The House of the Lord

One of the first praise songs I learned came straight from Psalm 122:1 where King David proclaimed: I was glad when they said to me, "Let us go to the house of the Lord." It is a catchy little song that powerfully underscores a desire of David--a man after God's heart. He knew how important the gathering of God's people was to his Heavenly Father. He knew the promise that Jesus later stated in Matthew 18:20--For where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

There are many reasons why people don't go to church and most of them are pathetically lame. As God's men and spiritual leaders in our homes, we absolutely cannot allow ourselves to fall into the trap of letting church become an optional event. Don't think that reading your Bible and praying alone is enough to fight our enemy. I will be first one to tell you that the church is far from perfect. It is filled with incredibly flawed people just like me. There are times when its members do a poor job of representing Christ in thought, word and deed.

But I will also tell you that when I look around our service on Sunday morning, I see people who are my best friends in the whole world. I see people who love God and love others. I see people who worship because they are grateful for what God has done in their life. I see people who are hurting and broken from a sin-soaked world and are seeking comfort and peace. I see people who are right there with David and are glad to be in the house of the Lord.

Trust me, no matter where you are in life, no matter how many mistakes you've made, no matter what your past church experience has been, there is a place in God's church for you! Stop trying to fly solo. If you don't have a church, seek one that believes in the absolute truth of God's Word and proclaims the Gospel: that Jesus Christ is God's son who lived a perfect, sinless life and sacrificially died on the cross to pay our sin debt and that salvation is only possible through faith and trust in him. Jesus himself proclaimed that the church would stand forever against the gates of hell (Matthew 16:18). What better place can you be?