A faithful walk in our union with Christ involves our consistent attendance in his particular church in the earth. God delights in his people who delight in serving him or worshiping him (Deut.28:47). As David says, I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the LORD!" (Ps.122:1). The Lord Jesus Christ has given to his body an example to follow as he was faithful and consistent in attending the places of God’s prescribed order of worship while he walked in righteousness upon the earth (Lk.4:16). Therefore his church should follow him in a glad hearted faith by being in regular attendance in a particular church. I want to give you 10 thoughtful reasons why we as the church should regularly assemble together in his particular church for worship and fellowship.
1. It demonstrates our desire to fellowship with Christ in love (Rev.3:20) who instituted particular churches for his glory (Rev.1:17-20).
2. It demonstrates our desire to follow the apostolic example (Acts 2:41ff) and the commands of Christ in love (Heb.10:25; Jn.14:15, 21).
3. It demonstrates our desire to worship the triune God (Ps.84:1-2).
4. It demonstrates our desire to encourage and bless the body of Christ (Heb.10:24-25).
5. It demonstrates our desire to submit to Christ’s leadership and bring joy to the elders as we follow their teaching and example (Heb.13:7, 17; 1Thes.5:12-13).
6. It demonstrates our trust in God’s promises to build his church (Mt.16:18).
7. It demonstrates our calling the Lord’s Day a delight that we may delight ourselves in him (Isa.58:13-14).
8. It demonstrates our longing to grow in union with Christ and the hope of glory through his feeding us by his Word, Sacraments and fellowship (Dt.8:3; Jn.6:35ff; Col.2:2-3).
9. It demonstrates our desire to struggle against the world, our flesh and the Devil through his public means of grace to reach maturity in Christ and rest in him (Ps.73; Eph.4:11-16; Mt.11:25-30).
10. It demonstrates our desire to live by his grace in the membership vows we have made before him and his church for his glory (Eccl.5:4).
God the Father has demonstrated his love for the church by putting forward the Son of God for her in death, and by sending his Spirit to seal her for a promised inheritance and to help her live for his glory by faith in the Son (Rom.3:23-26; Eph.5:25; 1:3-14). The response of the church is one of loving, faithful and consistent submission to him in those things that he loves. God loves a worshiping church in union with Christ and one another.
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