What Does The Bible Say About Going To Church?

While going to church may mean so much to some believers, some others believe they can practice differently. Currently we may think the choice is ours, but the Bible is clear about this subject.

According to BibleStudyTools.com, the word Church is, “In the New Testament it is the translation of the Greek word Ecclesia, which is synonymous with the Hebrew Kahal of the Old Testament, both words meaning simply an assembly, the character of which can only be known from the connection in which the word is found.” 

To the early saints, the church was more than a place of worship. It was a home; an experience that each one cherished.

What Does The Bible Say About Going To Church?

The Bible is full of different points where people gathered frequently for worship to be instructed on the mind of God for them, to praise God, and to prepare themselves for coming events. In these “meetings,” they witnessed the presence of God, felt closer to God, received hope in hopeless times, received guidance, and so on.

(All scripture references are from the NIV except otherwise stated)

“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.”Acts 2:46-47

In the New Testament, especially from the book of Acts, the church was a hub for believers, a symbol of the family of God for all to see; a symbol of peace, and a place of continual interaction and spiritual development of each believer. Going to church for them was not something they thought about not doing. It was a part of being a believer.

What Does The Bible Say About Going To Church KJV?

We can find various citations of the subject of going to church in the KJV that confirm the position of the Bible on this subject.

Here are a few verses of about going to Church in the KJV

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.”Matthew 18:20
“And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”Hebrews 10:24-25

Even David gave us a picture of going to the “House of God” in the Psalms when he said in

“I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the LORD.”Psalms 122:1

What Does The Bible Say About Going To Church Every Sunday?

The Bible doesn’t directly say anything about Christians going to church on Sundays. However, early believers chose Sunday, the first day of the week, the day Jesus resurrected, as their Sabbath day, “the Lord’s Day.”

“Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. (KJV)”Luke 24:1-3
“And upon the first day of the week, when the disciples came together to break bread, Paul preached unto them, ready to depart on the morrow; and continued his speech until midnight. (KJV)”Acts 20:7

So, ever since, majority of believers have stuck to having their local assemblies mostly on Sundays.

John Piper wrote: Jesus rose from the dead, created a new people for himself, and inaugurated a new humanity, a new creation with a new day of worship.”

The Sunday Sabbath is significant of the saints’ celebration of Jesus victory over death and the anticipation of His return.

What Does The Bible Say About Going To Church On Saturday?

Choosing to go to church on Saturday is a common among some Christian circles with respect to the Old Testament tradition stated in Exodus 20:8 and other parts of the Old Testament:

“Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.

This practice is based on the Jewish traditional order in which Saturday is the day of rest, the Sabbath, and the seventh day of the week. However, the early saints choose Sunday, the first day of the week for worship, not in any way going against the Jewish calendar, but rather commemorating Jesus triumphant resurrection, which occurred on the first fay of the week as we saw above.

What Does The Bible Say About Not Going To Church?

The Bible does warn saints about not belong to or attending a local fellowship center. Remember that to the early saints from the book of Acts, going to church was a fundamental part of being a believer. It meant you belonged to the family, a physical family that loved, supported, and engaged in your growth.

“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone.”Ephesians 2:19-20
“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts”Acts 2:46

Therefore, according to the Bible, to refuse to go to church, or stop fellowshipping with other saints in a local assembly is to expose one’s self to satan’s attacks on one’s faith that will eventually take them away from God or weaken their convictions.

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”Hebrews 10:25

Staying away from church is like saying we don’t need the gathering, therefore indirectly saying that we can do it by ourselves. Self-reliance is a habit that leads to the shipwreck of our faith. It doesn’t allow us to embrace the loving correction or the encouragement that comes when we are together in fellowship. Instead it sees faults and no need of the group.

What Does The Bible Say About Going To Church Late?

Going to church late is not a subject that is literally outlined in the Bible, however, we can deduce from our understanding of the matter of devotion whether a believer should attend church late or early.

Jesus said a man’s heart would be where his treasure is,

“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”Matthew 6:21

And how did Mary and the other women show us that Jesus was their treasure? By going to His tomb very early in the morning.

Lateness doesn’t show value, devotion or reverence. And God expects that we show him we love and reverence Him by being in church in time to join in the worship and participate in every part of the meeting.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”Colossians 3:16

Hence, unless in unavoidable circumstances, going to church early is a good virtue that honors God.

What Does The Bible Say About Going To Church During Menstruation?

In the Old Testament, when a woman was menstruating, she was ceremonially unclean, and was not allowed to come out until after her cycle.

“When a woman has her regular flow of blood, the impurity of her monthly period will last seven days, and anyone who touches her will be unclean till evening.”Leviticus 15:19

This was a Jewish or Mosaic Law that forbade women in their cycle from participating not just in fellowship but in any social gathering outside her personal space.

However, thankfully, in the New Testament, Christ settled the requirements of the Law. So long as a woman is able to properly clean herself up, she can participate in the fellowship of the saints. Why, because now, we do not worry about desecrating the physical temple, as we are now God’s Temple, both male and female, having a menstrual cycle or not.

“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ”1Corinthians 6:19

What Does The Bible Say About Going To Different Churches?

The Body of Christ, the universal church, is divided into smaller local assembly groups where believers fellowship together in varieties and enjoy God.

Although the Bible is silent on how many churches a person should attend, we can all understand by looking at Paul’s letters and the early church, that the purpose of the fellowship is to bless one another with our God-given gifts and to grow in the word together.

It is important to note that belonging to a church means that you are there not just to get, but to participate in sharing your God-given gifts with the body to enrich others as well.

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.”Colossians 3:16

A believer who hops from one church to another for whatever they want will hardly grow and will be of no use to any of the fellowships they attend.

“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”Acts 2:42

What Does The Bible Say About Church Buildings?

The Bible, in the New Testament is silent on this topic. The Apostles did not write about it nor did anyone really give so much attention to how the place they worshipped looked like. This was an issue in the Old Testament, but not in the New.

Did they meet in buildings? Yes. Some fellowships met in homes, while some met in the open spaces or some special venue.

Although, today, so much thought is put into building “church” structures, the Bible however focuses our attention more on building the real church, the people of God.

“For we are co-workers in God’s service; you are God’s field, God’s building. By the grace God has given me, I laid a foundation as a wise builder, and someone else is building on it. But each one should build with care. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.”1Corithians 3:9-11

Jesus said He’d build His church on the Rock, referring not to a physical building but to the Universal church of men and women who believe and call on His name.

You are the church, and together we form the united Bride of Christ looking out in earnest expectation to the return of our Lord and Master, Jesus.

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