What is the Church? Certainly not just a building. The Bible describes the Church as a family in which we are all brothers and sisters, bound together by love for Christ and for each other. It also describes the Church as a body, Jesus being the Head and we being members, each with his own job to do. We belong to Jesus and we belong to each other. We need Him and we need each other.

      There is a great world-wide Church consisting of all who trust in Jesus Christ, whatever their colour, background, or intellect. There are also local Churches, parts of the One Church, yet belonging to various denominations.

      To be a Christian means to be belong to Jesus Christ as Saviour and Lord. To know Christ as Lord, is to recognize that His will for each believer is to be part of His body, the Church. To be a Christian means to belong to a local church and to support it loyally.

      "You can be a good Christian and not go to Church." This is as ridiculous as saying, "You can be a good football player, but never join a team." A football player is one who plays on a team. He spends time training with rest of the team, learning more about the game from them, and especially from the team coach. Football is a team game. It is the same for the Christian. You cannot call yourself a Christian if you stay at home and do not go to church regularly. It is a different matter of course for the elderly or sick people who cannot get to Church.

     If you are a Christian, you go to Church to:

• praise and thank God for all His love and goodness to you
• show openly that you belong to Christ. Going to Church marks you out as a disciple of Christ
• meet with other Christians to pray together; and
• learn more about the Christian life and to receive strength and guidance for the coming week.

      If a piece of wood falls out of the fireplace, it very soon goes cold and dead. If you stay away from Church and Christian fellowship, your love for Christ will very soon go cold and dead. You will lose interest in reading the Bible and praying. You will lose any desire to win other people for Christ. Your faith will slowly dry up and remain dormant. Never miss being with Christians in Church on Sunday. Even when you are on holidays, there will be a group of believers nearby who have gathered to worship Christ. Join them.

      Going to worship is not an option for believers; it is natural as well as absolutely necessary. You cannot live the Christian life without gathering together with other believers to worship God, to listen to His Word, to be with fellow Christians.

"Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy." Exodus 20:8
"Let us meet in the house of God." Nehemiah 6:10
"For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them." Matt. 18:20
"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." Hebrews 10:25

In Christian fellowship,
Floyd McPhee