Why We Go to Church

Why did God give us the church? Why do we have a church anyway? The Israelites, you know, were called the church. Acts 7-38. They were called the church in the wilderness, the congregation. The word for church is ekklesia or ekklesia. And it means called out. It's used many times for just an assembly of individuals. But it is the word for church. Now, Jesus Christ promised to build his church. Matthew 16 and verse 18. I will build my church, and the gates of hell will never prevail against it. God promised that somewhere on the face of this earth would be his church. I'm grateful and thankful that I found it. 1959, December of 1959, I was baptized. And I became a member. At that time, I think it was the radio Church of God. Then it became the worldwide Church of God. And now it's the United Church of God, but I'm in the same church. My beliefs and God's people have not changed. The spirit and attitude and heart of them not changed.

One lawyer said to me, he was lamenting. He was not in the church, but he was our lawyer in Canada. He was lamenting to me. He said, you know, there's no more a sense of camaraderie. There's no more a sense of togetherness or community in our world. What he meant was, well, you have your own cell phone, you have your own iPod, you have your own TV, you have your own room. Everything is like done for individuals. And he was saying, people are getting that way regarding church, too. Well, I can just be out here and be an independent Christian. Can't I? Well, actually, the only perfect church, I'm going to read you a quote about a perfect church. The only perfect church would be you. You'd be the preacher. You'd be the special music, the song leader, the opening prayer, the sermonette, the sermon, and the audience. Because if I were to start my own church, my wife wouldn't even want to be in it. Because she knows I have flaws. If you want a perfect church, the only way to do it is you, and you alone. Then you might find a perfect church as long as you didn't have a lot of self-doubt and self-recrimination. You see, could you be a Christian on your own? Yeah, what is a Christian? Romans 8-9, one who has the Spirit of God.

One who has the Spirit of God. But you know what it's like? A little like a sailor being without a ship. It's like a student without a school. It's like a teacher without a class. It's like a football player without a team. It's like a citizen without a nation. And it's like a soldier without an army.

That's what it would be like for a Christian to be without a church. Does God desire that we be alone? Or does God desire that we even separate or move away? John 17, verse 11. John 17 and verse 11. We read this. Jesus Christ's final prayer, at least one of the latter prayers that he gave, we call it the real Lord's Prayer. Verse 11, he says, And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to you, Holy Father, keep through your own name those whom you have given me, that they may be one as we are. Notice, they may be one. Not that one may be one, but they as a group, they as a body, will be one. He even calls them the body of Jesus Christ. The Bible calls Colossians 1.18, calls the church the body of Jesus Christ. Notice verses 18 to 23, where God begs for us to be together, where God begs for us to be a group, not just individuals, going off and doing our own thing. Doesn't it feel good when you stand in a congregation and sing and you have 300 voices with you? We had a young man come over from Switzerland, from Bern, Switzerland. He speaks about four languages, but basically German and French and English. And his church consists of only a few people. And when he sat in the congregation in Cincinnati with about 200 and some there, he said, this is like the Feast of Tabernacles. For him, when he goes to Germany, they have about 200 and some. This is like the Feast of Tabernacles to him. And he was so wide-eyed and so appreciative of so many. Debbie Keller's, Fred Keller's daughter, wrote an impassioned email or open letter. And in it, it's on the internet, and in it she said this. There's one lady somewhere in, I think it's in the West Indies, in the Caribbean, who gets up. I think she's called by another friend about 2 a.m. in the morning, and she gets up and she prays for all of us. That's what she accepts as her job. She gets up and she prays for you and me. She said, have anybody to be with? Not many around.

God wants us to be together, and God wants us to do a work together. Notice verse 18, as you have sent me into the world, so have I also sent them into the world. But he says, don't become like the world. I send you into the world, but don't become like them. Verse 19, and for their sakes, I sanctify myself. I set myself apart. They also might be sanctified through the truth. I set myself apart that they might be set apart by the truth. Verse 20, neither do I pray for these alone, those who were there right with him, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word. I pray for all the people that will be a part of the church. And he said what? Verse 21, that they all may be one. Does God like divorce? God hates divorce. Does God want separation? God hates separation. God hates several things. You can read them in Proverbs 6. The church has been accused of trying to break the Sabbath, trying to teach. Let me tell you, brethren, read my lips. Listen to my voice. I am either lying, bold-faced. The subject of changing the Sabbath has never even passed the lips of anyone. And I've been in almost every meeting that they've had since Dennis Luecker has been in office. It has never been breathed.

And yet some have tried to make this an issue. The church is trying to change the water doneness of, no we're not. No we're not. You want the proof? Are you meeting today on the Sabbath? Are you here on the Sabbath day? Did we change it to Sunday? No. And anybody that tells you is simply ignorant of our bylaws and constitution, which do not allow anyone, any small group of men, to change any doctrine. It takes three quarters of all the elders in the church to change any doctrine. Three quarters of all of them. And you can bet if the Sabbath was up there that they'd be hearing from a lot of you about what they should say about the Sabbath day. So no, never. Does God want us to be one? You bet he does. He wants us to be together that we may all do a work. And yes, am I grieved that people are out there who will not be with us anymore? I hope and pray that they'll see the light and come back. I really do. I've talked to some of them. I walk by with tears and say to them, I'm really sorry you're leaving. I'm sorry you're not going to be with us anymore. But I can't make their choice for them. That's a choice each one of them has to make. And they can either choose to stay together or they can choose to separate.

But don't tell me it's because we're watering down or changing doctrine, because it has not even been breathed. Okay, just so put that to rest. Now, you can quote me. You want to say I'm a big fat liar? They want to prove it? Then I'll be the shame on Gary Antion. But I can tell you, in every meeting I've ever been in, and I've been in almost every one of them, it's not even been brought up. That whole Sabbath paper, while it may have been mistitled, the whole purpose of that entire paper was to endorse the Sabbath and to say these people who had been beaten up all over the internet from Chile were really trying hard to keep the Sabbath. They weren't trying to break it. They were trying to figure out how to keep it and serve these children. That's what the purpose was. But no decision had been made. Now one has been made. We do not say that brethren should work on the Sabbath, and a health and a healthcare center is different from a child care center. The child care center does not fall under that. Ox in the ditch does not fall under that necessary service for the health of people.

So that's what was done. That was a decision that's been made. But those people are decent, good people trying to find their way, trying to help out, and they said whatever the decision is, we will follow it. That had to be checked out.

Stay one. Don't depart. Jesus Christ said that they may be one, as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, and that they may be one in us, that the world may believe that you have sent me. Verse 22, And the glory which you gave me, I have given to them that they may be one, even as we are one. Verse 23, I in them, you in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that you have sent me, and have loved them as you have loved me. Do you think God likes looking down and seeing His church divided, His people going this direction and duplicating all the activities? I don't think He likes it at all. He allows it. Does He make it? No, He doesn't make it happen.

He doesn't like it. He said what He liked. He liked oneness. Ephesians 4. Here's Paul's exhortation to oneness. Does it take effort to be one? Yes.

Have you ever worked for someone? Ever been at the feast and been given a responsibility to be working with someone and you didn't like them? Did you quit and walk away, or did you make it work? You made it work because you loved God and loved His people. And you wanted to serve them.

Oftentimes, we don't have choices of whom we work under or for.

And you have to learn to take a deep breath and do it anyway.

It's not a reason to quit. It's not a reason to turn aside. Ephesians 4, verse 1, it takes effort. Ephesians 4, verse 1, here's what Paul wrote, I therefore, and he loved the Church of Ephesus, by the way, he loved the Ephesian elders. You can read that in Acts 20. He says, I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that you walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called. Our main vocation is being a Christian because that overrides everything we do. Verse 2, with all lowliness and meekness and long suffering, forbearing one another in love, and endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit.

You have to work really hard, endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit. It's not something that comes easy. Why? Because we're all human. Why? Because we all make mistakes. Why? Because we're not perfect yet.

Endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit and the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit, even as you are all called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is above all, through all, and for those who are Texans and in y'all.

Verse 16, he also says, from whom the whole body, body of Christ, fitly separated, fitly divided, fitly cut apart, fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working and the measure of every part, makes increase of the body to the edifying of itself in love. God's work will go on. God's work will recalculate and reevaluate and continue to move forward. But it is sad that we had to take the hit that we have with people pulling away, separating what it takes. You have to endeavor. So I'm going to talk about the church now. Why do you go to church? What should you expect when you go to church, every Sabbath?

I have seven scriptural reasons why you should go to church. Why you should be here. Why you should work hard to build it. Why you should give your energy and devotion to it. That doesn't mean above everything and anything and forget about that. You should put God first. You should put your family. You should put your church. Put your God. Don't forsake your family. Years ago, as ministers, we were told it was God, church, family. So many families fell apart because ministers were so busy serving the church that they forgot that their family was also an extension of them. And their example was not very good. Not very good. One young lady told me all she did was sit in the back of the car and she had to be quiet the whole time that her parents drove from church to church because her dad was busy revising a sermon or making a sermon on Sabbath while the mother drove. And she was to be totally quiet. So all she did was look at the scenery as a little child, 6-7 year old. That's all she could do. It's not a very good way to rear your children.

We had to learn to put our families in there, too. They're part of our ministry and serving you by example. So seven reasons why you should go to church. Number one. Number one, worship. You come to church to worship God, but you come to church to worship God together.

You could worship God at home. You could sit at home. Some Sabbath. I've been at home. I haven't felt good or haven't felt well or whatever. I've stayed at home. But you know what? Was I ever able to affect anybody? No! It was all about me. Yes, I may have gotten more rest and yes, I may have got more study. But who did I help that day? I mean by being around them.

Who did I influence in any way, positively? Nobody. We need each other. From whom was I impacted and encouraged? Nobody. If you stay home, if you stay away, if you do it on your own, you miss God's people. You miss them, worshiping together. Psalms 95 verse 1. Psalms 95 and verse 1. We'll take a quick look here.

In the Psalms, what the psalmist had to say, Psalms 95, and we'll read verses 1 to 7. O come, let us sing. Not, O come, let me sing. O come, let us sing to the Lord. Let us, oh, not let me, let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let's sing together. Let's worship together. Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving and make a joyful noise to Him with Psalms. Let's come before Him together. Let's feel that sense of community. Let's feel that sense of togetherness.

Verse 3. For the Lord is a great God and a great King above all gods. In His hands are the deep places of the earth. The strength of the hills is His.

The sea is His. He made it. In His hands formed the dry land. Verse 6. O come, let us worship and bow down. He didn't say, O come, let me do it. O come, let us. He's telling you there needs to be community. There needs to be congregation. O come, let us bow down. Let us worship and bow down. Let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. Let us do it.

Let us bow down. Verse 7. For He is our God, not my God. He's our God. And we, not I, we are the people of His pasture and the sheep of His hand. Today, if you will hear His voice, why do I come to church? Why should you come to church? To worship God and to worship Him together. Hebrews 10.25. One more scripture. I'll try to just give two scriptures on each of these.

I have several scriptures, but I'm only going to give you two. Hebrews 10.25. I might give you three on one of them. That's really good. Hebrews 10.25. We read this. Breaking into a thought where He says in verse 24, let us consider one another to provoke to love and to good works. I'll tell you a story about a lady in New York City.

She was a black lady there that I visited in Jersey City. I happened to do the lead visiting, even though I was only an assistant. I was being trained, so they let me be the lead person. Guy Engelbart and I were the two who went in to see her. With her were a couple of other ladies, so I gave this talk and visited with her and invited them to church. Shortly after that, I was scheduled to give a sermonette. I gave a sermonette on how to provoke people to love.

How do you provoke people to love? My comment was, you provoked them to love by loving. When you do something for someone, then they do something for someone else because you provoke them. You say, well, it feels good for somebody to do it to me. I'm going to do it for somebody else. It felt so good. So I gave this talk, this sermonette, and after services were over, this lady came rushing up to the front.

She said, we want to do something for you and your wife. We know you're gone all week long. We want to do something. We want to do your wash for you. I said, well, how can I do this? You live in Jersey City. We live up here. We can't get to it.

Mr. Antion, you said to provoke people to love, and now we come up, you provoked us, and you won't let us do anything. Okay, so what can we do? All right, we thought about it. Well, my wife, she had some pillowcases, some few things like that. Not undershirts, but handkerchiefs and things like that. So we'd put them in this little suitcase, and we would bring them to Bible study on a Tuesday night, and they would be there at Bible study, and they would take this little suitcase, take it with them on the train.

They had to take the subway or train back home to Jersey City, take this with them. They would iron them, and they would bring them back to us the next Tuesday, and we would have ironed clothes, and we would bring them a few more things. They did that for a while while we were in New York City. We didn't give them everything to iron because that wasn't our purpose, but they asked us, please, please, you provoked us to love.

Provoke each other to love. How can I do that if I'm sitting at home?

How can I impact anybody by myself, alone, if I pull away? We need each other. We need each other, and the church needs you. No matter what your age, little kids, young people, you're all needed. We're all needed. Together. He says in verse 25, he says, Provoke others to love and to good works. Verse 25, Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. Literally means, not forsaking the assembling of yourselves. He gives like a double whammy. You need to be together. You need to assemble. You need to be with one another, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another. How do you do that? How do I exhort you if I'm owned by myself? How do I exhort you if I pull away?

Who's there to exhort the ones that were left behind by ministers who resigned?

There was one lady and her husband who called us and said, My minister told me that next week we will be meeting under this name. We have the hall, and I'll be their minister. I'm going with this other group. If you don't meet with us, you have no church and no pastor.

She called home office and said, What do I do?

We tried to provide her with somebody there that was only like the one person there, and they weren't able to stretch enough that week to get to her. They're trying to figure out how they can help this lady and her husband.

She did not want to go with this other group because she saw how they were forming and how they had done.

Assembling yourselves together and exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching. God wants us to be together more so, not apart, more so, together more so as we see the day approaching. So, the first reason you should go to church is to worship God together. Second reason is to be fed and to grow spiritually.

You come to church, you should be fed.

One minister in Canada used to work in the area. I gave up the pastoring that one year when I was a regional in Canada, and he gave sermons that everybody said were like whipped cream sermons.

I could give you lots of whipped cream and you'd like it. I came here and served you ice cream, ice cream, ice cream. Wouldn't you like it? I'd like ice cream. I'd like whipped cream, but that's all you have is whipped cream and ice cream. What's that going to do for you? You're going to be nourished by that? Your taste buds will feel good, but will you be nourished? You come to church to be fed.

That feeding needs to be a well-balanced diet.

I often say, I don't say, what's interesting to me? Let's see, what am I interested in? Well, I'd give this to the brethren. It's not about my interest. It's for you. And a minister knows what's going on with you by visiting you, by hearing from you, by talking to you, by sensing what's going on in the world and what's going on with you. Not about, well, you know what? I'm really interested in this, so I'm going to give you a sermon on this. It's not about what I'm interested in. It's what you're interested in, what you need to hear. What's good for you? Feed the flock. You should come to church to be fed. You should come to church expecting to be fed and to be nourished. John 21, verses 13 to 15, Jesus Christ told Peter.

He could have said a lot of things to Peter at the end. But he told Peter, John 21, 15, so when they had died, Jesus said to Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me more than these? And he said, Lord, you know that I love you. Jesus asked him, do you have the deep, abiding love? And he was able to answer, Lord, I like you.

Jesus wanted to know, do you love me with an agape love? He said, Lord, I like you with filial love.

And then Jesus said, feed my lambs. Then he repeated the same similar thing in verse 16. He said to him, feed my sheep. And then a second time, the third time, he changed it.

Peter, do you like me? Peter said, Lord, I've been telling you, I like you all the time. Peter was incapable of the love that God wanted him to have because he didn't have God's Holy Spirit.

And then he said, feed my sheep. Take care of my little ones. Take care of my older ones. Take care of my senior citizens. Take care of them all. Feed them. Nourish them. Bring them spiritual food.

Spiritual food is what we need. Acts 20 and verse 28. I remembered about the Ephesian elders. Acts 20 verse 28. Here's what Paul said to them as he was about to head off on his journey and knew he may never return. Acts 20 verse 28. Take heed therefore to yourselves, to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers. What are they supposed to do? To feed the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood. They're God's people who need to be fed. They're God's people who need to hear the word of God. They're God's people who need to be taught the way of God. And by being a church, you grow in knowledge, and you grow in grace, you grow in character, and you grow in leadership.

You grow in leadership. There's so many opportunities to lead. So many ways that you can step up.

Don't discount it. It comes from being humble and saying, hey, whatever I need to do, whatever I can do, I'll do it. But anything I can do to help, like Will Berg, if you need to send me somewhere, send me.

Glenn White, wherever you need to send me, send me. Dave Metzel, one of our elders in the Cincinnati area, he went all the way over to Williamsburg, Virginia.

Another elder from up in Columbus, we sent him down to Athens, Ohio.

They said, what can I do to help you? How can I step up?

And we have a couple of elders down in Florida that are basically trying to cover three elders that are trying to cover the whole state of Florida.

Down there. They're the only ones left.

So we're trying hard to serve God's people, and they learn leadership by being a church. Opportunities come up, not just speaking opportunities, but they learn to lead by serving and humbling themselves and saying, what can I do to help? What can I do to help? How can I be a part? Make your church the most vibrant experience. It's my theory, and I told the church in Cincinnati, I will do my best to help this church be a loving, welcoming, godly, growing church. You know, I'll try to help with God's Spirit to help this church be the best church it can be, because I believe you come to church because you like it.

I believe you come to church because you feel uplifted. And it only takes one of you to walk up to somebody and say, boy, it's nice to see you today. How are you doing? It only takes one of you to go up to somebody who's had a health problem and say, how are you doing this week? For them to know that they were loved and cared about. We can all do it, and the church is that much stronger. We come to church to be fed and to grow spiritually. Number three, the third reason you come to church is to be nurtured and to nurture. To be nurtured and to nurture. When you come to church, you should feel cared for by the deacons and the elders. One thing I said in the Cincinnati area, I want all the deacons to have however many widows we have in the church or widowers, I want them to look after them. I want this one looking after three, this one looking after three, this one looking after three, maybe this one four because there are four in his area. I want them to look after them. I want them to call them on the phone. How are you doing this week? You need any help? Anything going on that I can help you with? Even if they don't visit them, call them.

I want our elders to have certain sections of the whole church where the brethren can go visit, where they can the brethren know if they need something from those elders who are close by, they can go they can contact them. I'm not trying to push off my responsibility, but I want them to help me. I want them to help nurture the brethren.

Become the church to be nurtured. It's nice to come to church and know that somebody here likes you.

I remember going for my master's degree in marriage, family, and child therapy. I was nervous. I was a 48-year-old trying to join a lot of young people. I wondered if my mind would be good enough for me to make it, but in order to teach an ambassador, I needed an accredited master's degree.

So when I went, there was somebody there, a young man, probably in his early 20s, that befriended me. So when I'd go to go to school, I'd sit beside him. He'd sit beside me, and we kind of helped each other feel accepted. Encourage each other. You could do it. We could make it. You could nurture someone. It's so important and so good. Notice 1 Thessalonians 2, the Apostle Paul, again, the Apostle Paul and his attitude toward the brethren. He loved the brethren. 1 Thessalonians 2, verses 7 and 8, he said, But we were gentle among you, even as a nurse cherishes her children. 2 Or a nursing mother cherishes her children. How does a nursing mother cherish her children? You know, children are like little babes, babes in arms, babes needing to be fed, babes whose heads are flopping all over the place. How does she take care of her nursing children? Very tenderly. Very tenderly. We were gentle among you. Verse 8, So being affectionately desirous of you, we're so concerned about you, we were willing to have imparted to you not the gospel of God only, but also our own lives, because you were dear to us. When you go to church, you should feel nurtured. You should feel it from your ministers, from the elders, from the brethren. You should feel it from the deacons and the deaconesses. You should feel loved. You should feel appreciated. You should feel respected. Nurturing. And you know what? It doesn't just stop there, because those who are nurtured need to also nurture back. So 2 Corinthians chapter 1, you need to give it. Often times, we're comforted so that we might comfort others.

We're helped that we might help others, because we know how it feels to be hurt. We know how it feels to be afflicted. 2 Corinthians chapter 1 verse 3, Blessed be the God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, the God of all comfort who comforts us, and all of our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble. God gives us comfort. We receive it, however, from the brethren, from others, that we might be able to comfort others, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. We receive it, so we need to be able to give it. We come to church to be nurtured and to nurture. Reason number four, we come to church to fellowship. Fellowship. You know what it means? We're on this journey together. I like to put it, we're in this ship and we're sharing our stories together. We're sharing as we go on this ship, we're all sharing our stories. So we're sharing our jobs, we're sharing the duties on this ship, but we're sharing because we're all in it together. And the basis of fellowship is everybody pulling together. See, if I walk by and say, hi, I didn't fellowship with you, I just gave you greetings. Hello! That's just a hi. Fellowship is when you talk to people, when you share what's going on with you, when they share what's going on with them. That takes time, doesn't it? And that's what it's about. You come to church to fellowship. It's sharing your hopes and your dreams. It's sharing your thoughts and what's going on. It's sharing more of you with other people. 1 John chapter 1 verses 3 to 7. The Apostle John spoke more about fellowship than any other of the New Testament writers. 1 John 1 verse 3. Sorry, let's see. 1 John 1 verse 3, yes. He says, that which we have heard and seen, seen and heard, we declare to you that you may have fellowship with us. See, what we've heard and seen, we declare. We're sharing what we think. We're sharing how we feel. We're sharing ourselves with you, that you might know us better, that you might have fellowship with us. And why can we have fellowship with one another? And truly, our fellowship is with the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. See, this morning I prayed to my Father, and you prayed to your Father, and he's our Father. You see in the movie, Parent Trap, Lindsay Lohan says, well, if your dad is my dad and my mom is your mom, then we must be sisters.

I say to you, if my father is your father and your father is my father, then we must be brothers and sisters in Christ. And that's why we can have fellowship, because we all embrace the same teachings, the same worship, the same honor, the same God, the same godliness, the same commandments, the same way of life. That's why we can have fellowship one with another. He says in verse 4, and these things we write to you that your joy may be full. He wanted them to be joyful. This then is the message which we have heard of him and declare to you, why? Because they fellowshiped that God is light and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we lie, because God will never lead you into darkness.

God will never lead you down the way that's subtle or deceptive. God leads you where? In the paths of righteousness. God leads us in the light. When I take a hold of my father's hand and you take a hold of your father's hand like a dad who has two kids and you walk, you're walking with him. Where does he walk? He walks in the paths of righteousness for your sake. He leads you in those paths. He sends you down that path. If you walk in the light, you will be in God. And guess who you meet walking in the light? Brethren, you'll bump into them because they're walking the same way.

Guess who you won't meet? People in the world. They're walking a different path. They're walking a different path. If we say we have fellowship with him and we walk in darkness, we lie. And do not the truth. The truth is something you do. Verse 7, if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another. Why? Because we're both walking the same path. And the blood of Jesus Christ, his son, cleanses us from all sin. When we slip and stumble, we can continue in that path because he forgives us. So we come to church to fellowship. We come to church to encourage one another, to be with one another. First John 3 verses 16 to 18. First John 3 verses 16 to 18. We read this. Here's how we perceive the love of God because he laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren.

Fellowship. Taking time out of your life to do something. And for years and years, we had brethren. Pick up other brethren and bring them to church. Do you know how many days of their lives they spent driving out of their way? I remember in Ontario, Toronto area, but they came all the way from the east. One family used to drive, one person used to drive north to go south and west. He would drive north to go south and west. Every week. I don't know how many hours that took out of his life, every to and from. He gave up his life for other people because he could have been doing something else for those two hours that he went out of his way. Couldn't he? Many of you lay down your life. Every time you serve and do something of service to others, you could have been doing something else with your life. Lay down your life for the brethren. Verse 17, but whoever has this world's good, sees his brother have need, shuts up his vows of compassion from him. How dwells the love of God in him? And verse 18, my little children, let's not love in word, neither in tongue, but in deed and in truth. So fellowship. God wants us to work together, walk together, serve together as we come to church. Number five, reason number five, we come to church to be honed to do a work. We come to church to be taught and to be shaped and to be molded so that we may do a work. Matthew 5 verses 14 to 16, one of the greatest works that any of us will ever do is to be a light to those around us. I tell them at ABC often, you don't know how special you are. You don't know how precious you are because you're around each other all the time, and you think you're not special, but I see you very special because not in the world I know. I know they think of what they think of you. They think you're industrious, hardworking, efficient, effective, honest, honorable, and hardworking. I know what they think of you. Try to find somebody like that in the workforce today. Not easy to find. Not easy to find. Matthew 5 verse 14. You are the lights of the world. A city that's set on a hill can't be hid. Neither do men light a candle and put it on a bushel, but they put it on a candlestick that it gives light to all those that are in the house. Verse 16. See, you come to church to be honed, to be taught, to be taught to be in the light, to be encouraged to be in the light, and then you go out and you let your light so shine. You let the world see that light of Jesus Christ. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works. And what do they do? Glorify your Father, which is in heaven, because it's not you. And I say to the students, you know what makes you different?

Just like you brethren, you know what makes you different? Spirit of God, teachings of God, Word of God, contact with God, and the fellowship with one another.

Become the church to learn to do a work, to be honed and to be ready to do a work. To the churches in Revelation, you know what God said in Revelation 2 and 3? I know your works. I know what's going on. And he said, I have somewhat against you. But I know what's going on. God wants us to be doing the work. He knows the work that we are doing. He wants us to keep on doing the work. 2 Corinthians 6, 1 tells us we work together and we're co-workers with God to get a job done. 2 Corinthians 6 and verse 1. 2 Corinthians 6 and verse 1. We then, as workers, together with Him. We come to church so we can learn how to serve Him together. Sometimes there are projects. Sometimes there are things to do. When I was in Canada, one of the ladies said to me, I can't do much. But if you want to do a newsstand program, you want to put the literature out on a newsstand, the someone who brought up that idea, I'll give you the money. I'll write a check for however much it costs to buy those stands to put your magazines in. And so in a couple of the buildings there, we had four different stands. And brethren went and made sure they were stocked with our magazines and did that for, I don't know how many years. She said, I can't do much, but here's what I can do.

She just told me privately, she said, and don't tell anybody. You order the stands, I'll pay for them so we can get the job done as best we can in that area. We then, as workers together with Him, beseech you that you receive not the grace of God in vain. Let's work together. And the God gives us grace. Let's pass it on to others. Let's be gracious to them. We're honed to do a work. And remember that whatever you do for God's work, God says that you'll never have to be ashamed. 1 Corinthians 15, 58, I won't read it, I'll just quote it. He said, as long as you are abounding in the work of God, you never have to be ashamed. Abound in the work of God. Reason number six, we come to church to prepare for eternal life and the kingdom of God. We come to church to prepare for eternal life and the kingdom of God. 2 Timothy 4, verses 1-8, and one great lesson I remember being taught when I was in Ambassador College was God will not save one person He cannot govern. We must learn how to be governed, led, overseen. If we fuss and rebel and turn against it, where will God be able to use us? Where will God be able to use us? 2 Timothy 4, verses 1-8, I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing in his kingdom. Preach the word. Be instant. He's writing to Timothy. Be instant in season, out of season, at the feast, out of the feasts. Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. Why? The time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but after their own lusts, shall heap to themselves teachers having itching ears. Tell me what I want to hear, not what I need to hear. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned to fables. Don't do that. Don't let that happen, he says, says Timothy, tells Timothy. But watch in all things. Endure afflictions. Do the work of an evangelist. Make foolproof of your ministry, for I am now ready to be offered in the time of my departures at hand. Verse 7, I fought a good fight. Paul was ready. I've finished my course. I've kept the faith. Verse 8, henceforth from now on, there's a laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give to me at that day, but not only me, but to all them who also love his appearing. We come to church to be prepared for eternal life, to be taught about the kingdom of God, to be motivated and inspired to want to be there at that glorious time. Of course, we go to the Feast of Tabernacles every year that we might learn that. But Ephesians 4, verse 11, Ephesians 4, verse 11, we come to church that we might be prepared for that kingdom of God, that we might be prepared to be ministers, kings and priests, queens and priestesses in the wonderful kingdom of God. Ephesians 4, verse 11, he gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors, some teachers, why did he give them? For the perfecting of the saints. We come to church that we might be taught to grow more in godliness, for the work of the ministry, to teach them the work of the ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ. Again, we come to church that we might be prepared till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God to a perfect man, a complete person, to the measure and the stature and the fullness of Jesus Christ.

You see, most of us ministers, all of us ministers, are supposed to use our personality and not to turn you to us, to turn you to Jesus Christ, to promote, to champion, to point you to, to aim you at Jesus Christ. Not to use our personality to lead you to us. I tell my wife, if I ever turn aside from God's way, do not follow me. Do not follow me.

As a minister, we can all say the same thing. We point you to Jesus Christ. That's whom you should follow and look to. That's whose image you want to become like. Verse 14, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the slight of men and cunning craftiness whereby they lie in wait to deceive. But speaking the truth in love, we may grow up to Him in all things which is the head, even Christ. So we come to church to be prepared for eternal life and the kingdom of God. Finally, number seven, we come to church because God has personally issued to each one of us a summons.

A summons! Leviticus 23 verses 1-3.

Leviticus 23 verses 1-3.

This is the Holy Day chapter, but the first Holy Day is a weekly Holy Day. It's every seventh day. And he says in verse 1, the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, it wasn't Moses' law, it's God's law, speak to the children of Israel, say to them concerning the feasts of the Lord, which you shall proclaim to be holy convocations. What's that word mean? It means, according to vines, an official summons to worship. An official summons. It means a convocation. You are summoned to worship. I've had a few summons in my day.

And when I get them, I'm not too happy because I got to be there at that time or else at the court a couple times to protest a speeding ticket or a violation that was alleged. And thankfully, I won them, both of them. But nonetheless, I was there trembling, but I was there on time. I do not want to miss that particular appointment. God has issued each one of us a summons to be at services. He says, don't forsake the assembling of yourself together. Don't forsake it. Verse 6, verse 3, rather, six days shall work be done, but the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, a holy convocation, a commanded assembly, a summons to attend. He said, you shall not, you shall do no work therein. It is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwellings. So God has issued us a summons to be here. And after all, Mark 2, 27, and 28 says, Jesus Christ said, he is the Lord of the Sabbath. This is his day for us to come and worship him. So those are seven reasons God has given us the church. He's given us the church that we may worship, that we may be fed, that we may be nurtured and give nurture, that we may fellowship, that we may prepare and do a work, that we may prepare for God's kingdom. He's given us a church because he commands us to be there. I want to read you a couple of quotes before I close with Psalms 133.

It was the fixed habit of President Theodore Roosevelt to attend church on Sunday, long day, and continued it all his years in Washington, even as the president of the USA. Pastor of his church always received a letter or a phone message from the president when he expected to be out of town explaining his absence. So every week he was there. Here's one entitled, The Perfect Church. I think I shall never see a church that's all it ought to be, a church whose members never stray beyond the straight and narrow way, a church that has no empty pews, whose pastor never has the blues, a church whose deacons always deek, and none is proud, and all are meek, where gossips never peddle lies or make complaints or criticize, where all are always sweet and kind, and all to others' faults are blind. Such perfect churches there may be, but none of them are known to me, but still we'll work and pray and plan to make our own the best we can.

This is the final one why you should go to church. Quote, Nice guys finish last. Everyone knows about the old cadre who lives to be a hundred and cavalierly attributes his longevity to booze, black cigars, beautiful women, and never going to church. But according to Dr. George W. Comstock of Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health, that kind of impious longevity may be the exception, not the rule. In studies of the relation of socioeconomic factors to disease in the population of Washington County, Maryland, Comstock and his colleagues made an incidental but fascinating discovery. Regular churchgoing and the clean living that often goes with it appear to help people avoid a whole bag full of dire ailments and disasters, among them heart disease, cirrhosis of the liver, tuberculosis, cancer of the cervix, chronic bronchitis, fatal one-car accidents, and suicides. Most significant finding was that people who go to church regularly have less arteriosclerotic heart disease. The annual death rate from such disease is about 500 for every 100,000 persons among churchgoers and 900 per 100,000 among less than weekly attendees. As for bronchitis, Comstock is at a loss to explain the relationship. He said, maybe all that hymn singing helps clear the tubes.

In any case, he has a name, or at least a nickname, for the whole phenomenon, which he humorously calls the Leo DeRocher syndrome. Nice guys concludes the good doctor.

You want to finish last, that is, the last man standing, go to church regularly. Psalms 133, verse 1, by concluding Scripture. And by the way, thank you for allowing me to go a little bit of extra time. I normally speak for about an hour and about an hour period, so I'm sorry that I took you a little longer. But Psalms 133, verses 1-3, Behold, this was Mr. Herbert Armstrong's mother's favorite Scriptures, Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity. It's like the precious ointment upon the head that ran down upon the beard, even to Aaron's beard, that went down to the skirts of his garments, as the dew of Herman, and as the dew that descended upon the mountains of Zion, for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life, for evermore. Behold, how good and how pleasant her brethren to dwell together in unity.