Why would you not want to go to church? Do you need encouragement before you can attend church services? There are one thousand and one reasons why people, including “Christians” don’t go to church. But despite their reasons, God still desires that His people go to church and He has packaged great blessings for those who will obey Him. This article gives the benefits of going to church.
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching – Hebrews 10:25 (NKJV)
The house of God (church) is an appointed place to meet with God and the hosts of heaven (Hebrews 12:22-24). It is also a house of prayer, as Jesus reminded those who were buying and selling in the temple (Matthew 21:13), and prayer is a two-way communication with God. God meets with His people in the church. His name is designated on every living church and his eyes and heart are always there – 2 Chronicles 7:16.
An understanding of this fellowship with God and the heavenly beings will change your perspective towards going to church. It will make you to go with great expectation and you will never need to be encouraged again to go to church.
So, what are the benefits?
Encounter with beauty
When you go to the house of God, (Zion, which also means where God dwells – Psalm 74:2) you encounter beauty – Psalm 48:1-2, Psalm 50:2. You encounter beauty of unity and the glory of God. If you are in the spirit, you will encounter the beauty of God, from the opening prayer, through the Word time to the closing prayer and you will leave the Elan Church most satisfied, desiring to return again and again. King David couldn’t help expressing the beauty in God’s house that he declared in Psalm 84:1 how lovely God’s house is and how his soul longed and fainted for the courts of the Lord.
Strength
The house of God is a source of strength, for they go from strength to strength as many as appear before God in Zion – Psalm 84:7. You can’t be in church spirit, soul and body and return weak. It is a service center where you are attended to; spirit, soul and body. When you encounter the Almighty God, you are strengthened. As iron sharpens iron, so God sharpens the countenance of everyone that appears in His house – Proverbs 27:17
Joy
Another benefit of going to church is joy. In the presence of God there is fullness of Joy and at His right hand pleasures forever more – Psalm 16:11. The joy of the lord is contagious. You can’t be in God’s house and not contact the joy of the Lord, and remember it is your strength – Nehemiah 8:10. Joy is one of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22) and so encounter with the Holy Spirit in the house of God is also an encounter with joy.
Wisdom, knowledge and understanding
The house of God is also a place where you gather wisdom, knowledge and understanding – Psalm 73:17. These three always go together – Proverbs 24:3, Ephesians 1:17-18 and Daniel 1:17 and they are given by God. So, church where God dwells is a perfect place to receive them. Many times, I have entered the church with questions about certain things quite disturbing in my spirit but I always left with better knowledge and understanding of such issues, coupled with the wisdom to handle them. The Lord prepares a word for me via the mouth of His servant on such occasions.
Answered prayers
God answers prayers in the church. It is a house of prayer (Isaiah 56:7) and God does not store these prayers, He answers them. Hannah went to pray in the temple and she returned with her answers – 1 Samuel 1:10-20. God hears prayer and so people go to church to pray (Psalm 65:1), and if you know that He hears you, then whatsoever you ask according to His will, you will surely receive – 1 John 5:14-15
King David understood these benefits and maximized it greatly as is evident in the scriptures in the book of Psalms. The enemy has an idea of these benefits and will do anything to keep you away from church. He will even tell you that watching men of God on television or the internet is the same or even better than going physically to church. Be wise and resist the devil.
Even our Lord Jesus Christ and the apostles never missed going to the synagogue as church was called then. Luke 4:16 says that it was the custom of Jesus Christ to go into the synagogue on Sabbath days. So what will be your excuse now?
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