Enjoying the Journey

Why Go to Church?

By Scott Pauley | March 13, 2025

The Simple Structure of God’s Amazing Work

By Scott Pauley | March 12, 2025

A Word From the Founder

By Scott Pauley | March 11, 2025

What the Bible Says About the Church

By Scott Pauley | March 10, 2025

The Last Church

By Scott Pauley | March 8, 2025

My Past, My Present, and My Future

By Scott Pauley | March 7, 2025

Two Things to do With the Gift

By Scott Pauley | March 6, 2025

So

By Scott Pauley | March 5, 2025

What the Bible Says About Salvation

By Scott Pauley | March 4, 2025

Three Word Pictures of Sin

By Scott Pauley | March 3, 2025

Praying with Jesus

By Scott Pauley | March 1, 2025

What the Bible Says About Sin

By Scott Pauley | February 28, 2025

Created, Fallen, Restored

By Scott Pauley | February 27, 2025

What the Bible Says About Man

By Scott Pauley | February 26, 2025

Angels, Demons, and the Devil

By Scott Pauley | February 25, 2025

What the Bible Says About Angels

By Scott Pauley | February 24, 2025

Fishers of Men

By Scott Pauley | February 22, 2025

What About the Trinity?

By Scott Pauley | February 21, 2025

The Person That Lives In Your House

By Scott Pauley | February 20, 2025

What the Bible Says About the Holy Spirit

By Scott Pauley | February 19, 2025

Jesus On Every Page

By Scott Pauley | February 18, 2025

What the Bible Says About Jesus

By Scott Pauley | February 17, 2025

Into the Wilderness

By Scott Pauley | February 15, 2025

Going Deeper With God

By Scott Pauley | February 14, 2025

What the Bible Says…

By Scott Pauley | February 13, 2025

Doctrine Is Not A Dirty Word!

By Scott Pauley | February 12, 2025

(Deuteronomy 32:2) Doctrine is not for professional theologians and academic minds. It is simply our beliefs and teachings, taken directly from the Word of God. Study the Scriptures and settle what you believe from the Bible. Click HERE to read the FULL transcript.

What the Bible Says About God

By Scott Pauley | February 11, 2025

Questions, Periods, and Exclamation Points

By Scott Pauley | February 10, 2025

(Acts 17:1-34) Our generation has more information available than ever, and yet there seems to be such a lack of truth. Every question must be brought to the Giver of truth! Today we look at three treatments of truth. How do we treat the truth? (0937250210) Finding Truth in the Information Age This generation is…

A Life of Repentance

By Scott Pauley | February 8, 2025

4 Things to Remember

By Scott Pauley | February 7, 2025

Eternity Reveals All

By Scott Pauley | February 6, 2025

Blessed People: Stewardship of Truth

By Scott Pauley | February 5, 2025

Dealing with Difficulty: Stewardship of Trials

By Scott Pauley | February 4, 2025

A Good Name: Stewardship of Testimony

By Scott Pauley | February 3, 2025

The Beginning from the God of New Beginnings

By Scott Pauley | February 1, 2025

Will a Man Rob God?: Stewardship of Treasure

By Scott Pauley | January 31, 2025

It’s Not Your Body: Stewardship of Temple

By Scott Pauley | January 30, 2025

Well Done: Stewardship of Talent

By Scott Pauley | January 29, 2025

Redeeming the Time: Stewardship of Time

By Scott Pauley | January 28, 2025

The Discipleship of Stewardship

By Scott Pauley | January 27, 2025

What God Shows You In the Dark

By Scott Pauley | January 25, 2025

The Secret to Being a Giver

By Scott Pauley | January 24, 2025

The Worship of Stewardship

By Scott Pauley | January 23, 2025

Grace! Grace! Grace!

By Scott Pauley | January 22, 2025

The Fellowship of Stewardship

By Scott Pauley | January 21, 2025

The Three Ships of Stewardship

By Scott Pauley | January 20, 2025

Love the Lord

By Scott Pauley | January 18, 2025

Keep Growing

By Scott Pauley | January 17, 2025

It Costs – But It Always Pays!

By Scott Pauley | January 16, 2025

Things Are Not Always What You See

By Scott Pauley | January 15, 2025

Who Are You Doing It For?

By Scott Pauley | January 14, 2025

Working Behind the Scenes

By Scott Pauley | January 13, 2025

This Day

By Scott Pauley | January 11, 2025

God’s Accounting Office

By Scott Pauley | January 10, 2025

One Requirement

By Scott Pauley | January 9, 2025

Servants and Stewards

By Scott Pauley | January 8, 2025

All Things Are Yours

By Scott Pauley | January 7, 2025

The Greatest Stewardship

By Scott Pauley | January 6, 2025

From the Beginning of the Year Even Unto the End of the Year

By Scott Pauley | January 4, 2025

To the End of the Year

By Scott Pauley | January 3, 2025

From the Beginning of the Year

By Scott Pauley | January 2, 2025

The Year of Growth

By Scott Pauley | January 1, 2025

The Year of Drought

By Scott Pauley | December 31, 2024

A Personal Word

By Scott Pauley | December 30, 2024

Living When Jesus Comes

By Scott Pauley | December 27, 2024

Bethlehem Beginnings

By Scott Pauley | December 25, 2024

Jesus’ Joy

By Scott Pauley | December 23, 2024

What Shall We Call Him?

By Scott Pauley | December 11, 2024

The First Christmas Story, Part 1

By Scott Pauley | December 9, 2024

SPECIAL: Next Steps in the New Year

By Scott Pauley | December 7, 2024

The Name of Jesus, Part 5

By Scott Pauley | December 6, 2024

The Name of Jesus, Part 2

By Scott Pauley | December 3, 2024

The Praise Service Starting Soon

By Scott Pauley | November 29, 2024

Thanksgiving and Witnessing

By Scott Pauley | November 28, 2024

11 Reasons to Sing!

By Scott Pauley | November 27, 2024

A Day of Thanks

By Scott Pauley | November 26, 2024

Giving Thanks On Purpose

By Scott Pauley | November 25, 2024

Why Do We Need to Read the Bible?

By Scott Pauley | November 22, 2024

Questions About Diet, Socialism, and the Prayers of Lost People

By Scott Pauley | November 21, 2024

Why Should We Ask Others to Pray for Us When We Can Pray for Ourselves?

By Scott Pauley | November 20, 2024

What Is the Difference Between Legalism and Holiness?

By Scott Pauley | November 19, 2024

Is Abortion Really a Bible Issue?

By Scott Pauley | November 18, 2024

Good Things that Come From Hard Questions

By Scott Pauley | November 15, 2024

Finding and Sharing God’s Answers

By Scott Pauley | November 14, 2024

7 Things to Remember When You Have Questions

By Scott Pauley | November 13, 2024

Helping Others with Their Questions

By Scott Pauley | November 12, 2024

Questions! Questions! Questions!

By Scott Pauley | November 11, 2024

Your Final Assignment

By Scott Pauley | November 8, 2024

What Are You Doing?

By Scott Pauley | November 7, 2024

Into the Wilderness and Unto the Mount of God

By Scott Pauley | November 6, 2024

5 Things To Do When You Are Tired

By Scott Pauley | November 5, 2024

Before the Fire Falls

By Scott Pauley | October 31, 2024

You Have to Choose

By Scott Pauley | October 30, 2024

Obadiah or Elijah?

By Scott Pauley | October 29, 2024

The Story of Two Servants

By Scott Pauley | October 28, 2024

The Brook In the Way

By Scott Pauley | October 26, 2024

Our Prayer – His Power

By Scott Pauley | October 25, 2024

God’s Care for Broken People

By Scott Pauley | October 24, 2024

Changing Times and the Unchanging God

By Scott Pauley | October 23, 2024

The Lord Is At Work

By Scott Pauley | October 22, 2024

(Hebrews 10:25) You can worship God in many places, but there are some things you can only do as you meet with God’s people. Today we discover seven simple, plain Bible reasons to regularly assemble in a local church. (0964250313) —-more—-

Why Go To Church?

Why go to church? I mean, honestly, what’s the point? Why did the Lord intend that his people would meet together? You know, we’ve learned already that the word church means “a called out assembly.” Now, while the purpose of the church doesn’t stop with the assembly, it does start there. Some people have so emphasized the fact that the church works outside the walls (which I believe) that we’ve forgotten, that we’re still supposed to meet with God’s people. The assembly part is important because, in the meeting of the New Testament church, the ministry is set in motion. It is as we fellowship, as we come together, as we are edified, as we grow, that then we can function in this world. Hebrews 10:25 says this, “Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

There’s a lot of truth wrapped up in Hebrews 10:25.

We Are Not To Forsake The Assembling Of Ourselves Together.

Do you remember the Lord Jesus said, “For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (18:20). There’s something precious to Christ about His followers assembling. When the Lord Jesus was on earth, He very often took His disciples aside, by themselves, so He could teach them.

May I submit to you? He still wants to do that. And then the Bible says in this verse, as the manner of some is, boy, that describes the world we’re living in. Here we are, the end of the age when the assembling of God’s people ought to mean more and more, and instead, it seems it means less and less to many Christians.

On the average Lord’s Day morning, you can drive through the community and see people doing almost everything except going to meet with God’s people. May I tell you that’s not the Lord’s way?

We Are To Exhort One Another.

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhort one another.” This is one of the great keys that unlocks the purpose of why we should assemble together.

In fact, the previous verse, verse 24 says, “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works.”

We’ve come to the place in our world today where people even look at church selfishly. What can I get out of it? Are my children going to have a good time? How is this going to benefit us?

We ought to turn the thing around. It should not be about “what I can get out of the church meeting?” but “what can I contribute?” “How can I be a blessing?” 1 Corinthians 12 tells us that all of the members are connected to the body. All of the members are under the head of the body, which is the Lord Jesus, but they all contribute to one another.

We Are To Remember The Founder Is Coming Back.

All are participants. None are dispensable. And so we ought to start looking at the local assembly and thinking, what can I do to make my church all God wants it to be? How can I be the kind of member of this called-out assembly that will help us move forward to the glory of God, and then listen to the powerful end of Hebrews 10:25, “and so much the more as ye see the day approaching.”

What day is he talking about? He’s referring here to the day of the Lord’s return. Friend, Jesus is coming back. The Founder is about to return. The Head of the church is going to show up. And I don’t know about you. I’d be terribly ashamed for Him to find me totally disconnected from all the other members when He arrives

I want Him to find me in my place, doing exactly what God wants me to do. So it brings us back to the question.

Why go to church? Why did the Lord establish that we should meet? Let’s see what says. Let’s study the example of the early church, in the New Testament.

Here Are Seven Bible Reasons We Go To Church
1. We Assemble To Pray.

This is very important. And we begin here. Maybe, perhaps not where you thought I would begin. Everybody wants to run to the preaching, and I love preaching, let me tell you, I love to do it. And I love to hear it. But why don’t we begin with prayer? Because that’s where God began.

What did Jesus command his disciples to do? Go to the upper room and pray. Acts 1:13-14. We read these words:

“And when they were come in, they went up into an upper room, where abode both Peter, and James, and John, and Andrew, Philip, and Thomas, Bartholomew, and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon Zelotes, and Judas the brother of James. These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.”

The first meeting in the New Testament church after the Ascension was not an evangelistic crusade, not a revival meeting, not a Bible study. It was a prayer meeting. Why? Because

prayer sets everything else in motion. When we meet together, we should come together to pray with and for one another and notice it’s something everybody can do. Not just the men were doing it. The women were praying. So we meet together to pray.

2. We Assemble To Hear The Word Of God

1 Thessalonians 5:20 says, “Despise not prophesying.” What’s your attitude towards the preaching and teaching of the Word of God? You see, the New Testament church didn’t have their own copies of the Scriptures when they came together.

There was an expectation to hear the Bible read. They hear these inspired writings expounded. I wonder if there’s still that same hunger and thirst in us. When we come together, we ought to come together excited to hear the Word of God.

3. We Assemble To Sing

Colossians 3:16 instructs us to speak to and encourage one another “in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs.” The Bible says, “speaking to one another.” We speak to ourselves when we sing. We speak to God when we sing. However, we also speak to one another as we sing. We should sing from our hearts.

4. We Assemble To Give

Number four, the assembly met together to give. Oh yes, you knew that was going to be mentioned because it’s given in Scripture. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2, “Upon the first day of the week let every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him, that there be no gatherings when I come.” It’s powerful. On the Lord’s Day, bring your tithe and bring your

offerings. Be a giver.

5. We Assemble To Exhort One Another.

It was all about edifying, building up each other. It’s not about me; it’s about us. It’s not about what I can gain, but what I can give. And here’s the beautiful secret. As you give and minister and exhort. Guess what the Lord does in you? He does the same building up in your heart in life.

6. We Assemble To Observe The Ordinances.

God left us with two ordinances: Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

You must have a visible local church to be able to physically baptize. You also must to have a local assembly to administer the Lord’s Table. These are church ordinances. They don’t belong to me as an individual. They belong to the local assembly.

7. We Assemble For Fellowship.

Come full circle back to the first principles in at the end of Acts 2 we have this beautiful little snapshot of the early New Testament church. Observe Acts 2:42, “And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.”

That passage goes on to report on the ministry of the Word. Those assemblies of believers set in motion a chain reaction outside the assembly of the church. We carry our faith outside the church walls. But it all must begin by meeting together. From this, we minister to those who are outside our assembly.

Could it be that we’re getting so little done in this world? Because the meeting of the New Testament church has gotten skewed by so many things. Perhaps we started thinking so selfishly about it. I remember asking a man one time to come to our church and he said, “Oh, I worship God in the woods.” And I said to him, “Wonderful, I worship God in the woods.”

And he looked at me a little surprised, and I said, “I don’t go to church simply to worship. I want to worship when I go. I believe in corporate worship, but worship is not a group sport, worship is the individual heart attitude.” You can worship anywhere and everywhere. Yes, you can worship God in your living room, but no, you cannot exhort one another in your living room.

Be Faithful

You can’t be a blessing and help to the whole local church by never being there. I challenge you today. Belong and don’t just belong. Be there. When the church meets together. Let it mean something to you to be with God’s people. If the church was so important that Christ died for it, don’t you think our lives ought to be connected to it?

Make up your mind this Lord’s Day, at the very next appointed meeting of your local assembly, by the grace of God, you’re going to be there.

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.”

You can worship God in many places, but there are some things you can only do as you meet with God’s people. Today we discover seven simple, plain Bible reasons to regularly assemble in a local church.

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Why Go to Church?

March 13, 2025

Scott Pauley

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The Simple Structure of God’s Amazing Work

March 12, 2025

Scott Pauley

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