Verses on church attendance

Assembling ourselves together --AKA attending "church".
The church is actually the body of believers, although the
building is called church.

Hebrews 10:24-25
"And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging
one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near."

Psalm 122:1-9
A Song of Ascents. Of David.
"I was glad when they said to me, “Let us go to the house of the Lord!”
Our feet have been standing within your gates, O Jerusalem! Jerusalem—
built as a city that is bound firmly together, to which the tribes go up,
the tribes of the Lord, as was decreed for Israel, to give thanks to the
name of the Lord. There thrones for judgment were set, the thrones of
the house of David. ...

Matthew 6:5
“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites.
For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the
street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you,
they have received their reward."

1 Timothy 3:14-15
"I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that,
if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God,
which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth."

The word "church" is a Greek translation from the Hebrew word "ecclesia". Ecclesia is in the "Old" Testament too and just means a gathering of believers. No, you can search from Genesis to Revelation and never see anyting saying you have to go to Church.

The 4th Commandment spells out what we are to do on the Sabbath. Also, Isaiah 58 is helpful. Now people may say that the Commandments have been done away with. No, Scriptures say they are "for all generations." Further the Scriptures tell us YHWH, aka God, "never changes." Also we are told in Scripturres that He "will not alter" what has gone out of His mouth. What went out of His mouth, audibly to the people at the foot of Mt. Sinai, was the 10 Commandments.

The 4th Commandment says nothing about Church. It says to rest on the Sabbath, to honor it. The early Christian never heard of a Church. The Scriptures show they met in Synagogues on the Sabbath (though you are not commlanded to do that, though of course it was okay for them to do that if they wished) or in one another's homes. They never heard of a big buildling with a cross on top.

People will go to Church on Sundays and feel they have done their duty by the 4th Commandment. Then they go out to eat where other people have to wait on them (the 4th Commandments says to let servants, even animals, rest) and will maybe do work on their computers, even in their offices. They go shopping though in Scriptures we see YHWH coming down big time on people for just buying fish at the gates on the Sabbath.

Messiah said, speaking of the time coming after His resurrection, "Pray that your flight" from the marauding Romans to come "not be in the winter or on the Sabbath." Obviously, He never changed the Sabbath and wanted people to rest then. How could He change what the Father has written? He and the Father are one and, again, "YHWH changes not."

Praying you will learn how to keep the Sabbath holy, not by traditions of men, but by what the Scriptures actually say, and that you will find it to be a holy day of rest for yourself and your household.

From the Amplified Bible: Exodus 20:8-11
8 [Earnestly] remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (withdrawn from common employment and dedicated to God).
9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work,
10 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, your domestic animals, or the sojourner within your gates.
11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it [set it apart for His purposes].

I think we miss the point a bit if we look for Biblical commands to attend church. We shouldn't attend as a way to follow rules. Instead, maybe we could think of it as a part of a "balanced diet" of prayer, service, community, worship, etc. We aren't commanded to eat fruit and vegetables, but it's important for bodily health. Attending church provides spiritual health benefits that we can't get elsewhere. That said, "church" can take many forms. It's more about God and the people than the building.

Peripatetic said:

I think we miss the point a bit if we look for Biblical commands to attend church. We shouldn't attend as a way to follow rules. Instead, maybe we could think of it as a part of a "balanced diet" of prayer, service, community, worship, etc. We aren't commanded to eat fruit and vegetables, but it's important for bodily health. Attending church provides spiritual health benefits that we can't get elsewhere. That said, "church" can take many forms. It's more about God and the people than the building.

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What he said ^

Here are the scriptures you have asked for:

1 Cor 11:20-22
So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord’s Supper you eat, for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. Don’t you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!

1 Cor 14:23
So if the whole church comes together and everyone speaks in tongues, and inquirers or unbelievers come in,

Acts 8:1
And Saul approved of their killing him. The Church Persecuted and Scattered On that day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria.

1 Cor 1:2
To the church of God in Corinth

1 Thess 1:1
Paul, Silas and Timothy, To the church of the Thessalonians

Acts 5:12
The apostles performed many signs and wonders among the people. And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon's Colonnade.

Acts 2:1
And all that believed were together, and had all things common

Acts 2:46
Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,

Acts 20:8
There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were meeting.

Heb 10:24-25
And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

In early church times, there weren't church building around for people to go to yet. So many met in the homes or in other places. Later, churches were built but scripture lays down the principle of believers meeting together and having all things in common and being part of the one body of Christ. That means all the doctrines should be the same from one church to the next.

Heb 10:24-25

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

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If we have a church home, then you can minister help to others, and others minister help you. Christians are part of His body, and each part meant to work together for the benefit of all the members.

but encouraging one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

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The Day of His returning for His saints.

We will need encouragement, for a time of trial is coming for all those who live on this earth.
This scripture is about the events leading up to the second coming of Christ that Jesus talks of in Matt 24. This is a time of great deception where many will deceive many and love runs cold. But he that endures, perseveres to the end will be saved.

Matt 24 NKJV - Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the - Bible Gateway

"That means all the doctrines should be the same from one church to the next."


Which church's doctrines are the right ones then?

Are there any verses that actually relate to attending church?

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When the Bible was written, there was nothing like the churches we have today. People would gather together mostly in private homes. Because of this many people seek to follow a "house church" pattern. However, this form of meeting was not free from problems (i.e. Galatia, Corinth, Laodicea, etc.)

Our churches today operate in an almost mechanical way (reflecting our more collectivized society). Some people think that this mechanical system of programs, events, activities, and classes is what Christianity is supposed to be.

Churches can help you learn more about the Bible and how to use Bible tools. They can be a place to meet other Christians and connect with others whom you can teach, learn from, and even minister to. However, it is also a place where you can be diverted from Christ into a system of performance based rules or even into an embrace of the world and its values.

Pray everyday that the Lord would give you wisdom and lead you in truth. There are thousands of traps laid out by the enemy to capture Christians and make them ineffective for Christ. It is the guiding hand of the Spirit of God that leads us in truth and guides us around these traps.

Ephesians has a lot to say about church. You will find that the goal of "church" is that we all mature to the full image of Christ. By this standard it is difficult to think of a single "successful" church. If you keep in mind that churches today are often entangled with the world or starting down the path to the Pharisees that the Galatians were on, you might be able to use what they have and still avoid their problems.

You might want to consider using church incidentally and looking more for an older wiser Christian man that clearly shows the light and love of Jesus in his life and ask him if you could meet with him weekly so that you could learn to know Jesus as well as he does. This might be "church" for you.

ConfuseddotCom said:

"That means all the doctrines should be the same from one church to the next."


Which church's doctrines are the right ones then?

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There are many - all in the Bible - most of which do not require any interpretation what so ever. The reasons why there are so many different denominations is because so many "christians" deviate from what is actually written and either do not do things as the Bible says they should be done or adds more to what the Bible sys - both are wrong.

Send me a private message if you want and we can discuss. But if I post here a list of doctrines, I may get a slap for going off topic. At least that is my past experience.

jjust19 said:

Are there any verses that actually relate to attending church? I've looked a couple of times but none of the verses directly relate to going to a church, just meeting up. And before you say, "But church is just people meeting up," it isn't. If the Bible only says I need fellowship (i.e. meeting up for prayer once a week at a coffee shop) that's fine by me. So, are there any verses at all?

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Paul talks about how he had a right to demand money when he went and preached but chose not to. So I think from that we can assume there is a bit more involved. Also looking at the end of Acts 2 it is safe to say there is more than just fellowship. So just meeting in a coffee shop only would not be helpful. Are church services we have today ideal? Probably not but that is what we have and if you want to change that it will be so much better changing it from the inside or meeting up with like minded people at someones home or similar.

Jjust19, loads of verses for what you asked have been given you here. Are you satisfied?

There is more to church than simply meeting with other people. Each church mentioned in the New Testament had elders who were responsible for the spiritual welfare of the members. You can function as a Christian without being under the leadership of such people but you will be missing out on some of the blessings that God intended for you.

I think Peripatetic got it right.

There are no guidelines or rules regarding church attendance, because that's not how it should be thought about.

We go to church to glorify God in worship with other believers, learn about His Word (something you should be doing outside of church as well), and encourage believers. That's it.

If you don't want to be apart of that, and only want to go based on a requirement in the Bible..I'd evaluate yourself..no offense.

Church is about glorifying God with praise and worship, and meeting together for Spiritual encouragement.

1 Corinthians 12:28
"And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues."

There's one about being planted in a church also.

How many more did you want to see?

"Two people are better than one because {together} they have a good reward for their hard work. If one falls, the other can help his friend get up. But how tragic it is for the one who is {all} alone when he falls. There is no one to help him get up. Again, if two people lie down together, they can keep warm, but how can one person keep warm? Though one person may be overpowered by another, two people can resist one opponent. A triple-braided rope is not easily broken. (Eccl 4:9-12)"

"By one Spirit we were all baptized into one body. Whether we are Jewish or Greek, slave or free, God gave all of us one Spirit to drink. As you know, the human body is not made up of only one part, but of many parts. Suppose a foot says, “I'm not a hand, so I'm not part of the body!” Would that mean it's no longer part of the body? Or suppose an ear says, “I'm not an eye, so I'm not a part of the body!” Would that mean it's no longer part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how could it hear? If the whole body were an ear, how could it smell? So God put each and every part of the body together as he wanted it. How could it be a body if it only had one part? So there are many parts but one body. An eye can't say to a hand, “I don't need you!” Or again, the head can't say to the feet, “I don't need you!” The opposite is true. The parts of the body that we think are weaker are the ones we really need. (1Cor 12:13-22)"

You can also look at good Bible cross references (ESV is very full).

We don't go to church...

Rather we must learn that...

We ARE the church!

Like I said before: "church is an organism not an organization"

-eric