Yes! You should definitely watch church online if you can’t be there in person. Watching a church service online is a great alternative that is possible today because of technology. If a person is traveling, sick, working, or on vacation, they can still watch their church service almost anywhere and anytime. I have a friend that recently watched our church service on Facebook live while flying across the country on a commercial airline. That wasn’t even an option just a few years ago! It’s crazy how things have changed in such a short time. Imagine how things will be in just a few more years.
However, if you can be at church when a church service is happening, be there! Church is about people gathering together to fellowship with each other and with God. Weekend services, small groups, classes, and even certain expressions of service are best done in the context of relationships. You can certainly listen to a message online, you can chat online, and give online, but there are some things that work better with people. Worship is better with people. Fellowship is better with people. Caring is better with people. Sometimes learning can even be better with other people.
Technology has lots of advantages, but it also has some disadvantages. Use it when you need it, but don’t let it replace the what God has designed for us. I have a friend that is battling cancer who doesn’t always feel like being at church. An online service is a great option for him. However, my friend also has a church filled with people praying for his illness because he has spent years in large group and small group gatherings with other members of that church. Those people are not behind a screen: they have been in his life and know him personally.
I watch lots of teaching and conferences on my tech devices, but none of them can ever take the place of the people with whom I gather. Something happens when God’s people gather together in His Name. In John 20:24, Jesus appears to His disciples following His resurrection, and Thomas is missing. Imagine that! Thomas had to hear about Jesus showing up after the resurrection by somebody else. Thomas missed what God was doing! Yes, He had an experience with Jesus later, but he missed the first encounter. Think about the things we miss when we fail to gather with God’s people.
Can you watch a church service online? Absolutely you can, but don’t miss the opportunities you have to meet with God when you meet with His people.
Impact Discipleship Ministries is here to help you make disciples that make disciples. If we can help you with resources of training, please contact us at impactdisciples.com.
