Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.

I have noticed several of my Facebook friends who have pressed their "Like" button regarding: Going to church doesn't make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. This may be true. However, there are several reasons why I believe going to church should be part of a Christian’s life.

A relationship with God is not a one way street. It is not even a 2 way street. Let’s look at it as a 4-way intersection. It requires two focuses, vertical AND horizontal. We have our vertical relationship with God but we also have a horizontal relationship with other believers.

One important reason to attend church is for fellowship. It allows us to show love to our fellow believers. By doing so it also allows us to remain humble before God and to love and support others who are struggling with trying to live out the gospel just as we are. In addition, we benefit from being taught and led in worship by others. This is the horizontal focus of our relationship with God.
We all need to hear and be reminded of how others have struggled in the past, and were able to grow and live out their faith. We need to hear about the experiences of others and be reminded of God's love.

We all need a break from work, family problems, etc. to allow us to concentrate on the Lord and remind us that things we may be struggling with are only a small portion of our life’s journey. This can be so difficult at times. Through fellowship, we have others we can count on to help us make it through (as well as rejoice in our good times). We can share in the successes and failures of others.

God did not make us to be alone. By seeing how the Lord has worked in the lives of others, we are all encouraged. In church we are able to not only hear the word of God explained and how it applies to our lives, we also see how God works have played out in those around us. We learn to apply what we have learned from God's word and are able extend it to others outside the church.