The reasons people attend church vary greatly from loving it to feeling guilted into it. But why is church attendance needed?
One reason is to receive a confirmation of information we already knew, as a church leader told me in my youth. You won't necessarily learn something new every time you go to church unless you are new to religion. But there is a good chance you will get a confirmation of information you already knew that will reaffirm your faith and anchor your faith deeper and more reassured.
We need to regularly plug in to the Spirit so our spiritual battery does not become completely drained. A cell phone can still function at 25% battery but it will not do so for long. Every time you plug back in to the Spirit, it will move your battery charge higher and higher.
A cell phone will also not work, or not work so well, when you are in a bad reception area. When you are at church, you are in one of the best spiritual reception areas you can find. Your line to the Spirit should be strong in a good reception area like church. Your home can be a good reception area, a safe place away from the worldly influences that block reception.
Another reason to go to church is to get a new perspective on topics we thought we already knew well enough. It is good to study the gospel at home, and it is good to study the gospel with others. When we discuss gospel topics with others, they share their own unique perspective of the same topic because of their own personal past experiences. Sometimes they share a perspective we would not necessarily have come to on our own, but which we can understand with shared human empathy.
Each flower represent a gospel topic like faith, hope, charity, tithing, worship, prayer, etc.... This first picture shows my perspective and current knowledge of each topic. The next picture shows another person's perspective and current knowledge as well, and as you can see, we have quite different views and depths of knowledge on each topic. Imagine how much wisdom we could share with each other to strengthen each other's faith! Even those who do not have a varied and seemingly full knowledge of gospel topics will have some deep extensive knowledge and personal experience in a few select areas that can enhance your own personal understanding in new ways.
The next time you feel discouraged and want to stay home from church, dig deep into the understanding that you need someone else and also that someone else needs your unique perspective and love.
