Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. (NASB)
I remember a conversation I had a while back with a person who had stopped going to church for years. I met him at a store while we were on the same aisle. I introduced myself as a minister, and he then proceeded to ask me questions about where I work, how long I’ve worked there and how do I like it. He then told me that he does everything we do in church from his house. He prays, listens to Christian songs, helps the needy, and he reads his Bible. We talked for a little while and we exchanged numbers. It took a year, but he was converted. Many people today believe that they can do “church” from their home and they don’t need to be a part of a religious organization. When we open the scriptures, we see time and time again that Christians were never doing “church” by themselves. They had house churches and home bible studies, but they were always a part of the big gathering. They loved getting together and celebrating the one who saved them. We can do many acts of worship from home, but we can never replace the fellowship as a church family being by ourselves.