Several years ago a man became a Christian and a member of our congregation. Prior to that time he had been a heavy drinker. He drank every day, but the weekends were the worst. All he did was drink and carouse with the boys. But Christ changed all of that when he became a Christian. He quit his drinking and started going to church and living for God.
When his old pals would occasionally drop by they almost always asked him, “What do you do now on the weekends?” He would reply, “I go to church. Sunday is the happiest day of all the week for me. I wish every day were like Sunday.”
That’s the way it ought to be. Going to church ought to be the happiest experience of our life and Sunday ought to be the happiest day of the week. A long time ago the psalmist said, “I was glad when they said unto me, Let us go into the house of the Lord” (Psalm 122:1).
Christians ought to go to church, not because they have to but because they want to. Worship ought to be a joy, not a drudgery. We ought to look upon it as a privilege, not a duty. If worship is not that to you, then there is something wrong with the worship at your church or the attitude of your heart.
Worship is at its best when the preaching is enthusiastic, the music is victorious, the people sing with gusto, and the response of the congregation is spontaneous. Of all the people on the earth the ones who have something to be happy about are the people of God. We ought to meet together to celebrate the joy of new life, the joy of forgiveness, the joy of hope, and the presence of God’s power within us. When worship is like a funeral service, how does it celebrate the resurrection of Christ?
The Bible says that the church is the body of Christ. If the body meeting for worship appears to be dead, how can we convince the world that Christ is alive?
The first and most important thing is to have the kind of relationship with the Lord that you can rejoice in. Then find a place of worship where that joy can be expressed with other believers. It is only a church that is alive that can convince the world that Christ is arisen.