why go to church?

I realized it while on the beach this summer: most of the Christians I know don't know how their faith is connected to their involvement in their church.  


In other words, Christians who go to church don't know why they do.  


And the Christians who don't go to church don't know why they should.   


So I spent some time thinking about this, and we ended up teaching a series on the question in September.  Here's the 90 minutes boiled down to 30 seconds:

1. Christians go to church to be formed.  The consistent practice of regular, intentional, historically-informed worship shapes us.
2. Christians go to church to encourage others.  It's other's needs, other's pain, other's hopes, other's lives that get us out of bed in the morning.  Not our own.  I may not feel like going to church.  But my feelings are not the point.
3. Christians go to church to encounter God and then, to respond.  The God of the Bible has invited us to be with him always, everywhere.  But His pattern is to reveal his love/presence/direction to us especially when we gather with others to worship Him.  We meet with God and then things change.