Church is no doubt the place of worship for the Christians, that is, those who believe in the spiritual principles and leadership of Christ. As a matter of fact, the church goes beyond just being a place to deify some God and observe some penance, but it is also a place that facilitate unity and spiritual togetherness. Having realized the church as an idea of great importance and advantage that has to do with the promotion of unity and spiritual growth, we shall be dissecting the spiritual purpose of church: why do people go to church?
Spiritual Purpose of Church: Why Do People Go to Church
The spiritual purpose of church: why do people got to church is an enlightening piece that aims to open your eyes to some of the very efficient essences the church which is the rendezvous for the gathering of the men and women who share the same belief about Christ:
1. For Use of Your Spiritual Gift
From preaching to encouraging, hospitality to administration, God equips His children with spiritual gifts to serve Christ. (See 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12:6). When a church body is healthy, its members realize they are part of the congregation not only to receive but also to be a blessing.
Statistics reveal that in most churches, 20 percent of the people do 80 percent of the work. This is not to guilt you into “getting involved” at your church, rather it is to inspire you. Imagine, God has supernaturally gifted you so that He can glorify Himself through you as you serve Christ (Ephesians 2:10).
Many see work happening at church and think, They really don’t need me. Don’t be deceived. A well running ministry may appear to have all its bases covered––and it might. But if you look closely you’ll discover many individuals who are doing more work than they’d like simply because today, just as in Jesus’ day, “the harvest is truly great but the workers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send forth laborers…” (Luke 10:2). Your willingness to minister in your church with what God has gifted you is likely the answer to someone’s prayer for God to send more workers to help with the harvest. Spiritual purpose of church: why do people go to church?
2. For the Word of God
Looking at spiritual purpose of church: why do people go to church. Let us assume: if the word of God is quick, powerful, and sharper than a sword (Hebrews 4:12), then hearing the preaching of Scripture is vital to your spiritual well-being. Watching preachers on TV is often how people justify giving up on church attendance.* They may be listening to good preaching (if they’re discerning), but without living in close fellowship with real people, one can never really experience the help and hope Christ offers His bride through faithful involvement in a local church.
These days people are more accustomed to getting their information through entertainment, so sadly more and more preachers are replacing preaching with drama, skits, videos, etc. While our culture craves entertainment, God never instructed His ministers to entertain the troops. Rather He commanded them to preach Truth with urgency. It is through the preaching of sound doctrine that the Word of God:
- Penetrates hearts and transforms lives
- Calls sinners to repentance
- Encourages the downtrodden
- Inspires the Lord’s servants to love and serve Christ
- Lights the way God would have you go
When facing certain death, the Apostle Paul revealed the importance of preaching with this final instruction to Timothy: “Preach the word; be urgent in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine” (2 Timothy 4:2).
Spiritual purpose of church: why do people go to church?
3. For Collective Worship of God
Worshiping God alone is wonderful, but nothing can replace the beauty of coming together corporately to worship Him with others who also have His Spirit in them through the redeeming work of salvation.
Jesus said those who worship must worship in Spirit and in Truth (John 4:24). In order to truly worship God the way He demands requires some soul searching. All too often, people think worship is rooted in feeling like they’ve been with God. So they flock to churches that help them muster up those feelings. Sadly, if the church doesn’t continue to create an environment that stirs their emotions, many move on to find another church––or worse yet stop attending altogether.
Realize that worshiping God comes as a response to our humble gratitude for His love for us. Knowing God and His character as revealed in Scripture will stir in His children a heart of thankfulness that is expressed in worship that brings Him glory––rather than a self-serving emotional experience. The Spirit causes true worshipers to long to come together with other believers to honor Christ. If God’s Spirit does not stir in you a desire to worship God both privately and corporately, it’s time to ask Him to show you why. Spiritual purpose of church: why do people go to church?
4. For the Plan of God’s Idea
The most important reason for God’s people to attend church is that the church is God’s idea, “I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18). Plus, the church is how God is accomplishing His work on earth today. The Bible is clear, from the narrative in Acts through the Epistles of Paul, Peter, James, and John, that God’s work in the world today is being completed through His church.
Spiritual purpose of church: why do people go to church?
One only has to review the words God uses to describe His church to get a glimpse of how important it is to Him: the bride of Christ, the household of God, the body of Christ, and God’s building. The church as God’s plan is something that must be a top priority in the lives of all believers.
It’s clear from passages like Hebrews 10:25, “…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some…”, that God wants His people to be actively involved in the church. From the account in Acts of the first church in Jerusalem to the seven churches listed in Revelation, it’s obvious that the Bible teaches the importance of local church involvement. In fact, over 30 specific local churches are mentioned in the Bible and six regions of churches are also listed (Acts 19:19).
5. For Outreach and Evangelism
The church is also the place for effective evangelism, outreach, and global missions to take place as well. The book of Acts chronicles the story of the growth of the early church and features accounts of personal evangelism, group outreach, and international missionary endeavors.
Outreach in the New Testament was always accomplished through the vehicle of the church. It’s obvious from a thorough study of the scriptures that the local church is to equip and train God’s people to reach others for Christ and then to send them out to accomplish that mission. Spiritual purpose of church: why do people go to church?
The last thing Christ said to His disciples is what has commonly been called “the Great Commission” where He left the lasting imperative to “make disciples” (Matthew 28:19-20) for His people to follow. This well-known instruction was what the Lord left His church here on earth to do. It was never Christ’s plan for this mandate to be attempted alone. True discipleship can only happen within the structure, teaching, and accountability of a local church.
