Why do we go to church?  Do you go because your Momma makes you go?  Do you go out of obligation?  Do you go to see friends?  Do you want to hear a good sermon?  Why do you go to church?  Do you sing?  Do you sleep?  Do you snore?  Why do you go to church?  And that brings me to our Verse of the Day:

But who is able to build him a house, since heaven, even highest heaven, cannot contain him? Who am I to build a house for him, except as a place to make offerings before him?

2 Chronicles 2:6 (ESV)

Solomon reminds us of why God allowed man to build a temple.  The purpose was simply to make offerings before the Lord.  There are many different reasons we give for going to church, but the one reason that comes from the Lord is that church is a place where we make offerings to Him.

If we come to church and do not make offerings, what is the point?  Offerings in the Old Testament were symbolic of repentance, praise, worship, and supplication.  This is what should be happening in church.  This is what should be happening in us when we go to church.  When you are in church, there must be repentance.  It is to take time to note where there needs to be a move away from sinful thought, action, attitude, or words and confess these to God with a commitment to turn away from these things.

There should be praise.  Praise is just that-expressing the goodness of God.  It is to declare His love, His power, His authority, His position.  Praise is more than acknowledging who God is, but expressing our admiration and appreciation for who He is.  It is to exalt His name above all names.  We do not do this so that He will understand how wonderful He is.  Praise is taking time to remind ourselves of how wonderful He is.  Praise is thankfulness and appreciation for all He is and all He has done.

There should be worship.  To worship is to humble ourselves in homage and reverence to the Lord.  We praise Him to remind us how wonderful He is, but we cannot sincerely praise Him without first humbling ourselves before Him.  Worship is to declare him to be God and we to be His servant.  We cannot enter into the Presence of God without humility.  If we attempt to come into the presence of God in pride, He will humble us with discipline.  If we humble ourselves, He will exalt us and bestow His honor upon us (Proverbs 29:23).

There should be supplication.  Because we recognize that He is God.  And because we remember that He is good and desires good in our life, we can cast our cares upon Him in prayer.  When we come to church, we pray and ask the Lord to help us in our time of need.  We stand in the gap for others who need the strength of God’s mighty hand.

Why do you go to church?  Are you doing these things when you get there or are you watching your clock, judging the quality of the music, the entertainment factor of the message?  God has called us to His temple, to His church building for the purpose of making offerings to Him.  The music helps us praise and worship.  The prayers are our supplication.  And the message disciplines us as His servants.  But we have to get our mind ready for these things.  To neglect the purpose of going to church will leave us very religious and very empty.

Leave me a comment.  Do you think Christians come to the church with the right spirit?  Do you?

Live Blessed and Be a Blessing!

PS: Be sure to subscribe and I will send you “10 Principles for Living in God’s Abundant Plan for Your Life.”