Why should Christians go to church?

As many of us are going away to new places this year, such as uni, gap years and travel, new jobs etc, we thought it would be important to discuss how important going to church really is to Christians. As we move on to our new places of study, employment and adventure away from our current church families that weve grown up in, many of us only ever going to one church, we face the task of finding a new church in our respective communities, or do we? Can a Christian survive apart from a church? Certainly, some Christians have no choice. They are trapped, whether that is in sickness, stuck in a hospital or in our own homes, working or travelling in an isolated area where no church exists, or living and travelling in countries where Christians are being persecuted and their religion suppressed. (Open doors youth). Thankfully no-one here is really in that situation, weve all come here under our authority, and have the freedom to express our religion, but if we were trapped in one of those situations, God would certainly be sufficient enough to care for our needs; you can still get to heaven without going to church, (John Baslington attendance record 87%, NO ENTRY) but even though its technically possible to live the Christian life in isolation, its certainly not the norm. When you become a Christian, you are called into a relationship or a fellowship with God as 1 Corinthians 9 shows, God, who has called you into fellowship with his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. BUT, 1 John 1:13 makes it clear that we enter a fellowship that goes two ways: 3We proclaim to you what we have seen and heard, so that you also may have fellowship with us. So we have fellowship not just with God on an individual basis, dont get me wrong, what you experience with God on that 1 to 1 basis is fantastic, but if we never share that with other Christians are we not wasting an opportunity?. Christianity is not just about meeting with God; its meeting with other like minded people and sharing your experiences, problems and aspirations with as well. The New Testament never divides Christian into the church members and the non-church members. All the way through, it assumes that everybody participates in their local assembly. There were no part time Christians, people who believed in the word of God but had better things to do when it came to going to church, like painting the shed, or cutting the grass. All real Christians know thats a Saturday job anyway

Acts 20: 7 reveals the practice of these early churches, 7On the first day of the week we came together to break bread and Paul spoke to the people. So already the basic principles are there for everyone to see; attending church, taking part in communion and mutual ministry. For Christians in every location, these regular gathering were a part of life. The New Testament also doesnt give examples of Christian who belong to the universal church but have no link with a local church. One scholar (Alan Stibbs, Gods Church) has said that any idea of enjoying salvation or being a Christian in isolation is completely foreign to the New Testament writings. Wherever Christians are within range of each other in the New Testament, they meet. Is this not true in our lives today? Who here is part of a C.U, a house group or bible study group, alpha group? Its natural for us to meet and share fellowship together. As weve already looked out, it was natural in biblical times as well. Every time the apostle Paul comes to a town in the book of Acts where there are no Christians, he would gather everyone together and give a series of incredible talks to the people; (I reckon much like this one), win a few converts and then move on spreading the word. But when he moved on these Christians did not stop meeting and talking together, they immediately organises them into a small group a little church. As Christians its illogical to say that you are part of the worldwide, universal church, but then refuse to gather with the segment of that universal church that gathers in your local area.

The Church must be together to carry out many of its purposes. 1. USE OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS The Bible makes it clear that God has given spiritual gifts to every Christian. Now these might be the gift of preaching, (which you can clearly see I have been blessed with) or of speaking in tongues, or even healing, but also maybe more practical/tangible things such as skill in music (band), arts and crafts (Sunday school) or sports (church football team etc) And I Corinthians 12:7 states unmistakably that these abilities are not provided to make you feel good; they are not for your own benefit, they are abilities to minister that should be used for the common good! Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. So again this is for the common good, not for the individual, these gifts were designed to be used and participated in with other people. And the church is the vehicle that Christians use to share these things. I Peter 4:10 commands us to use spiritual gifts to help each other. Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. This passage makes it clear that we meet with other Christians so they can use their gifts to strengthen us. God's gift of a preacher or teacher is wasted if no one comes to hear them speak. 2. MUTUAL MINISTRY The church is pictured as a body in I Corinthians 12, The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. and Paul goes on to explains that each part of the body exists to meet the needs of other body parts. This is the same for the church. God intends each of us to meet the needs of other believers, using our strengths to help in their areas of weakness. I Corinthians 12:21 The eye cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the feet, "I don't need you!" Neither can a Christian claim to be self-sufficient today. Without a church we are not complete with the body of Christ. The New Testament is full of one another commands, commands of mutual ministry. We are to comfort one another (I Thessalonians 4:18), build up one another (I Thessalonians 5:11), confess our sins to one another (James 5:16), pray for one another (James 5:16), and many more. How can we obey these directives if we stay away from the gathering of believers?

3. ACCOUNTABILITY God designed the church as a place where spiritual leaders could watch out for our welfare, as a shepherd guards his sheep (I Peter 5:1-4; 1To the elders among you2Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseersnot because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve. Hebrews 13:17 17Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. A Christian who answers only to himself can easily rationalize sinful attitudes or actions; no Christian friends, drinking/swearing etc, regular contact with other Christians can keep us sharp. A single verse should actually be sufficient answer for this question on attending church: Hebrews 10:25 warns its readers 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us stay and encourage one. Summary points: 1. Meeting in a church is biblical. We are commanded to do it. 2. Its historical. Right back to Paul and the early church. 3. Church allows us to use our spiritual gifts, encourage others in mutual ministry and hold each other accountable for our actions.

Now, we have established that meeting as a church and living out our faith together is something that we as Christians should do. But as were going away how can we continue to do this in a completely new environment? There are over 2 million students in the UK 14,000 per uni, with most of the top 25 having around 25-30,000 students. Yet less than 2% follow Jesus and have responded to his love. How can we live out Gods word in such a secular community? With this in mind I thought Id provide you with some practical points to help us do this. Practical points 1. Decide to follow Jesus at uni. (Royal Marines Commandos. Its a state of mind) Stay sharp and get responsible. 2. Pressure point moments. Know your response, plan it, avoid irrational panicky moments when you dont know what to do. Drink, know your limits, set yourself a (target) cut off point. Tell a friend, be a designated driver. Cash instead credit. Drugs, Cambridge, Champagne parties rather than crack cocaine parties. 55% of people have used cannabis, gateway drug. LSD, amphetamine, cocaine, heroin. Sex. Laptops in own rooms, spare time, temptation, xxxchurch.com alert and tracker. Weekly report, John Cocaine story. 3. Tell people about your faith. Story about guys in room, flyer comes through from C.U, I hate Christians, moved rooms 2 days later. Initiation routines. 4. Fusion UK, Student link up, studentlinkup.org 5. Join a C.U. + freshers fair. 6. Find a church remember it wont be perfect. 7. Love your uni + town