When friends from other places ask me how the work at Southside is doing, I don’t go very long before I mention the seven fine men who serve as our elders. What a blessing to have such godly men who are devoted to the Chief Shepherd and to leading His flock by word and by example.

Being included in their monthly meetings has given me the opportunity to witness firsthand the kind of love that our shepherds have for their sheep. They are not power-hungry dictators seeking to throw their weight around and drive cattle where they don’t want to go. They have a genuine concern that every soul under their care be led to the safety of God’s fold. They take their responsibility seriously.

Sadly, the majority of nearly every meeting is spent on trying to find new ways to encourage folks who don’t attend the services regularly. Our two-year plan called “Send the Light” has an evangelistic focus, one intended to look out into the fields and bring the lost to the Lord. But our own leaders can’t concentrate on inviting outsiders to the services because they’re having to devote much of their time finding out why their own members aren’t coming. If people only knew what they miss when they miss the assembly.

You miss the privilege of praise. Sometimes, our language reflects that we don’t see worship in this way. When invited to a Sunday morning golf game or a Wednesday night movie, a common response is, “I HAVE to go to church.” In other words, “If it were up to me, I’d do something else.” One preacher commented that the congregation where he worked suffered from a drug problem. That is, they all looked like they had been drug through the doors every time they assembled. Worship ought to be viewed as our privilege.

Israel sang, “I was glad when they said to me, ‘Let us go to the house of the Lord’” (Psa. 122:1). That was one of their Song of Ascents, a Psalm that they sang as they climbed Mount Zion to go to Jerusalem and worship. They were glad to do it in response to all that God had done for them. How much more should we, recipients of the blood of Christ, be willing to sacrifice to commemorate His death and offer our thanksgiving and praise for His love. Remember, Jesus didn’t HAVE to go to cross for you.

You miss the opportunity to overcome. The worship service is our escape from the world. It is our haven. In fact, we often pray during the assembly that the Lord will help us “put away the thoughts and cares of the world and concentrate on what we are doing.” Have you ever come to services tired or worried or discouraged, feeling the weight of the world on your shoulders? And afterward, on the way to the car, you said to yourself, “I’m sure glad I came.” That’s what worship does.

In the context of “not forsaking our own assembling together,” the writer of Hebrews instructs us, “let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24-25). That implies that one of the byproducts of assembling together is our stimulation and encouragement. When we engage in an activity with those of like, precious faith, we are assured that we are not alone in our fight. We are given the opportunity to overcome our difficulties and not be overcome by them.

You miss the obligation to give. Worship has become all about getting. “I didn’t get anything out of that,” says the one who looks like he rolled out of bed and onto the pew. Perhaps the first question ought to be, “what did you give?” What did you give to the Lord? What did you give to your fellow worshipers? What did you give to the visitor?

Paul wrote that one of the effects of worshiping rightly is that the unbeliever “will fall on his face and worship God, declaring that God is certainly among you” (1 Cor. 14:24-25). How can you fulfill this duty when you are not here? Why should visitors want to return when they see the empty seats of members who do not value their own responsibilities. It’s not just about you.

Worship prepares us for what we will do in eternity. Let us not forsake this little taste of heaven on earth.

—Bubba Garner