Can I opt out of Church?

Introduction

(Big Idea: Church attendance is Important - Christ died for the church!)

Imagine the early church in the years after Christ’s death. Groups of devoted Jewish men and their families who have left their synagogue with its familiar rituals and traditions because of their faith in the Messiah they know as Jesus, the Christ. now assemble in small groups we call churches to worship, study the Scriptures and pray.

Their faith in Jesus as Messiah placed them at odds not only with their former religious leaders but also with their family, friends, and coworkers.

Now, add to this the real and present danger of imprisonment and death by Roman authorities for their faithfulness to the crucified man mockingly called “the King of the Jews.”

Yet they remained faithful to their local assembly and the church continued to grow.

Fast forward to the present...

In our age, many Christians are “opting out” of Church attendance. The self-reported rate of regular church attendance, defined as once per month, has declined to 58% Only a third of Americans now say they attend church weekly.

Reference: Christianity Today July 2018

Weber, Jeremy. “Pew: Why Americans Go to Church or Stay Home.” Accessed 21 November 2019. https://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2018/july/church-attendance-top-reasons-go-or-stay-home-pew.html.

Now think of where we are today as Christians. The fear of the Hebrew writer is being realized. Church attendance among Christians is continuing to drop. Some have even claimed the Church is no longer relevant.

Now think of where we are today as Christians. The fear of the Hebrew writer is being realized. Church attendance among Christians is continuing to drop. Some have even claimed the Church is no longer relevant.

Now think of where we are today as Christians. The fear of the Hebrew writer is being realized. Church attendance among Christians is continuing to drop. Some have even claimed the Church is no longer relevant.

This environment may cause each of us to ask the question: “Can I Opt Out of Church?”

"Can we?”

This passage, answered that question for a group of Christians tempted to stop attending and perhaps gives the answer for us today.

Prayer

Let us pray:

Dear heavenly Father, we thank you for your word and for your Son, without whom we would not have a certain expectation of eternal life with you - our savior and Messiah. Help us, I pray, to see the wisdom from Hebrews in continuing to remain in fellowship and relationship with Christians in these dark and evil times. We thank you and praise you. IN Jesus name. Amen.

“Can I Opt Out of Church?”

Church is Important Because Our History Confirms It

Let’s examine our text for today. Please turn to the book of Hebrews, chapter 10, verses 24-25. Please read along as I read this passage from the New King James Version:

The New King James Version Chapter 10

24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

As we can see from this passage, church attendance was the norm; however, some were beginning to stop attending.

Even before the church began, for these early Jewish-Christians, synagogue attendance was the norm. To get a better idea of the importance of these gatherings, who better to explain than a Messianic Jewish Scholar, Dr. Stuart Sacks, who in his book, Hebrews through a Hebrew’s Eyes: Hope in the Midst of a Hopeless World, gives us insight into the traditions of many orthodox Jewish congregations even now.

He relates that Jewish Leaders would wait for a quorum of ten men before they started praying. This number historically came from the prayer of Abraham to save Sodom if ten righteous men were found. This togetherness was a fundamental aspect of their faith and the faith of the early church from the beginning.

Before the church began, in the upper room, the disciples and followers of Jesus met to pray, study the scriptures, and wait for the promised Holy Spirit (Acts1).

From the beginning of the church at Pentecost, the church has been practiced and realized as a gathering of believers "in one accord.” ().

The New King James Version Chapter 2

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

The earliest gatherings were in synagogues, until mainstream Judaism rejected Jesus as the Christ, then they moved to local homes. The idea of the church as a building came much later.

Many today consider the church as a building, it isn’t.

If we consider the church as a building and Sunday Mornings as “going to the church” instead of “going to (be part of the) church” than we miss the point of church. Church is the gathering together of Christians in unity to learn, fellowship and pray.

If we consider the church as a building and Sunday Mornings as “going to the church” instead of “going to church” than we miss the point of church. Church is the gathering together of Christians in unity to learn, fellowship and pray.

“going to the church” instead of “going to church”

Our history confirms that this gathering together as a church was necessary and normal - for that time, but what about today? Our needs to learn, study, fellowship and pray together are still necessary components of Christian growth.

Can I opt out of church? Our church history confirms its importance to our Christian growth and experience as Christians.

Still not convinced?

Our Witness Requires It

I know that we are a part of Christ’s universal church wherever we go. That is a true statement; however, consider this - the New Testament letters were written for Christians as a part of a local church or for pastors of local churches.

Can I opt out of Church? The early Christians met together despite great persecution and yet why do we neglect to attend?

I know that we are a part of Christ’s universal church wherever we go. That is a true statement; however, consider this - the New Testament letters were written for Christians as a part of a local church or for pastors of local churches.

Perhaps, we do not know that our witness requires it. In this passage, the author was trying to ensure that Christians did not leave the local congregation and go back to their former lives and to the synagogue. To do this would be more comfortable and safer, but it would require renouncing Christ.

Church attendance and gathering together helps each of us to maintain our faith in Christ. He encourages them to exhort and encourage each other. The encouragement was to continue to worship together - don’t go back.

How many of us, if we are honest, have skipped church? I have. How many of us have had our faith weakened, our witness damaged, and our lives hurt because we failed to attend church? Did we then “go back” to the world?

My family was doing well financially and I had a good job; however, I had placed my work and family ahead of God. Church became an inconvenience - finding the messages uninspiring, the music boring, and some people annoying. I went back to running the show myself.

Within a very few years, I was back to old habits and patterns. Drinking to excess found me face down on the pavement, in winter, in front of my house. Alone and in danger of freezing to death, two teenagers came by. They called the police and waited until the ambulance took me. I woke up in the ER - not sure what I may have done to get there.

I knew I needed to get back to God. I called my church family and two men came to my house. We prayed together. I went back to church and hung on every word of the preaching, listened to the music, developed relationships with fellow believers and was counselled by Biblical counseling.

I recommitted my life and my marriage back to God. Since that time, I have attended church faithfully and began to get involved in ministry work again. After nine years, God called me to a preaching ministry. I left this congregation, sold my house and moved into town. I joined a small church in town where the Pastor told me I was an answer to his prayers for help.

Two years ago God made a way for me to attend seminary. Last year I was licensed as a minister. I say these things not because of what I’ve done - I’ve done nothing except be faithful to God - but what He has done through the local congregations I have been a part of.

Can I opt out of Church? Yes, but you risk your witness and returning to where you were before you were saved. For me personally, while church can be hard sometimes, my faith and witness requires regular assembly and relationships with others.

The author commanded these early Christians to encourage and correct each other so each individual is strong and the congregation is strong also.

Can you opt out of church? I’ll let you decide, but if our church history and risk of going back aren’t enough, consider our mission as Christians.

Christ’s Mission Demands It

4. Christ died for it

3. The Spirit commands it

4. Christ died for it

5. Our Time is Short

Then why do we have to go to church? The purpose of Christ’s church is to share His message with a dying world - how can the church share God’s world if we are not there?

Then why do we have to go to church? The purpose of Christ’s church is to share His message with a dying world - how can the church share God’s world if we are not there?

I know that we are a part of Christ’s universal church wherever we go. That is a true statement; however, consider this - the New Testament letters were written for Christians as a part of a local church or for pastors of local churches.

What is the purpose of the church?