The Priority of Church
“Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, but we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord's coming is getting closer.”
Hebrews 10:25 (CEV)
Church. What does it mean to you? The Bible uses many metaphors to describe the church - the family of God, a building, the body of Christ, the bride of Christ, and a royal priesthood of believers. Because of what religion has done by institutionalizing church, the church has become more synonymous with boring, irrelevant, and outdated. Modernists wonder what’s the point of church. Even many confessed Christ followers have fallen away and lost connection with the church today, especially since the pandemic. Apparently, this was not an uncommon issue. The writer of Hebrews challenges Christ followers to realign their priorities and consider the value of church in their lives as a place to worship in community with fellow believers, encouraging each other to love and service. We need that today more than ever in our culture. We need the church. It’s vital to our spiritual health and purpose to share God’s love to a broken world. Have you lost connection with the local church? Maybe it just became easier to worship on the couch in front of the TV for a live stream service. But deep down, you know that just isn’t enough. You’re missing connection and fellowship with other Christ followers.
One translation of Hebrews 10:25 (NKJV) puts it like this: “… not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some ….” That phrase, “the assembling of ourselves together” pictures how parts make up a whole when they are put together. You can have all the parts to a bicycle in a box, but you’ll never be able to ride it until it is assembled. Disassembled, we have potential, but we will never realize that potential until we are assembled together with other Christ followers in the common vision for which Christ has called us. This is the value of connection! It is the priority of church in our lives.
If you’ve gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship, maybe it’s time to realign your priorities and rediscover the value of church this weekend. Shift your focus from seeking a church to meet your needs to worshipping the only one worthy of all our praise. Then look for ways God may want to use you to connect and encourage others. Become part of a small group. We worship in large group assemblies, but when we connect together in small groups we experience body life – the life of Christ functioning within His body, the church! That’s why we call them Life Groups.
For those seeking a church home and deeper connections with other Christ followers in a life group, we invite you to join us for a complimentary lunch at our Membership Class this Sunday after the final morning worship services at any of our Woodlands Church campuses in the Houston area. Kick off the Fall with a new priority in your life. Register now for the Membership Class and experience the joy of connecting with other Christ followers!