I have four questions for you.  The first question is: have you ever trusted in Christ as Savior?  Have you asked Him to forgive your sins? If your answer is no, this post is not for you.  Instead, I would encourage you to read the gospel of John, and ask yourself who this Jesus Christ really is and how you should respond to Him.

If you answered yes, then we move on to the next question.  Are you a member of a local church that teaches the Bible as the Word of God?  If your answer is no, this post is not for you. I would encourage you to find a good Bible-believing church where you can become a member in order to serve and worship God, and spend time with other believers.

The third question is: do you attend every church service (Sunday school, Sunday morning, Sunday night, Wednesday night)?  If your answer is YES, this post is not for you.

The final question I am asking of born again believers who are members of a local church that do NOT attend every church service. That question is this:  why not?

I understand that church attendance is not mandatory and it does not save anybody.  I understand that there are some who do not attend certain services because of their work schedules.  I myself have this issue at times (I am a nurse, and sometimes I get scheduled on Wednesdays and Sundays).  I understand that there are times when you are sick (or your kids are sick), so you have to miss church.  I even miss church when I go hunting once a year.

What I do not understand is how some Christians can say they believe the Bible and yet ignore what it says in Hebrews 10:23-25 about the need for regular fellowship with other believers.  We need encouragement and correction from other believers.  We need corporate worship.  We need to give to God, and biblically this was done through the local church. How can we get these needs met if we do not belong to a church?

To me, being a member of my local church is part of who I am.  I can’t imagine trying to live my life without spending time with my brothers and sisters in Christ every week.  Church attendance is like sleep:  you need a certain amount or you won’t function right. People who only go to one service a week are like people who get six hours of sleep every night:  you’ll live, but it won’t be very nice.  People who only go to one service a month or less are like people who skip whole nights of sleep:  you will get spiritually sick and you won’t be able to function properly.

I am sure that there are those of you out there who will read this and say, “What do you know? Why do you care? Who do you think you are for condemning me for not going to church regularly?”   To you I will simply say that this is what I believe the Bible says.  I believe that the whole of the New Testament, especially the epistles, teaches that believers need to meet with other believers regularly to give to God, to worship God together, to encourage one another, to correct one another when they go wrong, to serve each other, to celebrate communion, and to teach one another.

In closing, I would encourage you again to trust Christ, to join a bible-believing local church, and to attend regularly. But don’t just attend; be active.  Look for areas to serve.  Make a difference to others as you serve Christ.