Spring Warrior Church of Christ

7432 S. Red Padgett Road

Perry, FL 32348
584-5176

WHAT wOULD JESUS dO? No.

5

Jesus Would Attend Church by Scott Mixon

Attending church is a crucial and vital part of a Christian’s life. Yet many people
who consider themselves Christians don’t attend Church on a regular basis. What would
Jesus do?

First and foremost, it is God's will that Christians assemble together regularly.
Hebrews 10:25-27 says, "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.”

When we forsake the assembly without a valid reason, whether it is occasionally

or completely, we are disobeying God and denying Him of our worship. In Matthew 6:33
Jesus says, "Seek you first the kingdom of God and His righteousness." The Church must
be a top priority for the Christian.

We have a number of commands associated with the Church that can not be
followed unless Christians attend. In I Corinthians 11: 23-26, Christians are told to
assemble to commemorate Jesus' death by partaking of the Lord's Supper. How can we
follow the command, in Hebrews 10:25, to “exhort one another” if we do not assemble
with other Christians? In Ephesians 5:19 and Col. 3: 16, Christians are commanded to
sing and admonish "one another.”

Members of the early Church continue to provide an example for us today

concerning how often we should attend. In Acts 2:42 we read, "They continued
steadfastly in the apostle’s doctrine, in fellowship, in breaking of bread and prayer." Acts
20:7 states, "And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to
break bread, Paul preached unto them.” The book of 1 Corinthians also provides strong
evidence that Christians met weekly (1 Corinthians 11:17-18, 20, 33; 14:23, 26). In I
Corinthians 16:1-2, the New International Version and the New American Standard
translations make it clear that the First Century Christians met at least weekly ( “first day
of every week” – NIV and NASB).
 We are commanded to be like Christ and follow his example (Phil. 2:5-8). While
most Christians will agree with the command for disciples to be Christ-like, many don’t
believe that their failure to assemble is a violation of that command. Let’s consider the
following:

In Luke 2:42-49, when Jesus was 12 years old, his parents could not find Him
after leaving Jerusalem. After searching for three days, they found him in the temple
sitting among teachers, listening, and asking questions. He responded to his parents,
“Why is it you are looking for me? Did you not know that I had to be in my Father’s
house?” Even at a young age, Jesus displayed His devotion to the Father by assembling
with those who were studying and teaching the Word of God.

In Luke 4:16, the Bible says that Jesus had a habit (or “custom”) of attending
synagogue for worship.

Jesus maintains an example for Christians today. In fact, Jesus has never forsaken
an assembly of Christians. In Matthew 18:20, Jesus said "For where two or more are
gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." Do we want to miss
being with the greatest guest of all, our Lord?

When people fall away from the Lord, it is usually not a sudden thing. They
usually start by forsaking the assembly of Wednesday night Bible study. Then they start
missing Sunday evening worship. Next they stop coming to Sunday morning Bible
study; and then finally they stop coming to Sunday morning worship.

When we choose not to gather with other Christians, we are denying ourselves of
all the benefits of worship that allow us to grow and strengthen spiritually. If we do not
look forward to every opportunity we have to worship God "in spirit and in truth," how
will we be able to enjoy worshipping God in heaven?

This article is reprinted online at http://www.bibleweb.com.