“Who needs the church?”

“I have Jesus, I don’t need the church.” I have heard this said, and that hurts me. Jesus says in Matt.18, “I will build my Church.” Many people when you ask them why Jesus came to earth will answer, “to die on the cross.” And of course, that is true, but why did He have to die on the cross? To pay for our sin, to redeem us and then to build His Church. He died, rose again, went back to heaven and on the day of Pentecost sent His Holy Spirit, for what purpose? To build His Church. The whole book of Acts is about the building of the church. The start and growth of the church and churches. Nine of the N.T. epistles are written to local churches, three to church workers and most of the rest to church members, so how can one miss the church, or say, “I don’t need the church?”

The church is one of God’s instruments to mold and make us into the image of His Son. He puts all Christians, imperfect and broken people, together in the church as rough diamonds who need to be cut. And that cutting happens when we rub shoulders with each other. But when one slides two rough sides along each other, it gets warm, and sometimes so hot that people say, “I’m not going to church anymore,” and they stay home, not realizing that they are running away from God’s pruning process, too bad.

So if you are a true born again Christian, I hope you will be an active member of a local church and that you will take to heart the words of Hebrews 10:24-25, “And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” And that is certainly true now in our time.

One more thing, the church is Christ’s bride. How do you think Jesus feels when you turn away from, or have no respect for His bride?