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| The First African Baptist Church, Savannah, GA |
Many Christians are disillusioned with church.
Perhaps they've been hurt, neglected, or disappointed. They see its shortcomings and failures and wonder if they'd be better off without it. After all, in this world of cyber everything, we can read devotions on an E-reader, watch a service on our televisions, and participate in online Bible study without ever leaving our homes.
Why bother then, to go to church?
Here are 5 Reasons to Go to Church:
1. Christ loved the church and gave himself for it (Eph. 5:25). Christ didn't love the Internet, parachurch organizations, or social clubs. He loved the church. He loved the church.
He loved the church. So much that He died for it. That's reason enough if you ask me.
2. God instituted the church (Mat. 16:18). In the days following the ascension of Jesus Christ, God birthed the New Testament church. Through salvation, He initiated Christians into a universal church, but he also began to place Christians in local churches. The book of Acts is a glorious testimony of how He sent disciples everywhere to establish groups of believers, complete with leadership and governments.
3. We need the church (Acts. 12:5, Heb. 10:24-25). We need each other to encourage us toward spiritual maturity, hold us accountable, pray for us, and help in our time of need. If you've ever experienced the love of a local church during a time of sickness or loss, you know there is no greater expression of God's care on earth than that of a body of believers rallying around.
4. The church needs us (1 Cor. 12:28). Although God could do all His work on earth by Himself, He chooses to let us be part of it. By serving others through a local church, we get to participate in the work He's doing in the world. It is a spiritual oxymoron--that we gain much more than we give when we give it to God. As we spend our time, money, and energy serving others through the local church, God blesses us in ways we could never imagine. Best of all, we become the hands and feet of Jesus.
5. We get to shine for Jesus. During a recent power outage, I stumbled around in the inky blackness with only the faint glow of my cell phone to light my path. Finding the stash of half-burned candles left over from Christmases past, I stuck several of them in candle holders, lit them, and propped a mirror behind them to reflect their light. The resulting glow lit the entire room and shone out through the window. My husband, coming in from the front yard, said it was the only light shining in the neighborhood.
When I try to be a spiritual Lone Ranger, my impact is equivalent to the faint glow of my cell phone. On a good day, with limited contacts, resources, and money, I can influence a few people in the name of Christ. But when I stand with my brothers and sisters in my local church, our lights, reflected by Jesus Christ our Savior, shine brightly into a dark world.
"Let your light so shine that they may see your good works and glorify your Father, which is in Heaven" (Mat. 5:16).
If you've been disappointed, hurt, or disillusioned by the church, I encourage you to give it another try. Don't go looking for the perfect church, go looking for our perfect Savior. If you keep your eyes on Him, the other things won't seem to matter as much. Perhaps God will even use you to be a part of the solution, reflecting His love through you to the people who need His presence most.
The church = an imperfect group of sinners centered around a perfect Savior.
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• Is my situation hopeless?
• If God already knows what he’s going to do, why bother to pray?
• Why have you allowed this to happen to me?
• No one appreciates what I do. Why shouldn’t I quit?
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