Why is Church Important?

In the Old Testament, the people of God gathered in the tabernacle, and later, in the temple because it was seen as the dwelling place of God. But for those of us living under the influence of the New Testament, we recall that our body is the temple, and we recite phrases like I have Jesus in my heart. It seems, then, that the New Testament down plays the role of the church. In fact it does, if you think only of the church as the place to find or meet with God. For the New Testament theology broadens our understanding of the omnipresent, omniscient God who is everywhere and anywhere at any and all times.

So, then, why do we need a church building and a religious organization? I think we all agree it is obvious that we gather in a church building, with other believers, to worship God. For example, I need to gather with others for worship because I cannot play the piano, nor read music, so my worship is limited without the help and expertise of others. But there are some other reasons as well. Listen to what the writer of Hebrews wrote to those who knew full well the tradition of the tabernacle and temple worship:

Watch out, brothers, so that there won't be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart that departs from the living God.

But encourage each other daily, while it is still called today, so that none of you is hardened by sin's deception (Hebrews 3:12-13, HCSB).

And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works,

not staying away from our meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near(Hebrews 10:24-25, HCSB).

We are to gather to worship God in the church so that we can encourage one another and hold each other accountable to living the life God has called us to. First, we are to watch out for each other and encourage one another so that our hearts are not deceived or hardened. Do you agree that when we encounter a lost and dying world on a daily basis, our hearts can become callous to the desperation of those caught in the death spiral of life and death without Christ? We gather as a church so that we can peel back the callous and let God soften our hearts to see them as He does. But we also gather as a church to be held to the high standard of righteousness so that we will not live a watered down, sin filled life that does not reflect the Savior we seek to follow.

Second, as the second coming of Christ draws closer and closer (for each moment that He tarries moves us another moment closer to His coming), we meet together to encourage one another to do good works and to love one another. Notice the emphasis on "not staying away from our meetings, as some habitually do." We need to be in the habit of coming to church so we can encourage and be encouraged.

It is important that we gather together to worship, not just so we do not sin, but more importantly, so we look like our Savior. Let's gather together and worship our Lord as we seek to encourage one another in the things of God.