"HUWAG NA TAYO MAGSIMBA!"

Why go to church when you can pray alone in your own room?

Oo nga naman. If God is everywhere & He is all powerful then He can hear my prayers wherever I am. True. So why don’t we just skip church & pray in our own houses. There is always a deeper reason to the things we do. We need to eat to live but should we just eat anything? There are a lot of reasons why we NEED go to Church. Here are my personal favorites.

Bakit ba dapat tayo mag-S-I-M-B-A? Dahil,

1. "S" -ABI NG DIYOS. If you're a true Christian then you follow whatever God says. Hebrews 10:25 says "We should not stay away from our assembly, as is the custom of some, but encourage one another.” The verse encourages us to always meet together because God says "where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them" (Matthew 18:20). If you are #Catholic, Jesus' TRUE PRESENCE is there in the Eucharist body, blood, soul & divinity. Remember, God did not write a single book during His earthly ministry. But He tells Peter that he "will build my Church" (Matthew 16:18) to guide His people. So ask yourself this question - if an imperfect man tells you not to go to Church but a perfect God tells you to go to Church, who should you follow? Remember "we must obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).
2. "I" - CANNOT DO IT ALONE. Mahirap maging kristiyano lalo na pag mag-isa ka. I realized that it is pride that kicks in whenever I think that I don't need God & the Church. Ironically, when you start to think that way that's exactly the moment when you need both God & Church more. You might ask "Why do I need the Church? I can read the bible & do self study?" I agree. Read the bible often, reflect on it & memorize the verses. But we still need the Church to teach us the right interpretation of the Word of God. The book of Acts says that "Philip ran up and heard him reading Isaiah the prophet and said, “Do you understand what you are reading?” He replied, “How can I, unless someone instructs me?” So he invited Philip to get in and sit with him.” (Acts 8:31). A modern tagline says "You don't need go to church, you are the church." True, we are the temple of God & the Holy Spirit dwells in us once we are baptized. But we cannot use "I am the church" as a reason for "not going to church”. If we are "the Church," then we should get together with fellow Christians regularly. You cannot "be the church" & "don’t go to church". Today, we have access to a lot of resources like books, podcasts, live streaming talks & Christian conferences. They will enhance our spiritual lives. Pero iba pa din ang pagsamba kasama ang ibang kristiyano. Nothing compares to worship done in the Church.
3. "M" -AKER OF SAINTS. You can say all you want about the defects of this institution but I think you have to agree with me when I declare this truth - THAT THE CHURCH HAS PRODUCED A LOT OF GOOD PEOPLE. The Church is a non-stop saint-making machine! Read the stories in the the bible about drunkards, prostitutes, tax collectors & other sinners who became holy. Lives were transformed. Marami pa din ang mga kwentong ganyan ngayon. Some of them have been declared as saints. But a lot of them are simple men & women who love & serve God & his people silently. You just have to look closer to meet people who changed their lives for God through His Church. It’s always easier to find the fault in anything or anybody. It’s harder to find the blessing. The early Christians met regularly. Read Acts 2:46 "Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple area and to breaking bread in their homes. They ate their meals with exultation and sincerity of heart,”. If going to Church was just a fad then why are Christians still doing it till now? There has to be something more in the Church than just being a 2,000 year old fad.
4. "B" -ODY OF BELIEVERS. What is the definition of a Church aside from a physical building or a religious service? Church refers to a particular Christian group. You need to be part of the Church. You cannot be a solo Christian. St. Paul compares loving the Church to a wedding. In Ephesians 5:25 it says "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ loved the church and handed himself over for her.” Church & God are inseparable. You cannot say “I believe in God but I don’t want to go to Church.” Imagine a man declaring to his fiancee “I love you & I want to marry you BUT I don’t want to live with you.” That would be totally weird, right? That means you want the benefits of marriage but not the relationship. Ano ka suwerte? Ok, maybe your next concern is this - “I don’t want to go to Church because it’s filled with hypocrites!” Let's go back to the wedding analogy. When you marry someone, do you accept your spouse only? NO. You have to accept EVERYTHING about your partner. You accept your in-laws, the siblings of your spouse, their family traditions, their beliefs & even their family’s pet. Part of the Christian experience is having a relationship with fellowship believers. Even if you don’t like them. You attend Church not to notice the defects of the institution or those attending. You attend Church so you can see how good God is that despite the defects of everyone, including yourself, God chose to love all of us.
5. "A" -CCEPTANCE. We were designed for relationships. We need each other. Admit it or not, we have this desire to be accepted by others. This is why I love the Church. Because the Church is always open to accept everybody. Others say that the Church discriminates against “bad” people of our society. That’s totally wrong! Hindi lang mali, maling-mali! The Church will do whatever Jesus would do. Jesus accepted the adulterous woman but wanted her to change her ways. Jesus said to her “Neither do I condemn you. Go & from now on do not sin any more” (John 8:11). That's how the Church will treat anybody too. Do you want to feel accepted? Go to the nearest Church & feel God’s embrace in everything that’s in the Church.

There are more reasons why you should attend Church. Always remember that attending Church is not a burden but a blessing. Maybe you still have an excuse in your mind right now. "The traffic is terrible, it’s hot in Church, the sermon is boring, the music is old, etc. etc".

Recall what Jesus did for you.

Philippians 2:6-8 " ...though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped. Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness, and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross."

How does your excuse compare to what Jesus did for you?

Tara na at tayo’y mag-S-I-M-B-A! Hope to see you in Church soon, fellow sinner. Be blessed! - alvinfabella@yahoo.com