Seek you first the kingdom of God and His righteousness". Here He is saying, that the church must be first to the Christian, even before seeking food, clothing, and shelter. The zeal of the early Christians was seen in the regularity of their meetings - weekly and often daily. Whenever and wherever Christians assemble today, faithful members endeavor to be present. It is most appropriate that this day has become the one memorial day of the gospel both by precept and by example., the day of gladness and rejoicing. It is the Lord's Day and we should use it in a manner befitting its significance.

Dangerous risks are taken in forsaking any assembly of the church: Christ may return in that hour, death may come, a life of neglect may begin, and others may be lost by a bad example.

One is made stronger spiritually be faithful attendance and is fortified against falling away. In I Corinthians 10:11-12, the Apostle Paul stated: "Let him that thinketh he standeth, take heed lest he fall". In Hebrews 6:1, the writer says: "Let us go on unto perfection". Consider this: Take a leafy branch off a tree, lay it carefully aside and watch. Slowly the color fades, the leaves grow limp, curl up, and it is dead. Take a fish out of the water, lay it carefully on the sand and watch. Frantically, at first, it twists and struggles, then weakens, moving its gills slower, finally quivers and dies. Take a Christian who allows himself to be separated from God in worship, fellowship, prayer, and active service and watch. Gradually, his conscience quivers and he misses the assembly. He then begins to fret at himself for missing, as questionable activities begin to take up his time. Soon, he begins to complain that the church is not being run right and finds many other excuses in an effort to justify his own neglect - generally he takes a stand against Christian living and he is dead.

We are to render "unto God the things which be God's" Luke 20:25; the first day of the week is the "Lord's Day", Revelation Chapter 1, verse 10. God has a right to say how His day shall be used. We abuse the Lord's Day when we do nothing; when we merely rest or seek entertainment.

Such is not in keeping with the proper observance of the Lord's Day. We should use it to assemble together and to worship God in Spirit and in Truth, John 4:24.

The early church gave the formula for church attendance in Acts 2:42. It reads simply: "They continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine, in fellowship, in breaking of bread and prayer."

Steve Rudd

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