Many people ask God’s will for their lives such as the career they are called to or who they are supposed to marry. These are very important questions, however, sometimes a more important question to is, “God who am I called to be around?” This is important because God often uses the relationships we are in, specifically in the local church, to steer us into His perfect will for our lives. In other words: God’s Will Is For You To Go To Church!
Before we go further, I want to acknowledge we are saved by faith through grace and not our works (including church attendance). Just because we are saved by grace doesn’t we shouldn’t go to church, however. A Christ follower is called to gather with other believers and be a part of a church body. It is the will of God.
In this article, I’m going to look at why being a committed member of a local church body is the general will of God for all Christians and how obeying this part of the revealed will of God will help us find out the specific will of God in our lives such as the career we are called to or who we are to marry.
Look at Hebrews 10:24-25:
24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.
There is so much in this passage of scripture. The first thing we see is that we are not called to be an island to ourselves. The scripture commands us to consider one another and gather. One of the most important things we must learn is when we get saved and become part of Jesus’s body, we are called to be connected to that body. The same way a human body functions best when it is connected, the body of Christ functions best when it is connected. Metaphorically, if you are a hand in the body of Christ, you will function better if you are connected to an arm than if you are disconnected and 20 feet away by yourself.
The same way a disconnected hand doesn’t functional naturally, a disconnected Christian isn’t functional. Consider this metaphor further as it comes to receiving direction from the brain. Metaphorically, Jesus is the head of the body of Christ and He gives direction to the body the same way our brain gives us direction to our physical body. Think about it, if my hand is disconnected from the rest of my body, it won’t be able to receive the nerve signals that give it instructions to pick up an object. It won’t be able to hear because it’s disconnected.
Hebrews 10:25 goes on to say, let us not forsake the assembling of ourselves together as is the manner (habit) of some. In other words, not attending church regularly is a bad habit people develop. The good news is the same way bad habits can be developed, we can all make changes and develop good habits. Going to church is an important habit we all need to build into our lives.
Some will say they are too busy to go to church regularly, but Jesus would say if we are too busy to go to church regularly and get involved, we need ask Him what things we should cut out of our lives that are consuming our time. God puts a priority on us hearing the word regularly and connecting with other believers and He will show us things that we need to remove from our lives so we can fulfill His will. God wants us to fulfill His specific will for our lives, but He cannot do that if we disobey His general will for our lives and we disconnect from other believers!
Let me give an example from my life to illustrate that point. I believe God’s will for my life was for me to marry Ashley. How did I meet her? Through my church. My pastor’s daughter worked with Ashley and set us up on a blind date. The rest is history, but let me ask a question. Would I have met Ashley if I wouldn’t have been in church? Probably not. I’d have missed the specific will of God for my life because I didn’t obey the general will of God to be connected in a local church.
I also need to make the point that I was intentional about getting connected in the church I was attending. In other words, I wasn’t a disconnected pew sitter. I was involved in a small group and volunteered regularly on the prayer team and in children’s ministry before the Lord introduced me to Ashley. As I sought the Lord for His will for my life and did what He showed me to do; get connected in my church, the Lord answered my prayers for a wife through another person in my church. God used His body, to help me hear His voice in my life about who I was to marry!
I can give dozens of examples from scripture about how God used relationships to help people discover His will for their lives. These would include Jesus and the disciples, Moses and Joshua, Elijah and Elisha, Paul and Timothy, and Paul and Titus. Think about it, God’s will for Peter’s life was to be an apostle, but would he have discovered that plan if he would have ignored Jesus’s voice when He said, “Follow me.” Jesus called Peter to himself and into a group of believers where He could disciple Peter and then through a process of time, He revealed his specific will to Peter about being one of the original apostles.
One last point I want to make about why it’s so important for each of us to attend church regularly is that fire increases when wood is burned together. When pieces of wood are separated from the fire they burn out. The same is true for you and me. When we separate ourselves from the rest of the body, we will eventually lose our fire. It’s harder to hear God’s voice when we lose our passion for Him.
I hope this article has encouraged and challenged you to attend church regularly and get involved! There is a power in doing life together with other believers and it is a key part of finding and fulfilling God’s will for our lives. If you would like to learn more about how godly relationships help us fulfill God’s will for our lives, check out this series I taught at Grace Life Church.
Below are all of our previous articles on my “What Is God’s Will For My Life” series.
- What Is God’s Will For My Life
- God’s Will Is Found In Christ
- What Is God’s Perfect Plan For My Life?
- God’s Will For Your Life Is Your Sexual Purity
- God’s Will Is For Your To Pray
- God’s Will Is For You To Be Spirit Filled
Have a great week!
