And as we join other worshipers in church, our hearts are lifted out of this temporal world into the eternal world, out of this unreal existence into the essence of our beings. According to William Temple, in worship the conscience is quickened by the holiness of God, the mind fed by the truth of God, the imagination purged by the beauty of God, the heart opened to the love of God, and the will devoted to the purpose of God. We thus become more like the God we serve. The church is grouped for strength. In study of what keeps POWs strong, and how captors best break their spirit, researchers learned that prisoners do not break down from physical deprivation or torture as quickly as they did from solitary confinement, frequent moves, and separation from friends.
Strength comes from close attachments.
This gives insight into why Christians need the group experience of fellowship with other believers to remain loyal to God. Our own personal relationship with God, vital as it is, is not sufficient to produce spiritual maturity and endurance. Relationships with a unified, spirit-filled body of believer are essential for growth and maintaining individual faithfulness. The early church was faithful. Faithfulness means relationships, success, productivity, risk taking.