For many Americans, Sunday mornings are all about visiting the local church. The positive view of a physical church location is difficult for some to wrap their heads around, either because they were hurt by someone in the church or because they view corporate worship negatively. The truth is that there are many Bible verses about going to church. While the ways in which we worship have changed dramatically over the years, the Bible verses about going to church clearly show that it is a benefit in many ways. The church teaches us how to serve, gives us opportunity for fellowship, and so much else. Here are some of the best Bible verses about going to church.
“And let us consider together how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another - and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
Unity was a vital part of the early church movement. The hostility between Jews and Gentiles and other people groups made for some ugly moments. Here the writer of Hebrews tells readers that fellowship with other believers is for everyone’s best interest. We have a personal relationship with God, but living that out means that we must encounter others so as to share the grace and message bestowed upon us.
“Will a man rob God? Yet you are robbing me! But you say, ‘How have we robbed you?’ In tithes and offerings. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing me, the whole nation of you! Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, so that there may be food in My house, and test Me now in this,” says the Lord of hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you a blessing until it overflows.”
Pastors often use this verse during a sermon on tithing, and rightfully so. Among other reasons, like keeping the lights on at your church, communal tithing is a form of worship that shows you place God’s priorities over your own love of material resources. We need to recognize that going to church is not just about what we get out of it, but finding ways to serve and give God His due.
“For where two or three gather in my name, there I am with them.”
Matthew 18:20 is one of the best Bible verses about going to church, though some try to use it as a way to dismiss the modern church for smaller home gatherings. Whatever the size of your congregation, this verse shows that Godly community is important to growth. You can of course have wonderful moments of prayer or revelation while alone, but there’s something special about believers coming together.
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
You’ll find that the book of Acts has many of the best Bible verses about going to church. This is because it shows how the first Christians conducted their faith after Jesus left them physically. Acts 2:42 gives us the bare bones of what it means to be a church: teach the Word of God, enjoy fellowship through meals, etc., and commit yourselves to prayer.
“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”
These parting words of Jesus are among the best Bible verses about going to church because they show that the Christian faith is not meant to be lived in seclusion or comfort. There’s nothing wrong with spending your time at home with family or at the church on Sunday mornings, but that’s not all there is to our spiritual walk. The role of church is not just to sit and be taught. We are to go out and make disciples as well. Going to church equips us for the journey.
“For just as we have many members in one body and all the bodies do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”
Romans 12 is all about the ways in which Christians serve their communities as well as the greater Church. This selection of scripture comes just before the discussion of spiritual gifts and leads into that topic by reminding us that our spiritual community is made up of all kinds of people who God has equipped in different ways. Ideally this would lead to a church that can serve others and proclaim the gospel through a variety of means. This is one of the best Bible verses about going to church as it shows that we need talented, Godly people to be a part of the local church. How else can we impact the world in the way in which we are called?
“And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul; and when had found him, he brought him to Antioch. And for an entire year they met with the church and taught considerable numbers; and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.”
We often think of Paul as a missionary who was constantly traveling and speaking to crowds of people he did not know. Of course this was a big part of his ministry, but Paul also spent considerable lengths of time pouring into the lives of new believers and training up new Christians. The church is a great place to be taught by those who have intensely studied the Word and upon whom God has placed a calling.
“So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.”
Another one of the best Bible verses about going to church that comes from Acts is this collection of parting words from the story of Paul’s early ministry. We see that the early church experienced amazing growth through the Holy Spirit and the obedience of people like Peter and Paul. These early Christians were gathered in selfless worship, giving all that they could for the gospel. What a reputation for us to live up to today!
“As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
These verses follow several detailing the gifts of the Spirit as well as a call for unity under Christ. When you are part of a church, you sit under Biblical teaching that will call into question any bad theology that comes from false teachers or your own pride. We build up the church by focusing on Christ, the head of the Church. This is part of the reason why all believers should be part of a local church. Not only is it better for your own walk, but your gifts may also help the cause of Christ.
The preceding Bible verses about going to church show us a number of reasons why a healthy church is so important in our world today. We may have difficulty trusting others, or we may feel lazy and selfish, or it may be hard for us to be a part of a community thanks to a disability or similar circumstance. However, we as individuals need the church, and it needs a body of believers who love the Lord and will answer when He calls.
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