Why Watching Church Online is NOT a Substitute for Attending in Person
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“15 Days to Slow the Spread” seemed doable when the Coronavirus Task Force first asked everyone to shelter-at-home. Churches complied by shutting their doors to protect their parishioners. Those who already had online services expanded access and those like ours who didn’t already video messages started videoing.
Then 15 days morphed into 30 days, which segued into 45 days and churches are still told today that they’re not essential and mandated to stay closed or open with tyrannical restrictions.
A number of pastors across the United States are rightfully questioning this discrimination against the church when liquor stores and casinos are considered essential. So they’ve begun finding creative ways for their churches to meet, even under penalty of fines and threats of imprisonment. Hard to imagine that would happen in America!
Other churches remain closed today. One mega church
announced they plan on staying closed until 2021?!
The purpose of this blog is not to discuss why churches need to open NOW because I’ve covered that extensively in previous blogs. I’ll list a couple at the end of this article.
But I do want to talk about why it’s important for believers to not become accustomed to sitting at home in their recliners in pj’s with a cup of coffee watching a sermon online and calling it church.
Why
We Go To Church
One winter Sunday morning, hubby was sick! If our
steep driveway wasn’t covered in ice, that wouldn’t be a big deal. I’d hop in
the car and head off to church by myself. But I hadn’t driven our new car in
snow and ice and didn’t want my first off-roading attempt to be without him.
I could stay home and watch church online or on
television. I’d done that for more Sundays than I’d care to remember when a
concussion, kidney surgery, three eye surgeries, and a broken wrist had kept me
home. I was desperate to go to church.
Whew, friends with a jeep rescued me that Sunday.
Why was it so important to go to church? While
homebound, I’d watched a number of excellent church services online and on TV .
. . but it’s not the same as
worshipping together with my church family.
When our Governor in Idaho announced that churches
could open in COVID Phase One of reopening Idaho, our church literally opened
the doors May 1 with all the recommended precautions.
As I walked through the church doors that first Sunday, I felt the presence of the Holy Spirit. I immediately realized what had been missing watching services at home.
People
were missing. My
brothers and sisters in Christ were missing.
Singing,
worshipping, and praying together were missing.
Seeing
each other’s smiles and yes, sometimes, tears were missing.
Church
is not just the sermon. Church is the gathering together of God’s people!
Yes, believers have our personal relationship with Jesus which we experience wherever we are, but we don’t experience the Christian life alone. That’s why God said it’s not good to be alone and there are so many Scriptures reminding us to encourage and support each other.
Online church absolutely is a tremendous benefit for people who can’t attend church because of physical or transportation issues, out of town, working, or need to stay home with a sick child or family member. It’s a wonderful tool in an emergency like Covid was in the beginning or for anyone who is high-risk.
Online church also is an outreach opportunity for those who are hesitant to walk into a church.
But for those with no restrictive issues, here are five reasons I feel God wants us to worship together in His house and follow the example of the first church.
“On the day of Pentecost all the believers were meeting together in one place” (Acts 2:1).
5 Reasons to Meet in Church Together
1.
Fellowship and Relationships
“All
the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching,
and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals . . . with great joy and generosity—all the while praising God and enjoying the goodwill of all
the people. And each day the Lord
added to their fellowship those who were being saved.”
(Acts 2:42, 46-47)
The early church, a template for today’s church,
understood that the meeting together of believers creates community. We need each
other to uplift our spirit when we’re sad and rejoice together when we’re glad.
You can find good teaching and truth online, but you need to be in church to experience the fellowship of fellow believers and develop relationships within the church body.
“So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.” (1 Thess. 5:11)
2. Celebrating Communion, Worshipping, and Praying Together
“All the believers
devoted themselves to . . . sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer. They worshiped together at
the Temple each day . . . all the
while praising God . . . . (Acts 2:42, 46-47)
You share communion, the Lord’s Supper, together in
church. Our church also has a time of Prayer, Praise, and Share every Sunday
where the congregation can ask for prayer and share praises.
Many churches list in the bulletin or announce those
in need of prayer so the church can pray for each other and celebrate praises
together. “But while Peter was in
prison, the church prayed
very earnestly for him” (Acts 12:15).
God instructed the congregation to sing in church because it is a unifying expression of worship. What a joy to worship and sing praise songs to the Lord in unison.
“Sing psalms and hymns and
spiritual songs to God
with thankful hearts” (Col. 3:16).
“Shout with joy to the Lord, all the earth! Worship the Lord with gladness. Come before him, singing with joy. Acknowledge that the Lord is God! He made us, and we are his. We are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.” (Psalm 100:1-4)
3. We Are the Family of God
And all the believers met together in one place and
shared everything they had. They sold their property and possessions and shared the money with those in need. (Acts 2:44-45)
Watching church is
like being an observer instead of a
participant.
We
need each other. We are one body, the Bride of Christ.
The
church needs us to serve. Church isn’t taking in selfishly; it’s giving out selflessly.
We
don’t attend church solely for our own benefit. We’re also there to serve the
body of Christ, our spiritual family. Christ wants us to care more about others
than our own convenience or inconvenience.
We are to use the
spiritual gifts and talents the Lord has given us to benefit the church. (1
Cor. 12:12-22).
“Christ is
also the head of the church,
which is his body” (Col. 1:18).
“All of
you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it” (1 Cor. 12:27).
4. Accountability and Mentoring
“Let the message about Christ, in all its
richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he
gives.” Colossians
3:16
There’s
always going to be a time when we can’t make it to church, but it should be the
exception, not the rule. The tendency today is to isolate
ourselves in front of electronics where we interact with a screen instead of
each other. A clicker or mouse replaces friendly face-to-face interaction.
I’ve heard testimonies of people saved by watching a
preacher on television or online, which is wonderful. But one of the surest
ways to stay true to your faith as a believer is joining a church to spiritually
grow and mature with other believers who encourage us and keep us accountable.
Church
is more than listening to a sermon; it’s an experience
and an exchange with other
believers. It’s where you help others grow, partake in
ministries, serve, give of your talents and spiritual gifts, mentor, and
receive mentoring.
“2 Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience.
3 Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers.[a] Instead, they should teach others what is good. 4 These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, 5 to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes,[b] to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God.” (Titus 2:2-5)
5. Setting
the Example for Children
Let
each generation tell its children of your mighty acts; let them proclaim your
power. Psalm 145:4
It
takes more effort to get dressed and drive to church than to flip on the
computer or television screen. Your children and grandchildren are learning by your actions what takes
priority in your life: God’s house
or your house?
Teach by example that church is a privilege we should never take for granted and we should never let it be taken away from us. If we can go to Costco, shopping, Walmart, Home Depot, and even “peacefully protest” in the streets, we can go to church!
So
yes, you can watch a service online anonymously and probably get something out
of it, but what are you putting first in your life that seeks out convenience
instead of commitment?
If your church hasn’t opened back up for services after COVID closure, I encourage you to remind your pastor that church is an essential part of every believer’s life and worth fighting for your 1st Amendment right to meet.
It wasn’t easy for the early church either and often the disciples and apostles were thrown into jail for gathering people together to share the Gospel, but we’re reminded of what Peter said when he met opposition from the authorities.
24 When
the captain of the Temple guard and the leading priests heard this, they were
perplexed, wondering where it would all end. 25 Then
someone arrived with startling news: “The men you put in jail are standing in
the Temple, teaching the people!”
26 The
captain went with his Temple guards and arrested the apostles, but without
violence, for they were afraid the people would stone them. 27 Then
they brought the apostles before the high council, where the high priest
confronted them. 28 “We gave you strict orders
never again to teach in this man’s name!” he said. “Instead, you have filled
all Jerusalem with your teaching about him, and you want to make us responsible
for his death!”
29 But Peter and the apostles replied, “We must
obey God rather than any human authority. Acts 5:24-29 (I would encourage you to read the entire passage
Acts 5:12-41)
Sadly, many governing officials act from an ungodly worldview. If the government contradicts God, we answer to God alone.
As a child, I remember in Sunday school intertwining
our fingers on the outside of our hands, putting our forefingers together, and
opening our hands, saying the jingle: Here’s the church, here’s the steeple,
open the door, and where’s all the people? But intertwining fingers inside our
hand and opening: Here’s the church, here’s the steeple, open the door and
there’s all the people!
“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.” Hebrews 10:24-25
*All Scriptures are
from the New Living Translation, with emphasis added.
Note: A true story of what
can happen when the church stays silent! From the Facebook
of Worship Leader Sean Feucht
Pastor Joseph Bondarenko (the KGB’s most wanted) was jailed for 10 years, tortured & told every day his entire family would die because of their faith. He refused to deny Jesus. Many of his friends were martyred but God spared his life. His story of boldness has now circled the globe.
For the American Church he warns:
“Don’t they realize what is happening now in America is exactly what happened to us in communist Russia?? It started with ‘Don’t gather. Don’t sing. Spread apart. Listen to the government.’ Then it quickly turned into full on persecution and the church did not wake up in time.
I am here to beg you to call the church to WAKE UP, STAND FIRM, CONQUER!”
The
Rant, a Rave, and a Primal Scream
How is Home Depot More “Essential” than God’s Home?!
If God is Pulling Back the Veil on Evil, How Should the Church Respond?
