How to Go to Church
The God of the universe is wonderful. Despite humanity’s rebellion, he has stepped out of heaven to rescue us from the hell we deserve, regenerate our souls, and make us his children. Jesus Christ has done the work for us, through his life, substitutionary atoning death, and victorious resurrection. By his grace alone, we are forgiven, justified, redeemed, adopted, regenerated, and as good as glorified. But it doesn’t stop there. This side of heaven, God cares for us as a perfect Father. One of the chief ways he does so is through the ministry of his kind of local church.
Life in the church is not an optional appendage for Christians. It’s a privileged essential, at the center. It’s been a joyful essential since New Testament times. And local church life is not only about gathering corporately for worship one day per week. But that is a central part of the joy and benefit. As such an important part of life in Christ, it’s to be expected that gathering for corporate worship involves a few things.
Here are some things to consider as we go to church.
- Gathering publicly
Going to church starts with going to church. We gather with and for something bigger than ourselves and our agenda. When “church” is spoken of in the New Testament, it never refers to an arbitrary group of Christians. Nowhere does Scripture refer to a person, family, or group of six friends on a hike as the church.
“But church is not a building, it’s people.” “Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian.” If you were to say that to the apostle Paul, he’d probably say, “Uh, sure, now go to church. Go, gather with the local body of believers under qualified shepherding like I wrote in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1; be seen with them for worship.”
For those of us still stuck in the “I-can-do-church-my-own-way-and-in-my-own-place” error, please consider this. It’s not about, “Well, I don’t need to go somewhere to worship God,” but, “I get the privilege of plugging into a New Testament kind of church with the redeemed body of Christ to see and be seen; to give and receive; to minister and be ministered to; to love and be loved; to come alongside and be held accountable, and all out of worship for my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.
- Promptly gathering
There are benefits to the corporate gathering available outside of the specific meeting time. Great things can and do happen between 9:41-9:58 am. And if you ask your church leadership, there are likely plenty of ways to serve.
Obviously there are times when we can’t make it or we stroll in at the sermon’s midpoint. It happens. This isn’t so much about a clock as it is humble love for Christ and people.
So then, instead of, “Well, it’s just announcements and stuff, so it’s fine if we’re late,” it’s more about, “Out of love for Christ, let’s arrive early so we can serve in ways needed, meet and greet new visitors, and be ready to worship.”
- Engaged participation
One of the easiest things to do in corporate worship is to let the mind go passive. We are hearing, but not absorbing. We are reading, but not digesting. We are singing, but not proclaiming. It’s all too easy to be passive instead of active in corporate worship. But we miss out on God’s care when we allow that.
There are a few ways we can be active. The first is prayer. A pastoral or corporate prayer is not an observation time, where we let the pastor perform for us. Whether or not we are speaking verbally, it’s a time to engage the heart and mind as one people, towards the Lord. In a pastoral prayer, we can engage by affirming, thanking, and petitioning God along with that spoken prayer. We can echo those things in our heart and pray them back to God ourselves as one people.
The same goes for the public reading of Scripture. God desires to care for us by more than having our eyes glance over ink and verse numbers. Scripture is the very word of God. When Scripture is read, God is speaking. To listen to the Bible is to listen to God. To give attention to the Bible is to give attention to God. To give heed to the Bible is to give heed to God. The reading of Scripture is a time where we, the redeemed, united body of Christ, give focused attention to our great God.
Corporate singing is no exception. God’s gathered people are commanded to sing to one another ( Eph. 5:19
). We are to engage in singing. There are times when we may not feel like it or have lost our voice. That’s ok. If able, we can sing loud regardless of feelings. At times, doing so changes what we are feeling.
“Well, I don’t have much of a voice.” Maybe. But at your kid’s game or the time your favorite player made a spectacular play or the time you caught that huge fish or stood on that mountain for the first time or saw two elk fighting or when you got that huge tax return, you exerted a force through your lungs and out came some decibels. If you can talk, you have a voice. God isn’t asking you to sing like Jubilant Sykes. He’s just asking you to sing.
“Well, singing is more for the ladies. It’s not a masculine thing.” Read 1 Chronicles 25. David and his army commanders take the time to organize a huge choir for corporate worship, and they’re all men. And, one of them was named, “Heman.” He and his brothers would have chucked you over the temple wall down into the Kidron valley if they heard you say that, with their sword at their hip, while singing Psalm 75 in baritone.
“Well, I’m not much of a singer.” If God said he’d give you $500,000 this year if you tried to sing loud every Sunday, you’d figure out a way to do it. Engaged corporate worship involves effort given to singing for God’s glory.
So,it’s not about, “I did my duty by being present and listening,” but, “I get toreceive God’s care and be used by him through actively praying, reading, andsinging with the beloved body of Christ during this short time of worship wehave out of a 168-hour week.”
- Worshipful giving
Giving is a part of worship just like singing and hearing the word. We give in light of the infinite gift of the Lord Jesus Christ. We also get to give in proportion to what God supplies us. We give generously, joyfully, and sacrificially (cf. 2 Cor. 8-9
). Because this is an act of worship, it behooves us to prepare beforehand, praying and considering how to give in such a way as opposed to frantically or thoughtlessly tossing a few ducats in the offering last minute.
So, instead of, “Hey, at least I’m giving something,” it’s more about, “My God did not even withhold his most precious possession, his own Son, and he did so for my sins and to make me his child for eternity; so, it’s a joy to thoughtfully prepare to joyfully, sacrificially, and generously give back to him for his kingdom through my church.”
- Partaking in ordinances
God has set in place two ordinances forthe New Covenant; baptism and the Lord’s Table. In the first century church, itwas unthinkable for a Christian to remain unbaptized. Baptism was the sina quanon external symbol of faith in Christ. Both for the baptized and spectators,it’s a joyful time of worship, rejoicing in the power of God in his sovereignact of salvation.
Similarly, Christians participated regularly in that solemn, joyful memorial of our Lord’s substitutionary atoning death through the bread and the cup. It’s a time to reflect on the glory of God in quenching his righteous wrath for all our sin in the Person and finished work of Christ. Who would want to miss out on something like that?
So, it’s appropriate for us to set our hearts for these glorious events in the regular life of the church. Regardless of the frequency with which your church practices the Lord’s Supper, it’s fitting to prioritize it will all our heart.
- Feasting on preaching
We can say at least three things aboutpreparing for preaching. First, there is the need to prepare ourhearts. Listening to biblical preaching is not like approaching a lecture onastronomy. Apprehending astronomy can happen if you are spiritually hard-hearted.Not so with God’s word. There is the need for preparation through repentance( Jas. 1:21-22
). Tilling of the heart is necessary so that the word may takeroot.
Second, there is the need for teachability and receptivity. When we are served a meal, we do not perpetually turn the plate around, inspecting it at every angle. We eat. That’s the idea with the weekly biblical sermon.
The preaching of the word is one of themost sacred times wherein God exercises his care for us. He is feeding andnourishing; correcting and reproving; comforting and consoling; encouraging andenlivening; saving and sanctifying. As such, it is not a time to merely commenton the sermon’s appeal to my spiritual palate. It’s a time to ingest.
So, it’s not about, “I hope I like the sermon today,” but, “How can I actively receive God’s care by changing, repenting, and growing from the sermon?”
Third, there is the need to stick tothe word. In a volatile time like ours, it’s possible we desperately hope the preacherwill address the latest hot-button issue. We hope he will body slam thatpagan-in-the-news-this-week on the proverbial mat. That may feed our flesh, butit’s going to do little for our soul. We need the soul-strengthening meaty expositionof God’s word for another week in this world.
So, it’s not about, “I hope pastor addresses this hot-button issue,” but, “I pray and hope he faithfully and passionately exposits the next passage in the text so that I’m fed.”
- Ministering in the aftermath
It’s weird. Many of us feel like we are going to starve to death at about 11:32am each Sunday in church. Chances are though, we won’t. Your favorite buffet will still have options. That feedbag diner won’t run out of Coney Island dogs. Chipotle is well-stocked on the weekends.
By the time worship closes, the manifold care of God has been ministered at the New Testament church gathering. Souls are anywhere from encouraged to wounded; convicted to comforted and more. It’s not only a time to respond in my personal life. It also can be a time to respond by reaching out. Who can I ask what they learned from the sermon? How they were encouraged? Challenged? It’s a great time to follow-up with that visitor; to get their number, invite them to a home group or something.
So, instead of, “Let’s hit lunch quick,” make it more about, “Let’s hang for a bit, meet some visitors, see if there’s someone to minister to, and invite someone over who I might not usually hang out with.”
Conclusion
Perhaps some of us might cry foul. “This is too much; it’s legalism. Just go to church if you can, when you can, and without having to worry about these things.” No doubt, this involves some effort. And it increases when you throw a bucket of kids into the mix.
But we might ask those crying foul, “Do you have a hobby?” Maybe hiking, basketball, swimming, fishing, or wood-working? Gardening, antiquing, camping, or cooking? Climbing, crocheting, painting, or scrapbooking? You do something. And those who cry foul on preparing well for church would never do so when it comes to their hobbies and the things they like. “Don’t be all legalistic in telling me to be sure and get good shoes, a waterproof jacket, extra food, a map, and my camera for this upcoming hike.” “This cookbook is all law and no grace, burdening me with all these ‘to-dos’ of cutting avocados, chopping tomatoes, and grilling shrimp for this dinner party I’m having. Geez.”
The God of the universe loves us anddesires to care for us by having us gather corporately as New Testament churchesfor biblical worship. It’s one of his preeminent ways of administering his lovefor us in this life. And, as anything valuable and enjoyable we do in life, itinvolves a little preparation and attention.