Why Go to the House of God (Episode 124)

These days, less people attend local churches. Of course, we know that you don’t have to attend church to be saved. And you don’t have to be saved to attend church. So why should one go to the house of God? Evangelist Frank King addresses that subject in this podcast episode.

In Psalm 73, the psalmist gives us an important benefit of going to the house of God. He writes of a time in his life when he lost focus and became spiritually unstable. “As for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped,” he writes (Psalm 73:2). “For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked” (verse 3).

The psalmist is not alone in that area of struggle. Some Christians today believe that since they serve the Lord, they should have more than those who don’t. And as such, they have trouble coming to terms with the prosperity of the wicked. The Bible does not denounce us having material wealth. In fact, God promises to bless us when we walk with Him. But nowhere in the Bible are we promised that if we serve God, we will have more materially than everyone who doesn’t serve God.  

In the psalm, the psalmist expands on the prosperity of the wicked that caused him to be envious. He even questioned the value of living a life committed to God. He writes, “Surely in vain I have kept my heart pure. And I have washed my hands in innocence” (verse 13, NASB)!

So, how did the psalmist regain his footing? “Until I went to the sanctuary of God, then I understood their end,” he says (verse 17, KJV). At the house of God, his eyes became open to see things in proper context. There, he saw what the end of the wicked would be.

Through the psalmist’s experience, we should see a priceless benefit of faithful church attendance. Like him, we need a place we can attend to help us get or remain properly focused. Also, in this podcast episode, Evangelist King shares three facts about every genuine believer. He said because these things are true about us, they underscore three more reasons it behooves us to faithfully go to the house of God.