We can't emphasize church attendance enough. You need a body of Bible-believing people holding you and your family up in prayer in order to make it in today's world.
Now, some may say, "Oh, I don't need to go to church. I read my Bible and pray, and God teaches me everything I need to know." But when a family is content not to have a definite time and place to worship, that's a family which rarely worships at all.
God doesn't save us to be spiritual "Lone Rangers." When you accept Jesus as Savior, you are born into the family of God, the Body of Christ and the kingdom of heaven. Jesus came to establish His Church, and He told us exactly how it was to operate.
Nowhere did He say anything about Christians going off and operating on their own.
In Hebrews 10:25 (AMP) we read how we are to join together with other believers: "Not forsaking or neglecting to assemble together [as believers], as is the habit of some people, but admonishing—warning, urging and encouraging—one another, and all the more faithfully as you see the day approaching."
We are to be part of a church so we can encourage one another, pray for one another, teach one another and help one another. Jesus said: "Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matt. 18:19-20).
The problem with Christians who go off and do their own thing is that when they run into problems, there is no one to help them. There is no one to hold them accountable or to pray for them. Jesus said there is power in numbers.
Where one alone has trouble fighting Satan, two or three believers together can put him on the run. Some people have the idea that they go to church to pay their dues. They say, "If I go to church, that means I'm a good person. If I don't go, I'm not being good."
But that's not why we go to church. We go because we are part of the Body of Christ, and that makes us accountable to each other. We are to fellowship and worship together. Then we can receive a direct word from God, and we can benefit from the spiritual wisdom and experiences of other members of the Body.
Now you may say, "But Sunday is the only time I get to see my husband. He's not a Christian, and he works six days a week. How can I take my kids and go off to church, leaving him behind?" Or maybe you say, "I have to work on Sunday. What should I do?"
We aren't so concerned that you be in church every Sunday as we are that you and your children are in church—period. If you feel you can't spend two hours away from your husband (or wife) on Sunday morning, maybe you could at least go for an hour during Sunday school.
Or maybe you could go to the mid-week service or a Bible study during the week. First, get your children involved in your church's youth activities. Then, if you can, join an adult Bible class.
The day of the week is not that important. You just need to receive the teaching of God's Word and find a place of fellowship for you and your family. You need to be committed to a local church body, to be a part of it and to be there as much as you can.
If you get so excited about church and God's people that you just bubble over, maybe your husband will want to go with you to see what's happening.
Just remember: attending church is important. And if you are in a position where it is difficult for you to attend, pray and ask God to help you. Ask Him to give you wisdom about the situation. Ask Him to help you arrange your priorities in the proper way. Ask Him to give you some creative ways to be an active part of His Body.
Your family will thank you for it!
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers