Introduction
If you are a Christian, and you don't belong to a church, a community of believers yet, here are eleven things you need to consider why you need to become part of a local church.
1.
Because you need the regular support and encouragement of Christian fellowship.
The Christian life is not designed to be lived in isolation, and those who try it that way are likely to crash! (See Hebrews 3:12,13, 10:25; Colossians 3:16.)
2.
Because fellowship provided by Christian friends is no substitute for belonging to a church.
You choose your friends because their ideas and style are similar to your own, God puts different people in a congregation so they can learn from each other. (See Titus 2:1-10.)
3.
Because gifts can only rightly be used by someone who is a member of a congregation.
The picture of a church as a body tells us that our various gifts complement each other-- just as a human body can't be all feet or all eyes! (See Romans 12:1-13; 1 Corinthians 12.)
Put simply, spiritual gifts are primarily intended to be shared with others, not just for the benefit of one person, and are rightly used to build up the church.
Put simply, spiritual gifts are primarily intended to be shared with others, not just for the benefit of one person, and are rightly used to build up the church.
4.
Because God’s design for us is to belong to a family, and not be alone.
The story of the Bible is that of God making, shaping and refining His people, beginning with Abraham. The lives of God's people that we find in the Bible like David, Isaiah, the disciples, and Paul have their meaning because they are part of God’s continuous community. (see Genesis 12:1-3; Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:11-21.)
5.
Because, without it, you are not fully able to honor God in your loving others.
Many think of Christianity as primarily a "personal relationship"-- a faith journey that a person embarks on. But seeing the Christian faith this way evades a basic element: discipleship. (see Mark 10:35-45; Ephesians 5:21.)
6.
Because you cannot understand the Bible in its full context unless you belong to a church.
Notice that most of the New Testament is addressed to churches. If you only read the Bible privately, then you will not be able to hear and understand God’s Word as intended. There is a large possibility that you ‘personalize’ its message, and so miss out of so many things that God intends. (See most of Paul’s letters.)
7.
Because maturity in faith & knowledge is fundamentally built up in the church.
The Bible clearly teaches that maturity and fullness of faith are discovered as a corporate experience of the Christian community. (See Ephesians 3:14-21; 4:13-16)
8.
Because sharing in Baptism & the Lord’s Supper is key to obedience to God.
We share in these ordinances because Christ told us to do so. They are not private rites that could be carried out alone, but corporate actions of the body of Christ. Sharing in them means belonging to a church. (See 1 Corinthians 10:16; 11:17-34; 12:13.)
9.
Because accountability is integral to Christianity.
Heading out alone could work in the short term, but eventually we err if we imagine that we do not need to be accountable to other fellow Christians. God’s provision of order, discipleship, and even authority in the church is actually His realistic way of helping us in the faith. (See Titus 1:5; Hebrews 13:17.)
10.
Because ministry teams, evangelism teams, and Christian societies are no substitute for churches.
Special groups and teams are more exciting than churches, because they attract people of similar aims, ideas and abilities. They do good work but are not the same as churches, because they are limited in membership and are task-oriented. Churches have to accept everyone, gifted or not, and so they more accurately reflect God’s free grace. (See Titus 3:1-7.)
11.
Because listening to sermons online is no substitute for receiving God’s words in the church you belong to.
We are called to grow to maturity in churches, not only as individuals. We need people to whom we are accountable for our hearing of God’s words. The sermon you need to hear next Sunday is from your church minister, who loves you and prays for you. You cannot assess the lifestyle of the online preacher, so you cannot assess their message. We present an edited version of ourselves online: it is people whom we meet who are better able to assess us and evaluate our lives. (See Hebrews 3:12,13; Acts 20:28; 2 Timothy 3:10,11)