Church

From the very beginning (Acts 2:46ff) "church" was a gathering of believers who had left whatever to be joined to Christ and depended on their relationships with other Christians for spiritual sustenance.They studied, prayed, took communion and shared (had fellowship). Theidea that there was some rule about attendance was most likely foreign to them. Being together was a matter of need, of necessity. To have to have a verse which constrained their attendance probably would have been insulting. I would suggest that church attendance done out of other promptings than necessity some
how have lost true significance. Mandatory attendance demanded by
and elder, done under compulsion, would have been as foreign to them as a
father demanding children to attend the Christmas tree gathering. Odd
at least, it would seem, who wouldn't want to go? Maybe, if attending
the assembly has become a burden we should look deep inside and ask
why? Perhaps there is no "felt need" and that may say a lot.Foree