Why do we go to church? I'm sure we've thought about that question at times. When a little boy was asked why he and his family went to church he responded, "So grandpa can stay healthy by getting his nap in." You have to appreciate the little boy's honesty. However, I'd like to think that we come to church for a reason other than getting a nap in.

In our text we see that Jesus went into the synagogue in order to teach the people. That was often His custom. As we read further in our text we're told that a man who was possessed by a demon was present. It sounds like this fellow caused quite a disturbance. He yelled out during the worship service. I can imagine what those who were present must have thought. Their worship of God that day had been interrupted. They probably wished that the demon-possessed man had never come. If he needed help, he should have gone somewhere else. And just maybe, some of those present that day wouldn't come back. They'd look for another synagogue or just not go to worship at all.

But you know, there is a valuable lesson we can learn from this episode, and it's not that we should go somewhere else to worship or stop going to church altogether if something unpleasant happens to happen at church. That's not the lesson.

Put yourself in the position of the demon-possessed man for a moment. What do you think life must have been like for him? Where could he go for help or relief? The demon tormented him from time to time. The man couldn't control the outbursts. He was enslaved to the demon. Imagine being in the same situation. How terrible.

Instead of giving up hope the man went to the synagogue. It was the only place he might find healing and deliverance from the demon. We read that Jesus cast the demon out of the man. The man was made whole again and could go on living a normal life.

The lesson for us from this episode, then, is that we can go to church for spiritual healing. I wish we could be healed of all our physical ailments when we come to church, but that's not how it works. That'll come when either we die or the Lord comes again. But the church is a spiritual pharmacy. We can get the medication we need to cure us of our spiritual diseases.

Church is the one place where we can be forgiven all of our sins. God forgives us through His Son, Jesus Christ, who willingly took upon Himself the disease of our sin. Now we can be cured of the spiritual disease of sin.

It's in the church that we receive the body and blood of Jesus for our forgiveness. When we walk away from the Communion rail we are cleansed of all our sins. The medicine of Jesus' body and blood works profoundly on our hearts. It's takes away the guilt we experience because of sin. We feel refreshed and unburdened after the Lord's Supper.

When we go to the doctor's office because we're not feeling good, he usually gives us a set of instructions to follow, right? And if we want to get better we follow those instructions. It's in our best interest.

At church we're given instructions from God's word on how to live. It's in our best interest to follow those instructions in order to avoid unnecessary pain in life. That's a reason why we come to church. I know most of us want to avoid pain and suffering if we can, right?

I see how a lot of people bring trouble upon themselves because they want to have nothing to do with the Lord and the church. And everyone and everything else is at fault for the hardship in their lives. If only they would wake up and come to church for healing. Their lives would be a lot better for it.

We come to church to get out of the storm of life, to take a break. It's hard out there in the world. We're constantly being assaulted by our culture and the way the world does and sees things. Our thinking needs to be set straight again. And it's here in the church that we hear God's word which puts us back in touch with how the Lord wants us to do things. His word puts us back on track. It heals us in that our hearts are calmed with the promise of God's presence in our lives.

In church we're healed from the disease of doubt. Sometimes we doubt the existence of God; we doubt that we will go to heaven after we die. We doubt that Jesus helps us and is there for us. That's the devil's way of trying to turn us away from the Lord. But in church the truth of the Gospel restores our trust and confidence in God and His promises. God's word heals us from the disease of doubt. And it's in the church that we are exposed to God's word, the greatest medicine of all.

We come to church to be healed of the disease of spiritual ignorance. Here we are taught the teachings of our Lord which bring light to us. How many people are walking in darkness today? Many people have no clue when it comes to the teachings of Jesus. And the irony is that those who walk in darkness consider themselves the enlightened ones. But it is only in the church where the truth of Jesus Christ is preached that people are able to rid themselves of the disease of spiritual ignorance. And why is this important? If we walk in darkness and ignorance, how can we enter eternal life? We can't if we don't know the teachings of our Lord, Jesus Christ. He is the light and the way.

We come to church to be healed of our loneliness. Other Christians are here for us to give us support and encouragement. There are times when we feel empty inside, but here we are filled with the Holy Spirit. God assures us of His presence in our lives when we feel nothing is there and that nobody cares. Only God can ultimately fill the voids we encounter from time to time in our lives.

We come to church to be healed just as the demon-possessed man went to the synagogue to be delivered from the evil spirit that tormented him so. And we find genuine spiritual healing in the church.

There have been times when I've missed church and felt an emptiness. After a worship service I feel cleansed and complete, but that is missing when I don't attend. Many people are missing out when they prevent themselves from coming to church. There is much healing that they aren't able to experience as a result of staying away.

I would encourage us to continue to come to church for spiritual healing. The healing is real and not imagined. The demon-possessed man was delivered from the evil spirit. It no longer had any control of him after his encounter with Jesus in the synagogue. In church we encounter our Lord Jesus in the bread and wine we receive at Communion, we encounter Him in His word. Those encounters have a profound healing effect on us. May we continue to come to this house of worship to be healed of our spiritual diseases which Jesus took upon Himself on the cross.