Is It Really Necessary?

Articles/Bulletins

Kevin Harrington
09/23/12 - Sunday Bulletin

In high school, my friends all found it odd that I would go to church three times a week. I would leave my friend’s house or whatever school activity I was at in order to make it to every service. Whenever it was time to leave, they would always ask the same thing, “Is it really necessary that you go to church every time the doors are open?”

Many people have asked that very question: “Is it really necessary?” Our church family meets three times a week; Sunday morning, Sunday evening, and Wednesday evening (four times if you consider Sunday morning Bible class). Is it necessary for us to attend every service? The popular trend among some churches is to offer multiple services and you get to pick whichever one is more convenient for you and your family.
The Hebrew writer tells us to “consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together; as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another” (Heb. 10:24-25a). Many people think when we go to church, we are doing it to fulfill a command that Jesus gave us to meet on the first day of the week. That is only part of it. The Hebrew writer tells us that we meet together so that we can encourage one another and stir up love and good works.

When you aren’t here, our family is hurting. How can we be encouraged when part of our family is missing? It’s sad to come to services and see people who are only interested in fulfilling a basic command to attend services. It’s sad to see people only come for Sunday morning worship and think that’s good enough. God wants people who want to be here. God wants people who aren’t here for themselves, but who are here to encourage other people.

When you aren’t here, you are hurting. If you were to not feed a newborn baby, would you still expect them to grow strong? Of coarse not! Then how come we expect to grow spiritually stronger when we don’t attend services like we should? Sadly, people want to do what’s more convenient for them and they want to do the bare minimum. If you are giving the bare minimum now, I can almost guarantee God will return the favor on Judgment Day.

Is it really necessary to be here? Only you can answer that question for yourself. God apparently found it necessary to give His Son, I think we can find it necessary to give a few hours a week.

~ Kevin