I was told, "I don't need to go to church. I know Yahusha and that's all that matters."
Knowing Yahusha is ultimately what matters, but we are to attend worship with other believers. For those in isolated areas where it's unsafe to worship, that might not be an option, but for the bulk of the people who read this there is no excuse.
Lots of people have plenty of excuses to not attend. Here's a partial list. I'm sure you've heard and likely used at least some of them.
· The preaching is boring.
· The preacher preaches too much/little from the Bible; is too academic/not academic enough; preaches too long/not long enough.
· The music is to fast/slow/loud/old/new.
· They are too formal/informal.
· The people are too friendly/unfriendly.
· They have/don't have: pews/organs/stained glass/pastoral robes.
· The service is too long/short, too demonstrative/not demonstrative enough.
· There is too much/not enough emphasis on Holy Spirit.
· They do/don't ordain women.
· They are too active/not active enough in outreach/missions/politics/social action.
· They talk too much about money/there isn't enough emphasis on stewardship.
· Services times are too early/too late.
· the pastor is too young/old.
· The congregation is too big/small
Have I hit a nerve yet? Have I stepped on your sacred cow? It's time to recognize that these are simply excuses that hurt you and the local congregation.
Why attend worship?
There is only one reason to attend worship, because you want to.
Some surveys I've read show that more than 90% of professing Christians Jews, and Messianics who attend church/synagogue regularly go because a given congregation meets the needs of that individual and his/her family. Did you know that's the wrong reason to attend services?
First and foremost, church is not about you. Did you know that? Church isn't about going and feeling good or about having your needs met. Those things can and do happen but they aren't the reason we go. We go to glorify Yahuah and to minister to others.
Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say,
"Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for
that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, "Because
I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason
cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would
the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense
of smell be? But in fact Yahuah has arranged the parts in the body, every
one of them, just as he wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where
would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body. The eye
cannot say to the hand, "I don't need you!" And the head cannot say to the
feet, "I don't need you!" On the contrary, those parts of the body that seem
to be weaker are indispensable, and the parts that we think are less honorable
we treat with special honor. And the parts that are unpresentable are treated
with special modesty, while our presentable parts need no special treatment.
But Yahuah has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor
to the parts that lacked it, so that there should be no division in the body,
but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. If one part
suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices
with it.
1 Corinthians 12:14-26 NIV
When you don't attend and take an active role, someone else in the body suffers for your absence. That someone might need your ministry. Conversely that person might be deprived of their ministry to you.
Not attending is a very selfish act. The whole body is missing out when parts don't show up to do their bit.
Will you get to heaven without going to church? Maybe. Salvation is by grace and not measured by how often we go. Will the body of Yahusha be poorer for your absence? Yes? Will you missing out big time? Absolutely.
Until next time, quit making excuses. Get off your backside and get it into an active role in the local Messianic Hebrew congregation. Don't have one,. Get a charter from The Messianic Hebrews of America and start one.
HalleluYah (Praise Yahuah)
Be blessed