Why Church? Part 2
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And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of His return is drawing near. (Hebrews 10:25 NLT)
Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. (1 Peter 5:8 NLT)
So can't I just be a Christian and not go to church? Yes and no. God will not send His angels down to forcefully drag you to church. However, doing so is contrary to scripture. Luke 4:16 tells us it was Jesus' custom to be in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Hebrews 10:25 instructs us not to abandon the assembling of ourselves together. Acts 2:42 says that the believers continually devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching.
Okay, but come on now. What does it really hurt anyway? More than you can imagine. First of all, it hurts you. Have you ever watched a lioness attack a herd of gazelles? The hunter always goes for the one that separates from the pack. Why? They lack the support of the group and are therefore easy prey. In the same way, you and I have an enemy, the devil, who prowls about in search of disconnected Christians - easy prey.
Secondly, it hurts the Body of Christ. According to Romans 12, "In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us." I Corinthians 12 reminds us that every part of the Body needs every other part of the Body. If you are not in your rightful place, you are not fulfilling your function in the Body, and the whole Body of Christ suffers because of it.
Most importantly, it hurts Jesus. He has given pastors as gifts to His Body. His purpose was that we would be perfected and fully equipped to do God's work until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God's Son, [growing] into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ's fullness. (Ephesians 4:11-12). In Matthew 9, when Jesus saw the multitudes, He had sympathy for them because "they were bewildered (harassed and distressed and dejected and helpless), like sheep without a shepherd." Shepherdless sheep grieve Jesus' heart.
But what if my pastor is wrong? Do not gossip; pray. If there is doctrinal error, talk to him, if possible, or otherwise to an elder/deacon. If sin is involved, pray in all humility that God would work all things together for good for those concerned. If you do leave the church (and sometimes that is necessary), leave with integrity (don't seek to take everyone else with you), and start looking for another church right away. The longer you stay away the easier it becomes to find excuses not to go.
Father God, thank You for the wonderful gifts You have given to Your children through Jesus. I lift up every precious pastor who is serving you so faithfully. Strengthen and encourage their hearts today, Lord, and grant them the grace to walk in their calling. May their service be a delight both to them and to You. And Lord I pray for every shepherdless sheep. I pray that You would draw them by Your Spirit and heal the broken places so that the Body of Christ can be fitly joined together. By the authority of the name of Jesus, I call them into their rightful place, in Jesus' name. Amen
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