Why on should I go to church? (Seeking God – Part 1)

I was born into what some term as a Christian home. So from very early in my life, I was taken to church every Sunday. I can still remember one of my brothers being very uncooperative with this church matter. He never woke up on time. And he kept a frown that could frighten a lion away but still, my Mum didn’t give up on him. I, on the other hand, didn’t mind dressing up in my favorite outfit every Sunday. For me it was another form of school (Sunday school) and I got to hang out with my friends. Eventually, like many things in life, I formed the habit of attending church service every week. It somehow evolved into a case of “this is what we do on Sunday”. So as time passed and after over 2 decades of faithfully going to the church every Sunday I found myself dissatisfied. I started to think and ask a very simple question – “Why?”

“Why exactly am I going to church?”

This question bordered me immensely. I really wanted to know why I was going to church. What was I seeking, what was I hoping to find? Questions but no answers. I didn’t know where to turn to for help and guidance. Everyone was either just going through the motions like I was or they didn’t understand what Church was all about enough to explain it. So I did the only things I knew how to do – I prayed. I prayed because I knew one thing for sure if God did exist and He is is the Creator of all things then He probably must have ears and He can hear me. Also, He must have lips and He can speak to me, so this time around I am going to talk to God. I’m not going to talk to anyone, neither Pastors, nor parents, nor friends, no one except God. As part of this journey, I stopped attending church for a while. And, of course, my Mum didn’t like that one bit but, since I was too old to be scolded for not attending church she focused on praying for me.

Seeking…

I spent my time talking to God and while doing that there was a part of me that found that pretty odd. This was even though I had learned to pray but I never learned to expect a response. It was like this God who made the universe could hear all our prayers but somehow He couldn’t speak. Well, now I desperately needed a response and I fully expected Him to talk back to me. I prayed and I read my Bible. Then after a short while, I began to understand Words written in the Bible better. I realized that because there was a new expectation in my approach I was seeing familiar scriptures differently. I realized that this is what Jeremiah 29:13. In essence, I was finally truly “seeking”.

It’s about a Relationship

As I continued to pray sincerely and study the Bible with an open, expectant, and vulnerable heart the Lord was drawing me close. Gradually, it was becoming clear that the answers I sort had a lot to do with a relationship. A relationship with the Heavenly Father.

It dawned on me that simply going to church out of habit all these many years did not count for anything because I didn’t have any relationship with God. I had simply been going through the motions, playing “Church” and wasting my own time. By God’s mercy I had learned by experience what James 4:8 meant.

3 Characteristics of a Relationship with God

Mark 1:35 opened my eyes to see some of the key traits of Jesus’ relationship with His Father while on earth. The verse says, “And getting up early in the morning while it was very dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.

From this scripture, I found 3 Characteristics of a Relationship with God:

Make it the Highest Priority: The phrase ‘getting up early in the morning while it was very dark,’ is very likely to be between 3 to 4 am! It shows that Jesus prioritized His relationship with God. Not after checking Facebook or scrolling through his phone like we usually do. He sought God the moment He woke up. (Matthew 6: 33).
Find a Secret Place: The next thing we see is that Jesus chose a private venue, a quiet place without distractions. While others were asleep Jesus went out to look for a solitary place, a secret place to be alone with God. He went away from people, noise, and all the activities of life. He looked for a place where He truly could be alone to pray. Jesus taught exactly what He practiced in Matthew 6:6. Which says, “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret…
It’s about intimate conversations: Without communication, there is no relationship. The sole purpose of the prioritizing, the early rising, the seeking and the solitude was to talk with God to spend quality time with Him. To have intimate conversations with Him because He loved the Father and the Father loved the Son.

Matthew 17:15 and a voice from the cloud said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. ..”

Final thoughts

By all means, go to church on Sundays but make sure you know why you are making the trip. Open your heart to Him, because seeking the Father, and making sure that we know Him must be at the heart of our fellowship.

“I love those who love me, and those who seek me early and diligently shall find me.” Proverbs 8:17 Selah….

God bless you

I am Olufunme