This post is all about church.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church. For we are members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.” Ephesians 5:25-27, 29-30 NKJV
Church is one of the most powerful yet highly debated topics in the Christian community. A lot of us has had some form of poor experience with leaders or members of the churches today, and many of us have decided to rule out the need to go to church entirely. “I can serve God on my own”, “I have church in my heart”, “I worship and pray better at home”, are among some of the top responses to why many do not go to church on a regular basis.
Here we will deep dive into the true meaning of the Church, why it was established, and if it still has purpose today.
What is the purpose of the Church?
1. To be in the presence of God
“And it came to pass when the priests came out of the Most Holy Place…the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the Lord…and praised the Lord, saying: “For He is good, For His mercy endures forever,” that the house, the house of the Lord, was filled with a cloud, so that the priests could not continue ministering because of the cloud; for the glory of the Lord filled the house of God.” II Chronicles 5:11, 13-14 NKJV
Since the Old Testament, God has found pleasure in dwelling in a distinct, set apart building that is specialized for Him and his glory. Before Jesus came, the people of God worshipped and sacrificed to God in temples, and oftentimes to show God’s power and glory, he would inhabit the temple and allow the people to feel his powerful presence. When Jesus came, he instructed the disciples to go and build churches among the nations. The Churches were established all around the world for God’s people to destinate a special place to go to reverence and honor Him.
We can see this in Acts, when the people of God were on one accord, in one mind, in one place, God flooded the room with his glory, and imparted unto them the Holy Ghost. This is not a coincidence that it happened in the House of God. God chooses to dwell in holy and set apart places, places where he can routinely abide and where his people gather with one purpose and that is to meet him there.
2. To be around the family of God
“Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.” I Corinthians 12:27-28 NKJV
The next rebuttal that is often given against attending church is “I can serve God on my own.” Biblically, that is not supported. We need other men and women of God to uplift us and encourage us on our walk with God. This Christian life is not easy, and we are not meant to go it alone. Whoever we surround ourselves with has a great amount of influence on our lives. If our community is not full of supportive and God-loving people who chase after God’s heart, then we are more likely to succumb under temptation or discouragement or simply neglect the growth that is required of us from God.
Paul described us as the body of Christ. We are all members of each other and need each other’s gifts and words of edification to strengthen our souls. It can get really lonely and hard without being around God’s people, and if we are not careful, slowly, day by day, we lose our passion and vigor for God’s word and for being in God’s presence. This is why we must continually attend a place where our hearts and souls are being consistently fed with God’s word from His people, and around people who are worshipping and calling God’s presence down from heaven.
The Bible also mentions that if any of us are sick, we should go to the church to be prayed for. If we need someone to intercede on our behalf, and pray, going to the family of God is the best solution.
3. To hear God’s Word
”And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ…speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.“ Ephesians 4:11-16 NKJV
In the Bible, it speaks of specific men and women being ordained to hold roles and offices in the church. These duties are to support the church in order for everyone to grow and be organized in an efficient way. One of the roles is a preacher. This office is for those who have received the gift from God and has the ability to understand the scriptures and explain them in a powerful way to an audience. Reading the word on our own may only give us a limited perspective. When we go to church and hear others speak about God in a new light, it can give us further insight and meaning than we would have ever discovered on our own before.
4. To Serve in His Kingdom
“One thing I have desired of the Lord, That will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.” Psalms 27:4 NKJV
Before I mentioned how much the church does for us, but I would be doing a disservice if I do not mention what we are called to do for the church. You see, church is not just a place we go to take from. We must give to the church as well. We are called, all throughout scripture, to be active members of the church. Each and every one of us are called to use our gifts that God has given us and uplift each other. If we need another brother or sister in our walk with Christ, that must mean they need us too. We must go to church to help others on their Christian journey. You are important too.
If you neglect to go to church, someone is missing out on the God-given gift that you have. The Bible says we are all given gifts. You may not know it yet, but what you have inside of you, someone else needs. We are called to serve in his ministry, not just lone bystanders of it unfolding. If there needs to be a change in churches today, we are the ones to do it.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I hope you understand that church is very important to God and should be very important to us. I know sometimes it can be very difficult to find a good church with supportive members but pray about it. It is so important to your walk with Christ. We need the body of Christ to help us grow and become closer to God. We cannot do that on our own.
This post was all about the importance of the church.
