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.

What is church ?

We normally think of "Church" as the building.

We are all "The Church". Each one of us, when we become Christians we become part of “The Church”.

There is nothing wrong in having a church building, it is somewhere where we can come together and worship God. The early church in Bible times did not have church buildings and met in each others homes. I wonder if any church congregations today would be able to fit into one of our homes. I suppose we have grown too big to fit in a home. When we visit each other at home we are part of the church meeting in a home.

The church is also a family. The Family of God.

God is our father, our heavenly father, and we are all His children.

We have to love each other as a family, meeting each others needs lovingly as God meets our needs. The more God gives us the more we have to give away to people worse off than ourselves.

The early church in the Bible listened to God and the Holy Spirit and when prompted sold possessions to meet others needs, and gave away other items they had that other people needed.

The church is also formed not for ourselves to be an inward looking group of people, but looking at ways to help others outside of the church both materially and spiritually. God's great commission to all Christians is to "go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation" Mark 16:15. (NIV)

Not all of us have to stand up and preach from a pulpit. There are many ways to preach the good news, sometimes without words but with good deeds.

Some people have been called to go to foreign lands to preach the good news, but others are called to stay at home and witness to their friends and neighbours and tell them the good news.

We have all been called to be witnesses and this is done by talking and doing good to others.

Part of being a witness is to show God's love to one another. People will be drawn to God's love by the way we act and react to each other both inside and outside of the church family.

Where ever we go and have come into contact with other Christians, we have found more family and we have found God's love. This can be sometimes visiting friends and friends of friends, visiting other churches and even meeting total strangers.

One time we were going back to the UK from one of our many trips to Romania and stopped at a restaurant in Hungary. There was only one other couple in the restaurant. They heard us talking about Romania and the visit and asked why we had been to Romania. It turned out they were on their way to Romania and worked there too.

They were French and we were English and we only knew a small amount of each others language. It ended up with us both, (English and French) having a conversation in Romanian, sharing a meal together and sitting at the same table in a Hungarian restaurant. We often wonder what the waitress thought.

There were no barriers between us because God brought us together through His love, we were all part of the same family.