We Need the Church

Over the past few weeks I have been thinking about how important the church is and how crucial it is that all Christians attend, and have fellowship at, a local church(or body of believers) regularly. The fact of the matter is, we need to be part of a local fellowship of believers. Jesus, and the New Testament writers, never left the option of being lone range Christians open to us. In Hebrews 10:24-25 Paul exhorts believers to not forsake the assembly; “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” In fact, much of the teaching found in the New Testament presupposes that Christians would be in regular fellowship with other Christians. 1 John 1:7 “But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another.” By having fellowship with other believers, we can help each other in times when we need support: Galatians 6:2 “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.” One of the most important aspects of attending and being part of a local church is the spiritual growth we will benefit from. As theologian A.W Tozer said: "The Christian is strong or weak depending upon how closely he has cultivated the knowledge of God.” As we can see it is very important for us to be part of a group of believers who meet regularly and be in a church where we can receive the spiritual nourishment we need. In addition to spiritual nourishment, there are times when we all are in need of correction and by being part of a church with biblical leadership, issues can be handled in a scriptural manner. When we isolate ourselves from the church we open ourselves up to other doctrines and essentially become our own teachers. As theologian Leland Ryken says in his book The Communion of Saints; Christians who do not fellowship in a local body, “reserve the right to pick and choose their doctrine, lifestyle, and ministry. In effect they become their own elders denying the authority of the church to carry out its mandate of gathering and perfecting the saints.” While we should never subject ourselves to legalism, we should be in a church where we can be corrected when we are at fault in some way.

In conclusion, it is of the utmost importance that we be part of a local body of believers and not become lone range Christians- From what the Bible says about this, I believe this is a sin. In Romans 12 the Apostle Paul encourages Christians to exercise their individual gifts within the context of the church. This excercising of gifts will come in different forms unique to the individual.
I trust you are in a church that allows you to exercise your God given gifts and, if you are not, I hope and pray that God will lead you to a church where you can find your special place in His kingdom.