Time To Shift

I recently had a conversation with someone about returning to church (this person does not go to my church) and asked when he thought he would physically go back to church. I was shocked to hear him say that he did not plan to return at all. He does not see the benefit to being in his Father’s house because he can hear the Word taught from home and does not feel the need for the community that church provides.

Unfortunately, I think a lot of people feel this way. But here’s the truth:

The atmosphere changes when you go to church.

The atmosphere you experience in the church is different than it is worshipping from home. It’s time to shift. This shift is a transfer from one place to another. It’s time to return to the church building!

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

There is power in going to church. James 4:8 tells us to draw near to God. A great way to do that is by visiting Him at his house. The church is a building dedicated to the worship of God. I believe that’s why Jesus was drawn there as a little boy. When you do come to church, you get the opportunity to worship God in spirit and truth without the distractions of home. You can build your faith through the preaching of the Word and have an opportunity to receive a rhema word from God.

When you come to church, you’ll encounter like-minded believers. These are true friends who love and care for you. They’ll agree with you in prayer, lay hands on you for healing, and minister to you through their testimonies and words of encouragement. These relationships will grow over time and you’ll find mutual accountability and discipleship.

When you are in church, you are guaranteed to be in the presence of God. Jesus tells us in Matthew 18:20 that “where two or three are gathered together in My name, there I am in the midst of them.” Worship at the same time and place with your brothers and sisters in Christ brings God’s manifest presence into the atmosphere. This presence of God is the environment where miracles happen and lives are transformed. The presence of God has the anointing to break chains and destroy yokes. The presence of God is where people are healed, delivered, and set free!

These are some great reasons to attend church, but there’s one more I want to share with you:

The atmosphere changes when you go to church.

Not only does being in church change the atmosphere around you, your presence also changes the atmosphere of the church. Church is better when you are there. When you’re at church, you get an opportunity to serve the Lord with your gifts and talents. You have an opportunity to love on people through touch and conversation. You can “bear one another’s burdens” (Galatians 6:2) and “consider one another in order to stir up love and good works.” (Hebrews 10:24)

Whether or not you realize it, you have something that someone else at your church needs. That’s right! Someone else needs you, and God expects YOU to be a blessing to them. While there are a lot of good things you can get at church, it truly is “more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35) After all, church is not all about us or what we can get out of it. Church is about Jesus and serving people.

So make sure you do not allow the pandemic to become an excuse for poor church attendance. While some people may have valid reasons to stay home, now is also a great time for many people to return to church. Your church loves and misses you and there are people there who are looking forward to connecting with you!

Hebrews 10:24-25
And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 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.