WOW…What Should I Do?
I’ve fallen in love with online worship and watching sermons at home. I plan to continue watching online (exclusively) even after the church doors have opened and it’s safe to return. I’m not going back! Is there anything wrong with that?
Answer by Gary Cochran
Dear “Church at Home”,
Thank you for your question. I’m confident that your view is held by many others. Some have developed this preference as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic. Others have held this view and this practice long before the COVID-19 experience.
“I love staying at home for church!” “It’s convenient and comfortable.” “Why would I wake up, get up, clean up, and drive to a church building when I can stay home, stay safe, stay casual, and decide when and whom I’ll hear for sermons, songs, and more?” “Quite frankly, I like the freedom and convenience.”
Honestly, this makes a lot of sense to me too. Those are very appealing. Most of us that believe in the God of the Bible, and are committed to worshipping Him have been required in the past couple of months to consider alternatives to “meeting at the building”. And we’ve had enough time to get accustomed to the revision.
Hanging in the living room or the bedroom and inviting the worship to “come to us” has become a pretty nice adjustment. Add to that, there are lots of worship options. Lots of carriers. Lots of churches online or on tv. Diverse perspectives. A variety of styles. You can engage your own church if they “live stream” their worship services. Or you can check out others with the click of a computer key, or the tv remote. There’s a smorgasbord of options!
Personally, I would encourage you to explore some of those, as long as they are Christ-centered, Bible-based messages and worship experiences! That said, I’m still drawn to a key theme that runs through Scripture. The Lord calls us to community. His community. His church. His body. Over and over, His biblical writers refer to the importance of Christians doing life together! He refers to our functioning as a body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12: 12-14). We are the family of God (Roman 9:8, 1 John 3:1-2). The Bible makes continual references to our “one another” relationships among this family of God. Love one another (John 13:34-35). Be at peace with one another (Mark 9:50). Accept one another (Romans 15:7). Bear with and forgive one another (Colossians 3:13). Serve one another (Galatians 5:13). Encourage and build up one another (Ephesians 4:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 5:11). The Scriptures are loaded with these messages, directions, encouragement, and teaching about living life together. So, it seems to me that it would be practically impossible to have this kind of connectedness, this kind of community, this kind of support and “body life” if you and I did not meet regularly together with our local church family.
The Old and New Testaments seem to make continual reference to God’s people living this earthly existence in the context of community. Living, loving, sharing, giving, sacrificing, singing, teaching, trusting, supporting, worshipping, and ultimately enjoying an eternal home…together.
So, my friend, I encourage you to make the most of the convenient resources: those online, on your tv, podcasts, webinars, websites, Zoom meetings, and more! But none of those create the kind of give and take, the kind regular “one another” experience with the body of Christ, the kind of community that is experienced with the Christ-centered, Bible-believing, Body of Christ. That kind of connection, and those kinds of relationships I believe you will only find in person with the others of your church/community of faith.
I’m thankful that modern technology helps us to enjoy and provide access to the best of both worlds! My hope is to one day meet you in-person…where we’re all worshipping and honoring our Lord together!
God bless you!
Gary Cochran, MA, LPC-S
Prestoncrest Church of Christ (Dallas, TX)
Campbell Counseling Group (Richardson, TX)
WOW is a 501(c)3 charitable organization. WOW exists to glorify God and build His Kingdom. WOW fellowships with like minded people and performs community service. WOW represents single Christians thirty five years of age and older throughout the Dallas Fort Worth Texas Metroplex. Call (469) 844-0452
We Publish News 24/7. Don’t Miss A Story. Click HERE to SUBSCRIBE to Our Newsletter Now!
