Why do we go to church?  The Bible teaches us to meet together to encourage each other (Hebrews 10:25), but is it simply a social gathering to get together with friends and do nice things?  No, it’s much more than that.  It’s meant to be a place we can go to get what we need to live the Christian life God has called us to.  It is not just a Sunday meeting but the corporate body of believers gathering together to teach, learn, worship, and grow in faith so that we can put that faith into action.  And God appoints certain men and women to provide what we need in order to be successful:

Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-12 NLT)

This allows us to fulfill the Great Commission...

And then he [Jesus] told them, "Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone. ... These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages. They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won't hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed." (Mark 16:15, 17-18 NLT)

In this passage and others, the New Testament makes it clear that God wants to do miracles through His people. And it takes more than a weekly social event to make that possible!  Supernatural healing and spiritual intervention in our lives cannot be achieved through any amount of effort or human activity.  It requires that we be connected to God Himself. 

We are not called to come to church just to enjoy ourselves but to come and get power to lay hands on people… God wants Christians that will walk in His authority and power. (excerpt from Getting Understanding pt. 1 by Dr. Chester C. Pipkin)

When we understand this, worship services and Bible studies become so much more than pleasant social functions; they are essential components of the Christian walk, necessary to equip us for the supernatural life we are called to live.