Church

The subject of Church is a very sensitive one, so let me preface this thought by saying that I only wish to encourage, nothing more - nothing less. And I do realize as well, that many are not physically able to be a part of a local church, which includes the caregivers, who sacrifice themselves for those that are bedfast or handicapped. Also, this thought is only relevant to those that believe the Gospel. Those that oppose the Gospel oppose the Church, and will probably stop reading at this point anyway. One more thing, We all know that all churches are not created equal, so I’m speaking in generalities here.

So why are there so many people that confess to be Christian not going to church? I believe that is a fair question. We live in what is called the Bible Belt in this country, yet we pass house after house on our way to church every Sunday, and see people that don’t seem too interested in church. Why is that? And if you ask them if they are Christian, most would reply, “yes”.

I may be wrong here, but I believe many people have given up on the Church, for many reasons I can understand, but for no reason ever good enough. Many have been hurt at church (I know a lot of them), I’ve even been hurt myself. When someone says something hurtful, especially at Church, it’s a bad thing. Many give up because the life they hoped to find there just wasn’t what they actually found. On the other hand, many just don’t think it’s a necessary part of Christian life. There are more justifications for not going that seem appropriate, but consider this?

Christ died for the Church. We have been created to worship, and our hearts long to be caught up into something bigger and grander than ourselves. The Church is where we do that. The Church is where we worship God collectively as a community. It’s how community comes together. It’s a place the community can agree on one central truth, the Gospel of Christ. Following Christ has to include Church. This is a command given to us from Christ Himself. We cannot grow in our spirit and in our life and ignore that command. Yes, we do have many problems in the Church, but God uses the Church in spite of the problems. God has a way of using imperfect man and using an imperfect church to bring about His perfect will. God is a master at making bad things good, and He uses us to do it.

God calls us to serve, not be served. The Church is where we serve God, serve our community, and serve one another. If we abandon the Church it will impact more than just us, it will impact the generations that follow. We are just a generation away from becoming a pagan country. All we need do is to watch the World News on TV to see the result of becoming a Godless nation. We can’t abandon the church, if we do, we abandon our own children. We have a responsibility to our children and our grandchildren to leave the church healthy and well. Jesus wants us to have a life of meaning and purpose, and the Church is part of that purpose. God ordained it so. Below is a statement that Paul wrote to the Ephesian church almost 2000 years ago, please prayerfully consider these words…….

“His intent (speaking of Christ) was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known” Eph.3:10 (emphasis is mine). It is our responsibility to be a part of a local church that is making the “wisdom of God” known to a world that, it seems, is determined to kill itself. People need to hear the “wisdom of God”, and the church was ordained to be the center of that plea.

Lord, May we never grow so “holy,” may we never be so “mature,” that we forget how important it is to come together as believers and worship you, in Christ name we pray, amen.