I’ve run into plenty of people who don’t go to church.  Being the judgmental person I am, you might think I might look down my nose at such people.

However, I don’t. I completely understand why some people don’t go. I mean, some of the nastiest, most hypocritical people I know go to church.  And I’m one of them.

I know how tired we can be on Sunday morning. There have been plenty of days when I would prefer to stay in my pajamas, read the paper, and drink coffee while watching “Sunday Morning” on CBS.

I’ve been attending church regularly since I was a child, and it’s taken me 40 some odd years to understand why we go in the first place.

Church is not really about an individual. It is a collective worship experience. We are referred to as “the family of God.”  I call the folks who I go to church with my church family.

In Luke, we read about Jesus going back to Nazareth and making sure he attended church.  Some translations say “as usual” and other say “as was His custom.” We get the idea that Jesus attended church on a regular basis. When we say we are followers of Christ, we should do what Jesus did.

Hebrews 10:25 says, “Some people have gotten out of the habit of meeting for worship. But we must not do that. We should keep on encouraging each other, especially since you know that the day of the Lord’s coming is getting closer.”

Most of time, we think of the word “habit” as having to do with bad habits. However, it’s a good habit to go to church. I think in the verse above, the words “encouraging each other” are the most important.

Now, I mentioned earlier that I used to worry what people would think of me if I didn’t go to church. Part of that is a good thing. We SHOULD be aware of the positive example we are setting when people see us going to church regularly.

I believe the people who go to church regularly and lead a pretty joyful existence are sure to inspire others.

I’ve heard time and again from folks how great the people from our church are. I’ve heard people say “Your church seems like such a great place.” Once, one of my relatives said “Going to your church is like getting a big hug.”

Going to church is important for fellowship. When we go to church, we develop deeper relationships with folks. Folks get used to seeing you and they miss you when you aren’t there.  The true beginning of community and fellowship starts in church.

As a Christian, I feel that I’ve gone through long periods of my life where there has been little to no growth. I believe these were the times when I was caught up in my own feelings and my own selfish pursuits.

I feel that going to church is something you must do in order to grow spiritually. In a nutshell, you will truly figure out why you are here when you go to church regularly. You will understand the joy of serving and giving of yourself.

When you go to church, you can often come away with the best possible spiritual experience.

First and foremost, we are there to praise and worship God. In addition, we learn things we didn’t know before.  We are challenged, motivated, and inspired to be and do better.  We learn God’s purpose for our lives.

My family and I have been on the receiving end of the kindness and love of a church family.  We’ve had opportunities to serve others and work with others in our church family.

My entire family has made deep, long lasting friendships in our church family. We have learned to be more selfless through the examples set by others in our church. We have learned and experienced invaluable things there.

There are many churches just like ours.  There are people who are ready to welcome anyone and everyone, simply because they want to show God’s love.

I’ve seen plenty of folks come to church who may feel left out or feel as though they may be judged. Maybe they are like me: aware of all their flaws and completely blown away when people chose to show them love and kindness.

Isn’t that what Jesus taught us? Love each other, no matter what.