I decided to look up the question "Why do you go to church" after I asked this at our church the other week. I decided to share my thoughts on people's answers at church and also add them here.

I found a site where someone had asked "why do you not go to church" and people had asked for the question why do you.

There were many different answers, though a lot the same, and there were many different attitudes within the answers too.

A lot of people said they went to church to worship, praise, adore and thank God. So, how do we praise and worship God ? We praise and worship God as we sing the hymns and choruses in a church service. There are so many styles of music used in the praise and worship and I think none of them are wrong, it is a personal preference as it is what kind of music you listen to outside of church. But, are you just singing songs or are you really worshiping God ?

Some people said they went to church to "hear from God". God can speak to us in many ways as we attend church. It could be through a sermon, from a short word that someone gives you or through the words of a hymn or chorus. We only have to listen out for the words from God.

Other people said they went to church "to serve God by serving other people in the church. How can you serve others who attend your church ? The best thing is to look around you and see if anyone has a need you can fulfill. Maybe someone is ill or living on their own, you could go round to visit them or make them a meal. Just to sit with someone who lives alone is a big thing for them.

Other people said they went to church to "feel better, to lift their spirit or their soul". So how do you feel when church is over ? Do you feel better when you leave than when you went in ? Are you glad it is over ? If church does not make you feel better, why not ? What would you change to make this happen ?

Others said they went to church because the Bible told them to, to meet together. Is this a valid reason ? These people seemed to think it was their "duty" as a Christian to go to church, they have to go. The Bible tells us to do many things but do we do them all ? Going to church is one of the easiest.

Some people said they went to church because they have always gone to church. They went as children and have not stopped. They thought they had to to be a Christian. Thing is going to church does not make you a Christian the same as living in a garage does not make you a car.

Some said they went because they wanted spiritual growth. they wanted to grow as a Christian, to get closer to God, so they could hear His voice better.

Which of the above is the best reason to go to church ? All of them are valid reasons and most will do you good.

In the Bible it does say to meet together. It also says that where two or more are gathered together in His name He will be there too. Another thing it says is that WE are the church, not the building.

So as you go to meet with your Christian friends and neighbours during the week you are meeting together, going to church. You are "living" church. If the other person feels down pray for him and thank God for him. Now you are fulfilling some of the reasons people go to church. To praise and worship, to be lifted up, to hear from Him, To serve God by serving others.

Church does not start and end on a Sunday.

Being a Christian is not just fro Sundays, it is a lifestyle and we are taught how to live that lifestyle in the Bible.

When you go to the building on a Sunday it is to corporately praise and worship God all together to give Him our best praise, to lift Him up so the world might see. Just tell Him how much you love him, how much He means to you, tell Him how great He is and wait for a touch from God. Try to feel His presence as you praise and worship Him.

A shepheards love.

The other day I saw a shepherds love in action.

I went out to the barn to get something and noticed a man in the next doors garden/land. I wondered what he was doing there as I had not seen him before, he seemed to be just wandering about.

I looked over the fence to see a flock of sheep, he was their shepherd. I don't know if he was meant to be there or the sheep were meant to be eating all they could but the back of next doors land is open and here shepherds and there flock just wander looking for grass etc. for their sheep to eat. He might have been invited as this is sometimes a way of clearing the land where vegetables have grown, or he might have just wandered.

As I watched the shepherd walked over to a tree and started to knock fruit off the tree and put them in his pocket for later. One that he knocked off he didn't catch and it fell to the ground. One of the sheep saw this and ran after the fruit but the shepherd got there first and he picked it up and put it in his pocket.

The sheep went up to him and pushed its nose against his stomach as if to say "that was mine". After about a minute he reached into his pocket and gave the fruit to the sheep.

When I saw that it struck me how much that shepherd loved his sheep. Then how much it paralleled the Bible stories of the shepherds. How they loved their sheep so much that they would leave ninety nine to rescue one and how Jesus is called the "good shepherd".

How much more does Jesus love us, we are called his flock, and how much more does he give us. All we need to do is ask like the sheep did with the shepherd next door.