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According to the Pew Research center, while church attendance among African Americans is steady, it is declining among some other groups. Whatever reasons people give for not attending church, the Bible is quite clear that God desires His people to gather, not only for the individual’s sake, but also for the expansion of God’s kingdom in the world. Jesus died to establish the church. Hesaid “Upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” The universal church is composed of all those who embrace the Messiah as their Savior. When Christian believers gather locally in the name of Christ, they together are the local expression of Christ’s body. Jesus said “where two or three come together in my name there am I in their midst.” In that holy gathering, we worship God collectively. God speaks to us from His Word. We focus on God’s love, wisdom, holiness, power, and faithfulness. As we focus on God, our spirits are renewed. We leave assured that God is still on the throne. He will enable us to persevere and give us the victory over the trials and tests that will come. We leave knowing that even though some may treat us unjustly, God will judge at the right time. We recall the truth found in Psalm 48: “Our God is forever and ever, and He will guide us until we die.” These are just some reasons we gather with God’s people week to week.
