What would you say if a friend asked you “why do you go to church?”
Is it because it makes you feel better? A spiritual pick-me-up? To grow in your personal faith? Perhaps you like the free food? Or the community to belong to? Maybe you're hoping to find a life partner?
Perhaps a better question to ask ourselves is - “why does God want me to go to church?”
We’re part way through our latest instalment of the Belonging course at the moment. It’s truly one of the highlights of my job. I get to help people who are interested in joining our church work out God’s plans and purposes for something very dear to him - Christ’s body, the Church.
As many of those who've attended Belonging will remember, one of the first things we tell people is - “It’s great that you’re here, seeking to find your place of belonging at our church. But we want to be up front - City on a Hill is not about you.”
Not just our church, but everything in the universe exists to glorify Jesus.
In our first week of Belonging, we saw in Revelation 4 and 5, this amazing moment in the Throne room of Heaven, where all of heaven - the 24 elders, the 4 crazy looking “living creatures”, representing all of creation, stop singing their song of worship to the Creator, and instead sing a new song. To a pitiful, blood-stained lamb:
“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,
to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and praise!”
(Revelation 5:12)
We thought about what this glorious picture of Jesus at the very centre of God’s plans for the universe means for us. It means that when we “pack the car boot” of our lives, Jesus ought to be the big suitcase we put in first. Not the pillows and blankets we stuff around the edges of our time, our energy, our money - as we often treat him.
It means gathering as His church ought to be a priority. Not just showing up, but showing up to engage deeply with God and help others to do the same.
This week at Belonging, we saw from Matthew 28 that at the centre of Jesus’ plans for the universe is the Mission He’s sent us on to go and make disciples who will make disciples. And, from Ephesians 4, we saw that He wants to equip His disciples to speak the truth in love to one another, to grow deeply in Maturity in Him.
Do you need to be reminded of what God wants for His church?
It’s all about Jesus. The lamb who was slain. All glory belongs to Him. It’s only by Him we are saved. He is humanity’s only hope. And He is the rock to build your life on.
These ideas might be familiar. But they are glorious. Worth reminding ourselves of, every day.
Yours in Christ,
Andy.