Last week’s sermon looked at how God blesses people by gathering them around himself. The reason Eden was paradise was because Adam and Eve got to hang out with God. God blessed Israel by gathering them around Himself at Sinai and later in the Temple. Furthermore, the reason heaven is heaven is because we gather around the throne of God every day for all eternity.
Alternatively, when God wants to curse people, he sends them away from himself, like being sent away from a campfire on a cold night. God cursed Cain by sending him away, just as he did the people of Babel and the nation of Israel. The reason hell is hell is because it is void of God’s blessing and goodness.
As such, the church is first and foremost a blessing. While a Christian’s mission is to make disciples of all nations (Matt 28:19-20), the church’s mission is simply to bless believers, by helping them attain to ‘the whole measure of the fullness of Christ’ (Eph 4:13); i.e. growing in Christlikeness.
So when Christians miss church, we miss out on the greatest opportunity God has given us this week to bless us. We are missing out on our boost for Christlikeness by not being (i) prepared by the pastors and teachers God has put over us, and we are not (ii) performing ‘works of service’ (Eph 4: 12). On top of this we are also missing out on corporate worship, fellowship and being mutually encouraged by the local saints.
There is very little more sad and confusing than a Christian not wanting to be blessed by God, not wanting to be blessed by his fellow Christians, and not wanting to BE a blessing to those same Christians. May we instead treat church as the blessing God tells us it is, and enjoy that blessing.
