Psalm 112:1 “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord.”If David were living he would find that not all God’s people would share the above sentiment with him. There are probably more divergent views on attendance of the services of the church than any other one topic. I have heard many sermons on it. I have read many articles on it. Preachers often judge the strength of a church by the percentage of attendance on the part of the members on the roll.
Those who don’t attend services regularly console themselves with this “great” argument: “Well, just attending church never saved anyone!” And some say that they try to live their Christianity during the week and not just on Sunday.
This is well and good. In fact, I don’t know of very many preachers of “attenders” who believe that attending alone saves anybody. And I might add that I am skeptical of anyone who speaks of his “good works” during his working week who has so little interest in worship on his day off!
Could it be that we are arguing about a straw man? The real issue is not whether you sign the attendance slip, turn your name tag over or punch in on the worship clock. It really comes down to how I feel about my Lord’s desire that I meet Him at His table (Matthew 26:26-29; 1 Corinthians 11:18-34). The real issue is how I feel about my family in Christ. Do I enjoy being with them? Do I appreciate the encouragement I get from them and do I encourage them? Here is the great question of fellowship in worship.
The early church took every opportunity they could find to be together. They wanted to study together, pray together, to suffer together; and together share Christ with their world.
It is not a question of how many times can I miss and still be counted a member. The issue at stake is how much do I love the Lord, His work and His people. If I really love Him, I’ll be with Him and His people.
…Borrowed