It's A Sin For A Church Member To Skip Out On Church

If you are a church member, failing to go to church on the Lord's Day is a sin.

1. It's A Sin Against God

When you skip out on church, you are disobeying a direct command from God Himself:

Hebrews 10:24-25: And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

If you are wondering how often you need to meet together so as not to "neglect to meet together" in this verse, consider Hebrews 3:12-13 below where the author says you need exhortation every day. He at least has in mind a frequency that is more than once a week, not less. Also note, Christians met together on the first day of the week and collected money on the first day of every week:

Acts 20:7: On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.

1 Corinthians 16:1-2: Now concerning the collection for the saints: as I directed the churches of Galatia, so you also are to do. On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.

Go to church at least every Sunday.

2. It's A Sin Against Your Pastors/Elders

When you skip out on church, you are disobeying your pastors who require Lord's Day church attendance for the glory of God and for the good of your soul. God commands you to obey your leaders:

Hebrews 13:17: Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.

3. It's A Sin Against The Body Of Christ

The church body needs you. You are called, as a Christian, to obey all the "one another's" in Scripture and to meet together to love and encourage one another. If you are a church member, often you make membership promises like this: 

I accept the responsibility for this church’s upbuilding, and to this end I commit myself to wholeheartedly support this church in its local and world-wide ministry with my time, abilities, and possessions.

When you skip out on church, you are breaking these commitments and promises to your fellow church members and sinning against them.

4. It's A Sin Against Yourself

You can sin against yourself. For example, suicide is self-murder. When you skip out on church, you are sinning against yourself because you are neglecting the very means of grace that God has ordained to keep you far away from sin and very close to Jesus. You need the encouragement of the saints to make it to heaven:

Hebrews 3:12-13: Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called "today," that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

5. It's A Sin That Can Lead To Church Discipline

The number one reason Olney Baptist Church has had to excommunicate church members (church discipline - see Matthew 18:15-17 and 1 Corinthians 5) is because of a failure to attend church regularly. This means that a non-attending, unrepentant church member is removed from the membership roll, warned that the church can no longer affirm their profession of faith in Jesus, and warned that their soul is in serious trouble.

6. But What If I'm Missing Church Because I'm Serving?

Briefly, don't be a Martha, be a Mary: 

Luke 10:38-42: Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord's feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, "Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me." But the Lord answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her."

7. Two Caveats 

A caveat is "a specific detail or rule that limits a general statement." So here we go:

1) Pastors understand that people get sick, women have babies, your cousin is getting baptized at the church down the street, sometimes emergencies arise, there are shut-ins who can't get out of their homes and shut-in type situations, and sometimes you go out of town (but find a good church if you go out of town and attend!). You are not sinning when you miss church for really good reasons like these. But some good questions to ask yourself are:

a. Is this (whatever it is) really a good reason to miss church?

b. Do things always seem to come up during those two hours of church on Sunday mornings?

c. Do I always get sick during those two hours of church?

d. If I treated showing up at my job like I treated showing up at church, would I get fired?

e. How hard am I working to schedule things and reschedule things so that Lord's Day worship is #1 on my priority list?

f. Am I really making God the first priority in my life, not only on Sundays, but in everything in my life (my time, money, job, relationships, free time, hobbies, etc.)?

g. Is my heart posture toward church attendance: "I really want to be there, and it's one of the greatest joys and priorities of my life because God and His people are the greatest joy and priority of my life!"?

Consider these questions. Pray about them. Ask the Lord to search your heart. Repent if you need to. Receive His grace, love, and forgiveness. And by God's mercy, start pursuing Him with all your heart.

2) You can go to church every Sunday and still not know God. God wants your heart for Him above all. Jesus says:

Matthew 15:7-9: You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: "This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me;  in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men."

Churches can be filled with false converts. For many, they won't know they are false converts until the day of judgment when Jesus will say:

Matthew 7:21-23: Not everyone who says to me, "Lord, Lord," will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. On that day many will say to me, "Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name, and cast out demons in your name, and do many mighty works in your name?" And then will I declare to them, "I never knew you; depart from me, you workers of lawlessness."

You must trust in Christ alone to be justified before God. Church attendance will not justify you. But those who have been truly justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone, according to the Bible alone, for the glory of God alone will delight to obey God, obey their pastors, love their fellow church members, and do what is best for their relationship with Jesus. And that means, they will delight to go to church every Sunday if at all possible. It will be their joy!

You have 168 hours in a week, and God is worthy of every one of them. And He's especially worthy of those two for church. Church should be what you cancel everything else on your calendar for to make sure you are there. Church should be what you prepare for on Saturdays. Church should be the Christians delight, not drudgery.

I hope to see you at church this Sunday!

8. More On Church Membership And Church Attendance

a. The Necessity Of Church Membership For Genuine Christians: Why You Should Be A Church Member

b. 31 Biblical Reasons You Should Go To Church

God And The Gospel

To learn more about the great and true Triune God, the God-Man, Jesus Christ, His cross, and His glorious Gospel message and everlasting Kingship, please watch American Gospel: Christ Alone. You can watch the full documentary here and here for free!