There are those who say they don’t go to church. Their theory is that church does not ensure holiness or a better walk with God. To them; “What matters most is having a personal relationship with God by knowing Him for yourself.”
They have the basics right, which is: it is good to know and experience God personally by yourself. However, they are missing something out.
Going to church and listening to the Word of God; Fellowshipping and worshipping in church are all collectively part of enhancing your personal relationship with God.
God does not just want us to know Him personally in the privacy of our homes alone. He wants us to share with others the experiences and blessings we are gaining in our personal walk with Him.
The saying by Paul in the Bible that we should not forsake the assembly of the “brethren” ( brethren here means fellow believers) is not a request but a necessity.
We go to church to feel that we belong to a society, to feel that we are not alone in the Christian walk and these are things that encourage us and make living for Christ fun.
Also, we go to church to serve other brethren. Service to God is service to mankind and that brings some level of fulfilment into your life.
God wants us to serve others with the gifts He has given us, and the best place to massively have effective and relevant service is in church.
It does not matter the kind of work you do in the House of God. Just doing something there is a fulfilment of God’s plan that you share your gifts with others. “Freely have ye received and freely must ye give.”
If you stay at home and refuse to give your best to the Lord out there, then you are behaving like the servant in the Bible who had only one talent and decided to bury it. In the end, the talent was taken away from him and he was thrown out.
Don’t be selfish with the gains you are making in having a fruitful relationship with God.. You must share so others can benefit and have same. Serving and sharing in the House of God are all part of establishing a personal relationship with God and it also gives you fulfilment in life.