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As we continue preparing for this Sunday as we return for our first indoor service since March, I wanted to encourage your heart with just one thought this evening by asking “Why do I need to physically return to church? Isn’t watching the service online enough?”

It’s a valid question. Well, it’s a valid question for some. There are plenty who grew up without the option of staying home to watch church online. And before COVID-19 hit our nation so quickly in March, many of these dear saints would equate watching online church on the same level as skipping church altogether. And I get it. I still remember when text messaging was introduced to the world. I asked, “Why in the world would you want to type out a question when you can just call them and get an answer right away?” (By the way, I was really wrong. Really wrong. LOL.  I now use send thousands of text messages a month while keeping my calls to only a few dozen.)

But because we had no other option, most of the world embraced online church. Was it great? Hardly. Especially with all the technology glitches on our end. But we did try to put out as quality of a livestream as possible in order to keep our church somewhat connected.

I loved seeing one of our dear families posting a picture on Facebook of the kids sitting down at the living room coffee table with plates of pancakes and cups of orange juice—all while in their pajama’s. Does attending church get any better than sitting down in a recliner with a cup of coffee in one hand and the ability to “rest your eyes” once the worship team was done and the pastor got up to speak? 

Hey, I am fully aware that the church is not a building. But I do believe the true church—the called-out assembly—needs to regularly gather together in the presence of one another. And while I desire to see our church continue to keep a high-quality online presence, there are some very valuable reasons to get up earlier, brush your teeth, and make the drive to your local assembly of believers. Let me just share a few with you.

1. The focused attention: Let’s be honest, there are so many distractions at home. I know. I’ve watched church from the comfort of my home too. From alerts on a device to children spilling food to filling up a coffee cup, there are just so many reasons and excuses for not truly allowing our hearts to be focused on the worship of Jesus and the Word of God. Most (but not all) of those distractions can be removed at church in order to allow your heart and mind to be fully focused on growing and knowing God more.

2. The mutual encouragement: There’s a passage in Hebrews that is often used when it comes to being engaged at church. Sometimes we can miss the intent of the passage, though, if we’re not careful. The reason we are not to forsake the assembling of believers is so that we will be able to interact with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ. We are called to gather with the intent that we will encourage one another to love and do good works (Heb 10:24-25). It’s not impossible to do this through digital means, but isn’t it so much more effective to stop and pray with someone in person—or to have someone share encouraging words with you while looking you in the eye?

3. The emotional connection: I don’t know about you, but I have found singing worship songs in my house with my voice leaves much to be desired. As much as I love our worship team, my heart has truly not been moved while I am singing to myself. As a pastor, I have found it much harder to look into the unchanging lens of a camera rather than into the eyes of our dear church members. I’ve been excited as I sat on my couch and watched the Dallas Cowboys win a last-minute football game, but nothing could ever replace the night I watched Tony Romo hit Jason Witten with a short 8-yard pass with 3 seconds left in the game while being at AT&T Stadium in Dallas! There is no comparison to the emotions I felt when surrounded by other fans. And very few things passionately move me as much as hearing our church family worship.

4. The miraculous assembly: So you’ve most likely heard how the church is the Body of Christ. If I am the hand, you are feet, another is the eye, someone else is the nose (and so on), something absolutely miraculous happens when we are actually together. The Body of Christ comes together! That is so cool—and that is not something that can happen when I am at home by myself watching online. I sometimes wonder what it would look like if I could wear spiritual glasses on a Sunday morning to witness this phenomenon. As people get out of their cars, head towards the gathering, and take their place as the Body of Christ comes together piece by piece. That must be an amazing view as God watches this take place time after time. Awesome!

5. The divine promise: My final—and best—reason for coming to church is that it’s God’s plan. While there are many New Testament passages that speak of the ekklesia, the church, Ephesians 4:11-16 seems to be the clearest to me. Christ intends for His followers to grow—and these verses express that multiple times. And just like God designed a seed to grow once it is planted in the soil, God designed Christians to grow planted within a local gathering of believers. Plenty of people will try to dismiss this clear teaching, but they can take up their argument with the Spirit who moved the Apostle Paul to pen the words. Gathering with believers is God’s plan for our growth.

Please don’t assume that I am trying to convince everyone to return to church on Sunday. I know that there are some who would be putting themselves at risk. If that is you, please stay home until you are healthy. Please use wisdom in whether or not you could or should return. But if you can be a part of the gathering of believers in your local area this Sunday, I would truly encourage you to be there. It will truly be miraculous!

With love,

Pastor Brian