Jesus attended church regularly. ‘He went as usual to the synagogue on the Sabbath’ (Luke 4:16 NLT). The apostles also went to church on a regular basis: ‘They worshipped together at the Temple each day’ (Acts 2:46 NLT). And David loved God’s house. He said, ‘A single day in your courts is better than a thousand anywhere else! I would rather be a gatekeeper in the house of my God than live the good life in the homes of the wicked’ (Psalm 84:10 NLT). So, do you love God’s house? You should, because there you will hear His Word explained, find strategies for living, discover your spiritual gifts, and form relationships that will sustain you in the hard times. Where else can you find all that? Yale University conducted a study confirming that people who go to church regularly are happier, healthier, and live longer than those who don’t. The survey found that church attendees had lower blood pressure, less stress, and greater immunity to disease, whereas non-churchgoers in the group had a shortened life span roughly equal to that of cigarette smokers. One of the interviewers asked an eighty-year-old woman, who happened to be running on a treadmill at the time, what her secret was. She said, ‘When you walk with God you have purpose, so you live longer. And you have peace with God, so you live better.’ Think: if you could find all that in a pill, how much would you pay for it? And would anybody have to force you to take it? No? Okay – then make sure you’re in church on Sunday!
