Church as Base Camp
The most important thing we actually do as believers is live for Jesus in faith and obedience.
Many followers of Christ view the Sunday worship service or the Catholic mass or "going to church" as the most important thing a believer does every week. In fact, we seem to put a lot of emphasis in preparing for Sunday activities week after week. A lot of energy and resources go into making worship services the way they are today. I'm not here to judge the collective effort we put into Sundays. There certainly is importance in gathering with other believers and worshiping God together. But I do want to point out that our Sunday activities are far from being the most important thing we do as Christians. It's simply one of many things we do as believers in Jesus.
The most important thing we actually do as believers is live for Jesus in faith and obedience. It's not attending a worship service or "going to church." Our mission day in and day out is to live our earthly lives for our King Jesus. Every spiritual practice we engage in from prayer to reading Scripture to journaling to attending Sunday worship services support this pursuit of living for Jesus. The Sunday gatherings are simply a "tool" (yes, it's an important tool, but it's a tool nonetheless) in supporting us in our journey towards Christlikeness and engaging in Christ's mission on earth.
I view attending Sunday worship services as heading back to "base camp" after a 6-day journey out in the world. Along with other believers, I get the chance to rest and recuperate from living for Jesus throughout the week with its ups, downs, and challenges. I get to reorient myself back to God, to His values, and to His mission. I get to be supported by other believers through prayer, Scripture, and encouragement. I also get to support others in the same way. We also get to exchange stories with each other of triumph and failure and share lessons and insights we've learned. We all then leave the "base camp" feeling refreshed and reoriented to live for Jesus again in the world and to serve Him in His Kingdom work.
Viewed in this way, the Sunday worship service becomes simply a tool to help us grow and live for Jesus better in the world. It may certainly be a vital and important activity, but it's far from being the main thing we do as Christians. It's simply a tool, along with personal prayer, Scripture reading, worship, and contemplation, to support us in what is really the most important thing we do as believers—to live for Jesus in faith and obedience.
Barnabas the Monastic
Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.
