Ask the Pastor 88

Why go to Church?

In 2020 less than 50% of the U.S. population said they belonged to a Church or other place of worship for the first time in the history of this nation. The number stood at 70% for most of the years that such studies have been done but started to drop in 2000 at the turn of the century, down to what it is now at 47%. Part of the reason is that when COVID shut down churches, people did not get back in the habit of going. Church no longer has the advantages of socialization or of networking that it once had, being a Christian is not nearly as popular as it once was. If we go back to the beginning, we find that the first Christians met together for 4 main purposes, for doctrine, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayers. Doctrine is the teaching of the Bible, one would think that Christians would want this teaching as the Bible is the primary source for instruction as to how we receive eternal life, how we live our lives in the here and now and what happens next, when this life is done. Fellowship is the joint participation that we have with one another in sharing our joys and trials of our day to day lives, we have a place where we can get a sympathetic ear, a shoulder to cry on or some old fashion advice. Breaking of Bread refers specifically to the Lord’s Supper or Communion, when we remember the Lord, but can also refer to our worship of the Lord our God every Sunday together. Prayer is our life-line to the Lord God, it is how we tap into the power we have through the indwelling Holy Spirit, we pray to the Lord in worship and thanksgiving and we pray for one another. We come together to look up to God and to look out for one another. This is why we read, “…not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,” (Hebrews 10:25). So, go to church, get connected and involved and you will soon learn why we go to church.

Have questions about the Bible?Send them to Dr. Greg Koehn at gak4850@gmail.com and read the answer here in this article.