Why Go To Church

A Place To Belong

Why Go To Church

Acts 2:42 NKJV

42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Confession of Faith

I am not moved by what I see or by what I feel. I am moved by what I believe. I believe the WORD of God! The victory is mine! I have it now! I can see it through the eyes of my faith!

Last week we talked about “Helping Someone to See Jesus” We continue our series called “A Place To Belong”

Why go to church?

If you've ever found yourself wondering about that little question, you're not alone.

Surveys tell us that as many as 79% of Americans identify themselves as Christians,

yet Only 20% of Americans attend church regularly.

I guess some people look at going to church as a bother. Others see it as sort of like punching a spiritual clock or earning brownie points with their Maker.

But to someone who understands church and what it's really all about, Going to church can be the most spiritually fulfilling, inspiring thing you do all week

The Book of Acts tells the story of how the church got started. Fifty days after Jesus rose from the dead, he sent the Holy Spirit to empower his disciples. They went out and began preaching about the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus—the Good News. Millions of people listened, thousands believed

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Acts 2:41–47 NKJV

41 Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them. 42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

I think we'd finally begin to realize

The real purpose of the church and why we meet together every week.

Today I want to show you 5 Reasons why the church exists and why you should be a part of it.

5 Reasons why the church exists and why you should be a part of it.

1. Membership

The first thing that church brings into our lives is membership.

In other words, The church gives us a place to belong.

The passage we read in Acts is absolutely flooded with fellowship.

Acts 2:42 NLT

42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

Acts 2:46 NLT

46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity—

Jesus gave these new believers a sense of community, belonging and togetherness at a level that you cannot find anywhere else in the world.

Jesus gave these new believers a sense of community, belonging and togetherness at a level that you cannot find anywhere else in the world.

All of us need a place to belong. All of us need to be a part of something bigger than ourselves. All of us need to experience family and fellowship.

One writer calls America "a nation of strangers, and

Studies show that 4 out of 10 people experience feeling of intense loneliness.

Here’s what I realize:

Everywhere you look, there are signs that people are hungering for fellowship, community, and a sense of family.

Beer commercials don't sell beer; they sell fellowship.

Advertisers don't portray someone drinking alone; it's always in the context of enjoying each other's company. People long to be connected.

There are many analogies for a Christian disconnected from a church: a football player without a team; a soldier without a platoon; a tuba player without an orchestra; a sheep without a flock. But the most understandable and biblical pictures is that of a child without a family. That family is the church.

God does not want his children growing up in isolation from each other, so he created a spiritual family on earth for us.

A Christian without a church family is an orphan.

V Formation

This fall when you see geese heading south for the winter, flying along in V formation,

you might be interested in knowing what science has discovered about why they fly that way.

It has been learned that as each bird flaps its wings, it creates uplift for the bird immediately following. By flying in a V formation, the whole flock adds at least 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew on its own.

Christians who share a common direction and a sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier, because they are traveling on the thrust on one another.

Also, when a goose gets sick or wounded and falls out of formation, two other geese follow him to help and protect him. They stay with him until he is either able to fly, or until he is dead, and then they launch out to catch up with their group.

Jesus gave us the church so that we could do the same for one another: support each other and stand by each other when we're down and out.

2. Magnification

Secondly, church gives us an opportunity to magnify the God who made us.

Acts 2:46–47 NLT

46 They worshiped together at the Temple each day, met in homes for the Lord’s Supper, and shared their meals with great joy and generosity— 47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

It's not all about you. It's about Jesus.

Church gives us an opportunity to worship God the Father and his Son Jesus, though the power of the Holy Spirit

worship is far more than what goes on in a building for one hour on Sunday mornings;

Worship is a way of life

The problem is when we are by ourselves, most of us don’t spend time in worship to God

Psalm 34:3 ESV

3 Oh, magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together!

The Telescope

you ever look through a telescope and saw how it made things bigger - so that you can see details?

When we magnify, or worship, God. He becomes bigger in our hearts and lives as we stand in awe of his indescribable beauty,

his inexpressible splendor and incomprehensible wonder.

If you let yourself be truly immersed in worship, you will feel God's presence in this place, and it will stay with you.

3. Spiritual Maturity

Third, church helps lead us to spiritual maturity.

Acts 2:42 NLT

42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

In other words, they were committed to learning more about Jesus, who was the focus of the apostles' teaching, and growing to become more like him.

Let me explain something that I don't think a lot of preachers say:

We don't study the Bible so that we can sound smart in Sunday school;

We study the Bible so that, through it, the Holy Spirit can change us and make us more like Christ.

1 Corinthians 8:1 NCV

1 Now I will write about meat that is sacrificed to idols. We know that “we all have knowledge.” Knowledge puffs you up with pride, but love builds up.

The Holy Spirit uses a different methods to lead us into becoming more like Christ.

He often uses the circumstances of life—trials and tragedies—to shape our character.

He uses worship—as one writer put it Emerson once noted, "It behooves us to Be careful what we worship, for what we are worshipping we are becoming."

He also uses other people who are more spiritually mature than we are to help us to grow.

He definitely uses prayer—the more time you spend talking with God, the more you start to sound like him yourself.

But I still believe the tool he uses more than any other is God's Word.

In fact, the Bible calls the Word of God, the Sword of the Spirit.

As Rick Warren puts it, "The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make you more like the Son of God."

4. Ministry

Acts 2:43–45 NLT

43 A deep sense of awe came over them all, and the apostles performed many miraculous signs and wonders. 44 And all the believers met together in one place and shared everything they had. 45 They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need.

You were put on earth to make a contribution. You weren't created just to consume resources—to eat, drink, and take up space.

God designed you to make a difference with your life.

You were created to add to life on earth.

While many best-selling books offer advice on how to get the most out of life, that's not why God made you. You were created to add to life on earth. God wants you to give something back.

God wants you to give something back.

Ephesians 2:10 NCV

10 God has made us what we are. In Christ Jesus, God made us to do good works, which God planned in advance for us to live our lives doing.

We all have special gifts, abilities, experiences and interests that God has given us for ministry.

If you love to cook, you can make meals for shut-ins.

If you've got a heart for kids, you were probably made for children's ministry.

Who better to help a recovering alcoholic than someone who fought that demon and found freedom?

If you've been through the tragedy of divorce, God can use you to comfort others who are experiencing that same heartbreak.

The possibilities are limitless.

Unfortunately, so are the excuses.

If you've been saved and you're not involved in any service or ministry, what excuses are you using?

Abraham was old,

Jacob was insecure,

Leah was unattractive,

Gideon was poor,

David had an affair and all kinds of family trouble,

Elijah was suicidal,

Jeremiah was depressed,

Naomi was a widow,

the Samaritan woman had five failed marriages,

Thomas had doubts,

and Timothy was timid.

Still, God used each of them in his service.

He'll use you, too, if you let him.

5. Missions

Acts 2:47 NLT

47 all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all the people. And each day the Lord added to their fellowship those who were being saved.

Acts 2:42 NKJV

42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

UCF’ s mission is the same as Christ's mission—to seek and save the lost.

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When you get saved, Jesus adds you to his church and, therefore, his mission becomes your mission.

In church, we all have the same mission: to share the Good News of Jesus and his saving grace to a broken world.

You might fulfill your mission by sharing your testimony—the story of how you came to Jesus and what he's done in your life.

Someone else might carry out the mission by telling people the Good News—explaining the sacrificial death and subsequent resurrection of Christ and what that means to the world.

Or maybe you will accomplish your mission by simply inviting people to UCF and letting them hear the Good News here.

The church in Jerusalem grew from 120 to 3000 in just one day.

By the time we get to Acts Chapter 4, that number had risen to 5000

and, By Acts chapter 6 there were too many to count—

Because they knew they had a mission and they set out to get it done.

Conclusion:

I hope that I've given you enough reasons to get up and go to church next Sunday!

The truth is church isn't just something you attend; it's something you are. When you understand what it means to not just go to church, but be the church, you discover your life's true purpose—

You were made to be a member of his family, to magnify his glory, to mature in his image, to be a minister of his mercy, and a missionary of his grace.

NEXT STEPS!

• Read , , This Week

• Pray for someone you can bring to church!

• Sign Up for a Growth Group or volunteer to lead a growth group!