The Case For Church; church 2

I have been mulling around several different topics to address on this subject; what is church, what does it mean to be part of a church, how should a healthy church function, God’s power and reality in the church, etc, all of which I intend to get to.

But I wanted to begin by cutting to the chase, I want to make the case for the Church.

Why should Christians be part of a church, and give themselves to that form of the work of God?

It was a given, at one point, in my own experience of being converted in the 1970’s, that a Christian goes to church. They give themselves to God, there, by being a functioning member of a local body of believers. We knew that and never questioned it, as far back as I remember.

Such is not the case currently. A lot has changed since those days, ( including the churches, something I will address also in this series).

Why should a Christian become a member and participate in a Church?

*Christianity is not meant to be personal and hyper individualistic- Jesus taught us to pray this way, “Our Father, who art in Heaven…”, not “My Father…”. Jesus assumes the church would be the context where the Christian life would be lived out. It is still not good for man to be alone. We need each other, in our discipleship, in worship, in our growth in the knowledge of God, Christianity is public, not private. There is no such thing as a “personal relationship with God” in the sense of one living an entirely solitary Christian life with no reference to others.

* Jesus ordained the Church- The Church was a mystery, hidden in the counsels of Godfrom eternity, but revealed in the Last days by the coming and teaching of Jesus. “I will build my church and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it”, saith the LORD, and therein is the current program of God. Jesus revealed the church, and He is the builder and finisher of it.

* The Church is where Discipleship takes place- God is calling men and women out of this world, to follow Jesus and to become part of His Kingdom.  Who is responsible for the instruction and training of these converts? The Apostle Paul reveals that upon the ascension of Jesus, He “Led captivity captive and gave gifts to men…”,

He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;

For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:(Ephesians 4:10-13)

It has been through these God given giftings, we are taught, encouraged, exhorted, comforted , and perfected for ministry.

* The Church is to be where the Love of God is on display– All Christians are commanded to love. We are to love everybody whom God has put into our lives. But not everybody is going to allow us to love them, in a visible, meaningful way. The World, for example will not let us love them. But the church is the place where we learn to love, and where the Love of God is put on display. This is the teaching of both Jesus and the Apostle John,

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.

 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. ( John 13:34-35)

 No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.( I John 4:12)

Notice what the LORD says, that outsiders will know we are followers of Jesus by the love that they see. Notice what John says, that unbelievers cannot see God, but if they see our love, they will ‘see’ God dwelling in us. 

There are many bitter and cynical about church, because of some kind of a rotten experience of lovelessness in those professing to be Christian. But those experiences cannot nullify this point. Personally I have had bad and good experiences in my forty years in church, but I cannot deny the overwhelming and constant experience of love, in the name of Jesus from Christians across the world.

I have been loved, given to, sustained, encouraged, edified and had my feet washed by people who I didn’t even know until I met them, because of Jesus. The Church is amazing, the love in it is a treasure.

I recently heard the testimony of a  man who happened to have lived in Hollywood, whose whole adult life revolved around the “gay” lifestyle. He ran into a couple of Christians, and to make a long story short, he listened to them, and believed in the gospel and was saved. Because of the propaganda he had imbibed upon for so many years, He was afraid to come to church, because he had heard how ‘hateful’ they were to homosexuals. He said He was shocked went he went to church, at the loving and caring reception He received from those whom He had once disdained and considered to be enemies. There is Love in the Church.

* The Church is where the Holy Spirit flourishes-  The Holy Spirit, being God, is everywhere. Having said that, the Church is said to be built up as a Holy Temple, and is called “The Habitation of God” in the Holy Spirit. 

In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.( Ephesians 2:21-22)

The Church, (ie redeemed people) is a Holy Temple, and is where the Spirit of God flourishes. Every time we gather in the Assembly, we encounter the Holy Spirit of God . To deny yourself participation in the Church is to put yourself out, away from the Spirit.

* Jesus warned us not to fall away from Assembling–

Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. ( Hebrews 10:23-25)

Assembling together is a command from our Lord, particularly as we see the Day of the LORD draw near. We need each other, for strength, mutual prayer, accountability.

* The Gifts of the Spirit are for the Church- The book of Hebrews tells us that the church has been given, “The Powers of the Age to Come”. We are the vanguard of the coming age of Messiah. Will there be healing and deliverance in the Millenium? The Church possesses within it the foretaste of those days. 

I bid my readers to not grow cynical about the church, Go there and let someone pray for you, for your healing, your family, your burdens and sorrows. Our God is the living God and is active in His true church. When I began my Christian life, I went to the services of the Church with a tremendous anticipation. Who knows what God will do in our midst? Who knows how He will answer, and speak, how He will touch us? We must prayerfully recover such a faith, for God is there , in the midst of us, in the least and littlest church!

* Others need us as well as we need them-Every believer has a unique measure of the Holy Spirit. There is no ‘clergy class’, only other believers. We must believe in the Priesthood of all believers, and look at church as a Koinonia, a complete giving and recieving. Too many bring a consumerist mindset into the church, “What can me and my family get out of this church?” , rather we should adopt the mindset, where can we serve your work Lord?  

The true Church needs people, but not just warm bodies to fill seats. What the church needs is people who Love the LORD and want to serve Him, and who will work together to further his righteous cause. 

*The Church is the Light- Jesus told us this in the sermon on the mount-“You are the Light of the world”. What does light do? It illuminates and it exposes. What does it mean to walk in the light, as He is in the Light?  

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. ( I John 1:5-7)

Fellowship with one another is only possible in the light. The only precondition for anyone to have fellowship with God himself, is not perfection, but merely the willingness to come into the Light. Light is the emblem of safety, purity, knowledge and even of the glory of God. I stay in church so that I can remain in the Light.