{"id":73950,"date":"2021-11-01T15:44:27","date_gmt":"2021-11-01T21:44:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/?p=73950"},"modified":"2022-07-21T15:47:23","modified_gmt":"2022-07-21T21:47:23","slug":"5-good-reasons-to-come-back-to-church","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mesonaz.org\/en\/5-good-reasons-to-come-back-to-church\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Good Reasons To Come Back To Church"},"content":{"rendered":"

5 Good Reasons To Come Back To Church<\/a><\/strong>
\nBy Dan Reiland<\/p>\n

\nChurch online is awesome. It works.<\/p>\n

But so many are saying, \u201cIt\u2019s just not the same as being there.<\/em>\u201d<\/p>\n

And many would say, \u201cWhat do you mean come back to church? I never left; I\u2019m online.<\/em>\u201c<\/p>\n

Others are admitting that they are beginning to drift.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s our message. The doors of the church are re-opening, and we welcome you.\u00a0When you are ready.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Many have personal concerns that we need to honor along with their sense of timing for when they\u2019re ready to return to church in larger gatherings.<\/p>\n

Church online is here to stay, and I\u2019m glad about that!\u00a0Especially when it\u2019s a group of believers gathered together.\u00a0<\/em>Also, it serves so many so well from those who must travel for a living, to those who are sick and can\u2019t attend.<\/p>\n

However, I have also appreciated the honesty of many who have shared their church experience with me during these past few months.\u00a0While many have worshipped and have been fully engaged through the entire online service, others are also answering emails, eating pancakes, and tending to their kids who need a response.<\/p>\n

No matter what, in every conversation, I cheer them on and let them know I\u2019m glad they are online! However, I also want them to experience the fullest that God might have for them.\u00a0My concern as a shepherd of God\u2019s people is that church has become an option for a very busy culture.<\/p>\n

The local church is one of only two institutions God ordained for His people. (The other is marriage.)\u00a0We can certainly change how we do church, but it\u2019s important to continue to see the true value in God\u2019s idea of the Church.\u00a0Church attendance is not about getting a gold star or gaining God\u2019s approval. But there are important things God built into the bigger picture of our design that benefit us through larger gatherings specifically for worship, fellowship, and the proclamation of His Word.<\/p>\n

5 Good Reasons To Come Back To Church:<\/strong>
\n1) Drift is imminent without connection.<\/strong>
\nPeople are designed to be in community. Family is the core or foundation of community, but there\u2019s greater breadth and depth when your faith community is enlarged.\u00a0As a pastor for decades now, I have seen a clear pattern and correlation between Christians who are in community and Christians who attempt to \u201cgo it on their own.\u201d\u00a0Drift from God is often the result of some measure of spiritual isolation.\u00a0It\u2019s true that no one is required to attend church to be a Christian, but in nearly every story, Christians with the more vibrant walk with Jesus regularly attend a worship service.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s not about sin; it takes nothing more than the busyness and pressures of everyday life to allow your walk with God to become a\u00a0part<\/em>\u00a0of your life rather than the\u00a0center<\/em>\u00a0of your life.\u00a0Drift from God will happen without intentional effort, and the church is the primary leader, encourager, and teacher for the intentionality of growing your faith. Any focused effort that helps a believer seek God helps correct drift.<\/p>\n

2) Our worldview helps shape how we live our lives.<\/strong>
\nA worldview is the set of values and beliefs about the fundamental aspects of reality that ground and influence our perception, thoughts, knowledge, and actions.\u00a0Let me offer the obvious, whether or not a person believes in God, creation, and Jesus as the redeemer completely and absolutely changes how they see the world and live their life in comparison to someone who does not believe in or follow God.<\/p>\n

You might challenge and say, \u201cWell, I can read that in a book.\u201d Yes, that\u2019s true, but you can\u2019t learn how to live it out in cultural context on your own. (Which takes us back to community.)\u00a0Life isn\u2019t mechanical, it\u2019s fluid and nuanced, and it requires intentional conversation to help interpret how to live out the worldview amidst the complexities of life in a changing culture.<\/p>\n

For example, let\u2019s look at the idea of forgiveness.\u00a0Forgiveness is easy to understand but extremely complicated to actually live out when someone has been deeply hurt or wronged.\u00a0The church is arguably the best place to learn how to practice some of these most complex life lessons within a specifically Christian worldview.\u00a0This impacts the overall direction your life takes, the decisions you make, and the outcomes you experience.<\/p>\n

3) Living a vibrant spiritual life often requires coaching.<\/strong>
\nFrom my earliest days as a new Christian to now as a seasoned leader, I have always had coaches to help me understand, navigate, and live a God-honoring life.\u00a0Even with coaching, I have lived far from perfect. I just can\u2019t imagine if I attempted to figure it all out on my own. That doesn\u2019t mean I don\u2019t think for myself; it means others show me the way to become and live out my best self, according to God\u2019s plan.<\/p>\n

Coaching experiences come in a wide variety of possibilities.<\/p>\n