How often do you miss church? Perhaps more than you think.
The occasional miss “here” and a few vacations “there”, on top of the unfortunate sickness “here” and out of town holiday travel “there” adds up quicker than you think. A miss “here” and a miss “there” equate to you making it to church 2-3 times per month. Basically, it’s “hit or miss” every week depending on what else is going on.
But is that they way it should be? Should it be that Christians only gather when nothing else is on their calendar? Should it be that followers of Christ consistently place attending church below travel plans? Should you consider yourself a “faithful church goer” if you only attend upwards of 75% of the time?
Grace Gathers Out of “Get To” Not “Got To”
Now at this point we have to be careful. We could mistakenly reduce life in Christ to a church checklist for Christ. We could easily guilt people into going to church or making them feel guilty when they miss.
We don’t want to do that. Guilt is not a good motivator.
But neither it is it okay say, “Don’t worry about it; you’re saved by grace so just get to church when you can.” That’s a false understanding of grace. That’s a false understanding of the nature and purpose of the church.
Grace does not just excuse our sin; it equips us to build up the saints. The gospel does not just save us; it shifts the priorities in our lives. A true understanding of graces shifts our mindset from “I’ve got to go to church” to “I get to go to church.” A true understanding of the gospel reminds us the church is not simply a place we go, but it’s a people with whom we gather.
Sin breaks and scatters. The gospel of grace builds and gathers. With this understanding we don’t have to go to church, but get to go to church and demonstrate the glorious reconciling reality of the gospel. That’s a better motivation to join your brothers and sisters in corporately worshipping the Creator and Redeemer.
And with that grace-filled motivation, who would want to regularly miss gathering with the church body?