School is underway, along with afterschool practices and homework.  The reestablished routine is comfortable to some, yet restrictive to others.  With the beginning of school comes an excellent opportunity to start going back to church.  Your summer may have been filled with travel and other plans that took you away from Sunday worship, or it may have been a while since you darkened the doorway of your local church.  Some may be afraid the roof will cave in if they go to church (I assure you, do not worry about this, the church has insurance!)  I want to encourage you, as the kids and teachers go back to school, to go back to church.

People give many reasons for not going to church, and I want to look at two of them.   First, they see no need for the church.  They can have a relationship with God, through Christ and do not need the “organization.”  Second, they feel the church is full of hypocrites, or they just don’t like the people that attend.  Let me tell you, if you hold either of these positions, you are correct.

First, it is possible for you to have a relationship with God, through Christ and not attend church.  However, I want to let you know two things.  1) You are missing out on a crucial part of God’s purpose for our life and 2) there is a level of intimacy with God that you are not experiencing.  You see, we were created as communal people.  God said in Genesis 2:18 that it was not good for man to be alone.  Furthermore, we were redeemed by Christ to be a part of the church, the body of Christ (Take a moment tonight and read the book of Ephesians).  We were created and redeemed for fellowship with other believers and the primary place we experience this is as we worship together.

Second, the church is not perfect, but honestly, neither are you.  Sure, there may be people at a church that you don’t like, but go anyway.  Maybe you have a legitimate reason for no longer attending your former church.  If that is the case find another church.  You won’t find a perfect church, but you will find one that needs you just as much as you need them (which is more than you both realize).    We need each other to grow, that is why God tells us in Hebrews 10:25 that believers should not neglect the meeting of the body.  So, I encourage you to use the start of the school year to go back to church.