Why do we gather every week for worship and education? With less trouble, could not we worship at home, read the Bible and listen to a sermon on the radio or on the Internet?
Thanks to modern technology, every person could listen to the best preachers in the world every week! We could have a menu of options and only listen to the sermons that apply to us, or only to the topics we like. Wouldn't it be adorable?
Well not really. I believe that Christians who stay at home miss many important aspects of Christianity. That's why many people from Long Island visit Church every weekend. You can know more about church nearby in Long Island to pray at https://www.soh.church.
Image Source – Google
In the first century, people gather weekly to listen to the scriptures – but today we have our own copies of the Bible to read. So why not stay home and read the Bible for ourselves? It would be easier – cheaper too.
To understand why we meet each week, it is helpful to ask: Why did God create the church? What are its objectives? By learning about the functions of the church, we can then see how our weekly meetings serve different purposes in God's desire for His children.
1) Worship
Our relationship with God is both private and public and we need both. Let's start with our public interaction with God – worship. It is possible to worship God when we are all alone, but the word adoration usually suggests something we do in public. The English word worship is related to the word value. We declare the value of God when we worship him.
2) Spiritual disciplines
The services of worship are only part of our worship. The Word of God must enter our hearts and minds to influence what we do throughout the week. The cult may change format, but it should never stop. Part of our worship response to God involves personal prayer and Bible study. People who are more and more spiritually mature are eager to learn from God in his Word. They are eager to share their requests, to praise him, to share their lives with him and to become aware of his constant presence in their lives.