00:00Hey friends, did Jesus say you have to go to church on Sunday?
00:05I want to talk to you about a question a lot of Christians have asked me.
00:10What did Jesus actually say about going to church on Sunday?
00:16Well, the direct answer is simple.
00:19Jesus never said, you must go to church every Sunday.
00:24There is absolutely no verse in the Gospels where Jesus commanded his followers to attend church every Sunday at a
00:34certain time.
00:35The church service we recognize today did not even exist during his earthly ministry.
00:43But that does not mean gathering with other believers is unimportant.
00:48Jesus regularly worshiped with others, and in Luke 4 verse 16, it tells us that he went to the synagogue
00:56on the Sabbath, as was his custom.
00:59He prayed with people, taught people, ate with people, traveled with his disciples, and built relationships everywhere he went.
01:10Jesus clearly valued community.
01:13What he did not do was reduce faith to an attendance requirement, and I think that distinction matters.
01:21Sometimes we ask, and I've even asked these questions,
01:25Do I have to go?
01:27What if I miss a Sunday?
01:29Does God get angry if I do not attend church every week?
01:34Now, Jesus usually moved people beyond questions like that, didn't he?
01:39In John 4, the Samaritan woman asked him about the proper place to worship.
01:44And Jesus told her that true worshipers would worship the Father in spirit and truth.
01:52So, in other words, God is not confined to a building.
01:57You can pray at your kitchen table.
02:00You can talk with God while driving to work.
02:03You can worship him in your bedroom.
02:05You can read scripture outside.
02:07You can call on Jesus during the hardest moment of your life.
02:12And I promise you, he'll be there.
02:14And that's good news.
02:16But there's also another side to it.
02:21Just because you can worship God alone does not mean you were meant to live your entire Christian life alone.
02:30We need each other.
02:32There will be days when your faith feels strong.
02:34And there will be days when somebody else may need to remind you that God still loves you.
02:41Sometimes you need someone to pray with you.
02:45Sometimes you need someone to encourage you.
02:48And sometimes we just need to hear another person say,
02:52I've been through something like this too.
02:55And God got me through it.
02:59You know, we just need to hear from other people.
03:02And that's what Christian community can be.
03:05After Jesus rose from the dead, his followers gathered regularly.
03:11Acts describes believers praying together, learning together, sharing meals, and helping one another.
03:19Christians also began gathering on the first day of the week, Sunday.
03:25Which became especially meaningful because Jesus rose from the dead on that day.
03:31But I don't want us to get so focused on the calendar that we miss the heart of this.
03:36Jesus is more interested in whether he has your heart than whether you occupy a particular seat every Sunday morning.
03:47A person can attend church every week and still ignore everything Jesus taught.
03:54You can sing the songs and refuse to forgive.
03:57You can know scripture and treat people badly.
04:00You can show up every Sunday and still keep Christ at a distance.
04:06You see, church attendance alone does not make somebody a follower of Jesus.
04:14Following Jesus does.
04:17And at the same time, we should be careful not to use that truth as an excuse to disconnect ourselves
04:24from other believers.
04:25Maybe you've been hurt by a church.
04:30Maybe somebody judged you.
04:33Maybe you saw hypocrisy.
04:35Maybe you felt ignored or unwelcome.
04:38And if that happened, I understand why you might hesitate to go back.
04:45But one bad experience does not mean every Christian community will be the same.
04:50There are good people in the world who sincerely love Jesus.
04:56There are people who will pray with you, encourage you, sit beside you during a hard season, and expect nothing
05:05in return.
05:06And there are people who may need what you can bring into their lives, too.
05:13Maybe that is the healthier way to think about church.
05:17Instead of asking, do I have to go?
05:19Ask, where can I grow closer to God and help someone else grow, too?
05:27Maybe that happens in a traditional church.
05:30Maybe it happens every morning on YouTube.
05:34Maybe it happens in a small Bible study or around a kitchen table.
05:40Maybe you are still trying to find the right community.
05:44You know what?
05:45That's okay.
05:46Whatever your situation is, I do not believe Jesus is standing over you with a clipboard, counting Sundays.
05:55I believe he's inviting you into relationship.
05:59Relationship with him.
06:02Relationship with other people.
06:04A life built around loving God and loving your neighbor.
06:08So, if you've stayed away from church because you thought Christianity was just another set of rules, maybe look at
06:16it differently.
06:18Do not go because you're afraid God will punish you for missing a Sunday.
06:23Go because community can strengthen you.
06:27Go because worshiping with other believers can encourage you.
06:32Go because somebody there may need your story or your kindness or your friendship.
06:40And if you miss a Sunday, God has not left you.
06:45Pray anyway.
06:47Open your Bible.
06:49Talk to Jesus.
06:51Stay connected to believers who are helping you grow.
06:54So, Jesus did not build his message around Sunday attendance.
06:59He built it around faith, love, grace, truth, repentance, forgiveness, service, and a relationship with God.
07:14So, maybe the better question is not, did Jesus tell me I have to go to church on Sunday?
07:21Maybe the better question is this.
07:23Am I building a life where Jesus stays at the center?
07:28And am I allowing other believers to walk beside me?
07:32If you keep moving in that direction, you are moving towards something good.
07:40My name is Douglas Vandergraaf, and I believe in Jesus Christ.
07:46God bless every single one of you.
07:51Every single one.
07:53And everyone you love.
07:57Bye-bye.
