COVID-19 changed a lot of things.

Suddenly, you could only go to school online.

You couldn’t head out without a mask, and you had to distance yourself from other people.

Even food you ordered online had to be delivered contactlessly, with the door closed.

But one other thing changed.

How you went to church changed.

Now, many churches have taken their Sunday services online to YouTube too.

Something that was previously not an option.

And if you’ve tried it before, you would’ve realised a few things.

You save money by not heading out to church.

You save time by not needing to commute.

You save energy by attending church on your bed.

But soon after the pandemic ended, things remained the same, and you’ve been going to church on livestream still.

Somewhere down the line, you began to feel guilty for not bothering to attend church in person.

So you’re wondering by googling online, is going to church online bad?

But what you really want to know is:

Is God displeased when I don’t attend church in person?

I’m here to shed some light on this for you.

Technology has changed the world, and not always for the better.

And many people think, God blessed technology because it makes our lives easier, but that’s not really the reason.

God brought about technology for missions.

The Internet made the globe a lot smaller, and with that, it is much easier to reach the lost.

God gave us radio for missions.

He gave us the Internet so we can touch the lives of the lost and bring them to Jesus.

COVID-19 may have taken a lot of lives, but it has brought about good things too.

It launched the entire world further into technology, into the world becoming smaller.

Now, all you need is an internet connection to attend church.

But Internet has blessed the church too.

When you’ve fallen sick with the flu, you can still attend church without risking the health of your beloved brothers and sisters in Christ.

If you have any reason why you can’t attend church in person, you know you can still attend it online.

I honestly believe there’s nothing wrong with attending church online.

It’s not your church attendance that makes you a faithful servant of Christ.

It’s not legalistic like that. What matters is that your heart is in the right place.

A true Christian is not a Sunday Christian, who only shows up for the Lord in the church building.

A true Christian lives for the Lord everyday.

That said, I still believe that if there is nothing stopping you, it is still better to attend church in person.

Nothing can replace being able to meet your family in Christ face to face, and share spiritual blessings.

3 John 13-14 (New International Version)

¹³ I have much to write you, but I do not want to do so with pen and ink. ¹⁴ I hope to see you soon, and we will talk face to face.

I think this portion of Scripture reveals what God thinks about the question we’re discussing today.

Here, John mentions writing to the people of God.

Back then, letters were their Internet.

You can use letters, or Internet to fellowship deeply with the people of God.

But the teaching remains that it is better to fellowship in person, because that is more intimate.

So while I think there’s nothing wrong with attending church online, I think every Christian should be encouraged to attend church in person so they can enjoy more intimate fellowship.

I hope this helps.