"Go to church or the devil will get ya!" - Joey Ferrell

*Disclaimer: I do not own this sign or this image. It was found on the internet with dozens of others taken on I-65 North just outside of Montgomery Alabama.

Go to church or the devil will get ya! Well….sort of. I remember passing this sign probably 10-11 years ago coming back from a family trip to Florida. We were on I-65 north just outside of Montgomery. We had stopped at this sweets store that had a pink cow…yes, a real pink cow (It closed a few years afterwards) and had been laughing about that for miles…and then…there it was! I was like “WOW, did you see that sign?”

The sign was originally placed at this locaton by a local “Christian and Patriot” businessman using a metal devil from a former gas station in Prattville according to an article also found on the internet. It was toppled in a storm in 2016 and remained down until 2019 when it made a new appearance. It still stands today with the sons of the creator maintaining it. It catches a lot of attention and has been shared on social media sites for years.

Enough about the sign though…let’s get to the message! Let’s dissect it a bit:

“Go to church” - the world sees this as a valid statement. Even those in the church will use the phrase often. I am just as guilty in tradition as most others are too. But, we need to think about this a bit. We ARE the church. Certainly, we go to be WITH the church, and the semantics of the phrase can certainly make sense thinking about it that way.
In Acts 2, the Bible says that about 3,000 were added to “the church” and they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine - and it said that they met daily from house to house.

Throughout Acts, we see the church growing because they were hearing the truth and being added to the church…and then they would go AS the church.

When Paul instructed Timothy and Titus, and others, they were told to go TO the church in different areas, and of course, John records the words of Jesus TO the churches in Asia, each identified geographically.

So…in reality, we go WITH the church, TO the church and semantically TO church.

But what is there about “going to church” that will keep the devil from getting you? Well, nothing really…or almost nothing…with the wrong attitude at least. Hebrews 10:19-25 gives us a very good reasoning why we should come together. Ephesians 4 talks about the varying roles of those in the church and how the function of the teaching of the church is to increase growth, edify the saints, and strengthen our faith.

So, how does that keep the devil from getting you? Well, it doesn’t, but it does make it much harder as you are surrounded by like-minded people that care about your soul when you are with the saints of the church. In the book of Job, the devil was said to have been going to and fro across the earth. He is seeking those who he can devour, so how do we stop him from getting us? We increase our faith, we draw near to God, we flee from the devil, and what better way to do that than to be with the church?

While it is true that many feel that technology has opened new doors in “going to church,” but truly, there is nothing like being with the saints, worshiping, singing, praying together, communing, getting and giving handshakes and hugs, crying with one another, rejoicing with one another and lifting one another up as is described in Hebrews 10.

Maybe you or someone you know needs a little encouragement….let me invite you to “go to church” and find that encouragement. These are our people. They love you and me. They need you and me. And we need them!

Go to church…..or the devil will get you!