More and more I hear people say (and see people
attempt to live out) the statement "I believe in God and I believe in
Jesus but I don't feel I need to go to church". I have a hard time saying
to somebody who has come to such a decision that "you need to go to
church". There is so much complexity to a statement like that and it can
be taken in ways it is not meant to be. Some of the arguments people use about
not attending church includes:
They just want my money
I find it boring
I don't have the time
I don't believe what they believe
Someone from church did something to hurt/offend me
If any of these reasons strike at you as why you
don't attend church then I can only suggest you talk to someone you view as a
true follower of Jesus about it so that they can help you talk through these
feelings.
I want to talk about why you SHOULD attend a
church. First of all let's define what I am calling church.
I'm not talking about the building. I am talking
about a group of believers in Jesus Christ that meet regularly inside that
building. You may have heard the saying “standing in a church doesn't make you
a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car”. The important
part is making a connection to the BODY of Christ, not being in the building
once a week.
In 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 Paul talks to the church
using the metaphor of a body. Every person is meant to be a part of the body of
Christ whether they are a hand, foot, knee, finger, ear, etc. Paul describes
how every part of the body serves a purpose and each part helps to serve the
body as a whole in some way.
I would like to take this metaphor one step
further. The body needs parts to survive and to function properly. However,
some parts can be removed without causing death to the body. If your finger is
cut off you would most likely survive. People lose limbs and continue to live
relatively normal lives. Perhaps the power that Jesus has given the church is
severely hampered due to the fact that missing parts have caused the body to
not be able to function at the best of its ability. Regardless, the body
survives and pushes onward with what is available.
Here is the scary part. Yes, the body can survive
without all parts intact. But what happens to the parts that become
disconnected from the body? They are no longer attached the source of life!
Without the body, none of these parts can survive! They may be preserved for a
short period of time in which they are still able to be reattached to the body
but ultimately they will die. These dead pieces of flesh are ultimately sent to
be incinerated. No, I'm not saying you need to go to church or you will
physically die. I am talking about a spiritual death. A disconnection from God
will spiritually starve you to death.
So here is my cry. YOU need to be connected to the
body! If you were at one point part of the body and have somehow been cut off or
separated from it there is still time. As long as there is breath in your lungs
you are a part preserved to be reattached.
If you have never been a part of the
"body" you should know that the body is continually growing and reproducing.
As long as there is breath in your lungs it is not too late to be reborn into
the body of Christ. In John 3:3-7, Jesus talks of what it means to be
"born again". It is a spiritual birth into a spiritual body.
My hope and prayer is that each and every one finds
faith in Jesus Christ and connects to this body. A whole, healthy and intact
body is a beautiful and powerful thing!
