Church still the best place to find God

It is a sad fact that, in the mainline churches, weekly attendance is decreasing at an alarming rate.

We can ponder the reason, but in the end we have to acknowledge that no one can pinpoint one specific cause for this decline.

We are a nation that likes to have fun. We tend to spend our free hours on recreation, and it seems like we can’t strike a happy medium between going to church and having fun.

I personally believe that people do not understand why it is important to physically be in church on a weekly basis.

First, going to church helps bring us closer to God. Our Creator wants to be in fellowship with us. He wants to know who we are and what we are doing with the life He gave us.

In order to do this, we need to take the time to actually worship. In Habakkuk 2:20 it says, “But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before Him.” Church is one place to do that.

I do believe God can be anywhere, but I also believe that if I take time out of my busy life to go to church and worship, it shows my respect and love for my Lord.

It is also scriptural to go to some kind of church. It doesn’t limit you to a specific church so you do have freedom of choice in the way that you worship. What denomination you choose doesn’t matter.

Church attendance allows you to grow spiritually and develop a deeper relationship with God through Jesus Christ. It isn’t about just knowing the Bible stories, it is about developing an understanding of what they mean and how they relate to you personally. Church makes it personal.

Secondly, going to church builds connections with other people. These Christian connections bring people to God and help them do the work of bringing salvation to others.

Getting people into the church creates an energy that is contagious and helps churches thrive, grow and carry out God’s work.

This Christian energy is brought to us by the Holy Spirit and is what supports us through good times and bad.

Lastly, I feel physical that presence in church encourages us. I have had many people say to me that they don’t need to be in a building to find God. This is true, but when you aren’t in church do you actively seek God?

Also, if you never attend some kind of formal or informal meeting; are you going to study the scriptures like you should? I have found that not very many people have that kind of self-discipline.

When we are on our own, we tend to let things slide and think we will “do it later” and then later never comes.

If you haven’t been to church in a while, maybe this is the time to reconnect with your church. Remember, you are always welcome at the United Methodist.