Reason #7 why going to church this Sunday is the best plan:  IT’S WHAT GOD WANTS FOR YOU.  In the Old Testament, God’s people were commanded to observe the Sabbath and rest in God.  The Sabbath was the seventh day of the week and His people would rest and worship in recognition of the greatness of God who worked at creation for six days and then rested on the seventh.  God said in Exodus 20:5… “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work.” By resting and worshipping God on the Sabbath they were “keeping it holy.”  Holy means “set apart” or “sacred.”  In the New Testament, Christians now rest and worship God on Sunday, the Lord’s Day, in much the same manner.  Sunday is the first day of the week and we observe that day in recognition of the resurrection of Christ, which happened on a Sunday.  We are “keeping it holy” by resting and worshipping on that day.  Plus, Sundays are a time to collectively look forward to the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ.  Hebrews 10:25 says this… “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”  In American culture today, we are sorely tempted to busy ourselves with other activities:  sports, entertainment, food, etc.  It takes a conscious decision to set aside Sunday for rest, corporate worship and expectation of Jesus’ coming.  But when we do, we will be blessed with a peace that is far more important than one more busy activity or amusement.

Reason #6 why going to church this Sunday is the best plan:  THE BODY OF CHRIST NEEDS YOU.  The Bible is clear that the church is a body with Jesus as it’s head.  But the body is made up of many unique parts.  One of those unique parts is YOU!  Without your uniqueness, the body is not whole.  When you participate in the body-life of a church, you will be blessing others.  1 Corinthians 12:12-15 says, “For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ…. For the body does not consist of one member but of many.  If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.”  YOU are unique and you have something to contribute.  No one is more important or less important – everyone is needed… INCLUDING YOU!

Reason #5 why going to church this Sunday is the best plan: IT WILL HELP YOU DEFINE WHAT YOU BELIEVE.  There are so many voices in our current American culture, crying out with different messages, values and beliefs.  Which ones are right?  Which ones are best?  When you gather together in church, studying the Word of God together, you will gain a deeper understanding of WHY you believe what you believe.  You won’t just learn new facts, you will gain a better foundation for your whole belief structure.  Thinking alongside others, sharing ideas and learning together is a great way to challenge and refine your thinking.  The Apostle Paul said to the Christians in Colossae, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom…” (Colossians 3:16).  Plus, if you take on a teaching role of any kind (Bible Study leader, Sunday School teacher, etc) you will learn exponentially.  “The teacher always learns twice,” as the saying goes. 

Reason #4 why going to church this Sunday is the best plan:  FRIENDS.  (Church is a great place to be with friends and to make new friends.  (Or, you can sit at home on Sunday morning and watch reruns of Brady Bunch on Netflix.)  Being with friends is one of the greatest gifts from God in life.  Ecclesiastes 4:9-10 says, “Two are better than one, because they have good return for their labor.  If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.  But pity anyone who falls and has no one to help him up.”  I may be a bit old fashioned, but the “friends” I have on Facebook are fun and interesting, but they don’t necessarily become my closest friends.  Our closest friends are the ones we spend time with in person.  I love to see people talking and hanging out together at church.  It’s such a good and natural meeting place.  Plus, if someone is at church like you, there is a really good chance they are seeking good things, not bad, and are the kind of people you want to spend time with.  Proverbs 13:20 warns, “Those who walk with the wise grow wise, but a companion of fools suffers harm.”  Church is a great place to find friends.  (Oh, and by the way, I met my wife at church!).

Reason #3 why going to church this Sunday is the best plan:  YOU WILL EXPERIENCE THE PRESENCE OF GOD MORE FULLY.  Sometimes we get so busy with the different aspects of our lives, it seems we can’t see God or hear from God very easily.  That’s not surprising.  But when we gather together in fellowship we are better able to focus on the reality and presence of God.  I believe that’s what Jesus meant when he said in Matthew 18:20… “For where two or three have gathered together in My name, I am there in their midst.”  This is a very famous Bible verse with a very important concept.  God hasn’t changed his address… He’s everywhere, all the time.  But when we come together in His name, our experience of Him is greater.  And we certainly need more of God in our lives!  In Acts 2:42-43, the early church believers had this same experience… “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.  Everyone was filled with awe…”  Why were they filled with awe?  Because when they came together they could help each other see the amazing, all-consuming glory of God.

Reason #2 why going to church this Sunday is the best plan:  SUNDAY IS THE LORD’S DAY.  People often wonder why Christians meet on Sunday and why we call it the LORD’S DAY.  The answer is because Jesus rose from the dead on a Sunday.  So, when we gather together as a church, just by our very gathering, we are honoring Jesus.  Luke writes in Acts 20:7… “On the first day of the week we came together to break bread.”  He’s referring to the early church.  They gathered on the first day of the week, Sunday.  Why?  In commemoration of Jesus’ resurrection.  When we honor Christ by making sure to worship Him on Sunday, we are setting our hearts and our minds on the best thing possible:  God.  Matthew 6:33 says this… “Seek ye first, the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added unto you.”  Gathering to worship God on Sunday, the first day of the week, is a way of showing God He is first in our lives.  Everything else will fall into place after that!

Reason #1 why going to church this Sunday is the best plan:  YOU WILL FIND ETERNAL HOPE.  Thinking about God and the things of eternity are very important aspects of our present sense of hope and wellness.  The Bible says that "God has planted eternity in the human heart." (Ecclesiastes 3:11)  It's natural for us to want to think about things that will last forever.  When we spend more time thinking about the things that will never end, like God and heaven and God's kingdom, then we tend to be more at peace and less anxious.  Our greatest hope, of course, is found in having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.  

1 John 5:11 says this... "And this is the testimony:  God has given us eternal life and this life is in His Son."

Pastor Marcus, West Hills Community Church