Even though we are free to choose our priorities in life, we are not free to choose the consequences of our choices and actions. The consequences, whether good or bad, follow as a natural result of any choice we make. “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.”
(Galatians 6: 7 in the Bible)
Dallin H. Oaks said “Today, my message concerns such good and religious-minded people who have stopped attending or participating in their churches. When I say ‘churches,’ I include synagogues, mosques, or other religious organizations. We are concerned that attendance in all of these is down significantly, nationwide. If we cease valuing our churches for any reason, we threaten our personal spiritual life, and significant numbers separating themselves from God reduce His blessings to our nations.
The Savior Set Up His Church
The scriptures God has given Christians in the Bible clearly teach the need for a church. Both show that Jesus Christ organized a church and contemplated that a church would carry on His work after Him. He called Twelve Apostles and gave them authority and keys to direct it. The Bible teaches that Christ is ‘the head of the church’ and that its officers were given ‘for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.’ Surely the Bible is clear on the origin of a church and the need for it now.
Worship the Lord
Some say, ‘I didn’t learn anything today’ or ‘No one was friendly to me’ or ‘I was offended.’ Personal disappointments should never keep us from the doctrine of Christ, who taught us to serve, not to be served.
President Spencer W. Kimball taught that ‘we do not go to Sabbath meetings to be entertained or even solely to be instructed. We go to worship the Lord. It is an individual responsibility. … If the service is a failure to you, you have failed. No one can worship for you; you must do your own waiting upon the Lord.’
Advantages In Attending Church
Attendance and activity in a church help us become better people and better influences on the lives of others. In church we are taught how to apply religious principles. We learn from one another. A persuasive example is more powerful than a sermon. We are strengthened by associating with others of like minds. In church attendance and participation, our hearts are, as the Bible says, ‘knit together in love.’
There are other important advantages to mention, even briefly. In church we associate with wonderful people striving to serve God. This reminds us that we are not alone in our religious activities. We all need associations with others, and church associations are some of the best we can experience, for us and our companions and children. Without those associations, especially between children and faithful parents, research shows increasing difficulty for parents to raise children in their faith.
President Russell M. Nelson said: ‘We cannot wish our way into the presence of God. We are to obey the laws upon which [that blessing is] predicated.’
One of those laws is to worship in church each Sabbath day. Our worship and application of eternal principles draw us closer to God and magnify our capacity to love.”
(Dallin H. Oaks “The Need For a Church” Liahona Magazine November, 2021)
Keeping the Sabbath Holy
I personally find attending church each Sunday helps me keep the Sabbath Day holy.