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Jun 03, 2023 06:00am

Choose Church

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To church or not to church, maybe that is a question you have wrestled with, I know I have. Does online church count? How often do I have to go? Do I need to go to the same one each time?
Maybe you have come to a place where you think, “I love Jesus but I’m not sure about the local church”. You may have some valid reasons for your feelings, or you may just have excuses.

Here are a few I hear often:
The church is full of hypocrites. Yes, it is. We are a gathering of broken people that still have a pull toward our sinful nature. We mess up; we fall short; we don’t always treat people like we should. It would be like going to a gym and complaining that it was full of out of shape people trying to do better. I am one of the hypocrites, and I need community to help me walk with Jesus.

I had a bad experience at church. We all have. I have also had a bad experience at a Mexican restaurant, but I love tacos, so I go back. The local churches in your community have likely done a whole lot of good.

I can hear better sermons online. Absolutely, there is great content online from incredible communicators. Your involvement in a local church is more relational than informational.

The church only cares about money. The truth is money helps the local church do ministry. God doesn’t need your money near as much as you need to be generous.

The word ‘church’ in the New Testament is translated from the Greek word ‘ekklesia’ which comes from two words ‘ek’ meaning ‘out’ and ‘kaleo’ meaning ‘to call.’ It is mostly used in the New Testament to refer to a local assembly or a local church. However, in its first and one of the most powerful uses, it does refer to the global church. In Matthew 16:18 it says, “And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” God is building a church, not a church building or a church program, or a denomination that the gates of hell cannot overcome. This is what a strong global church will look like. It will happen by having local congregations that are alive, full of the Holy Spirit, and have a passion to serve and love the lost while caring for the found.

The local church doesn’t need you or me. I have a deep need for the local church. I, like many of you, have gone through times and seasons of my life when I didn’t like the church. I would fall into the category of someone that loved Jesus but hated church. “Hated church,” that sounds harsh. The church is after all called the Bride of Christ. I have a bride. If you told me that you really liked me, but hated my wife, I don’t think we would be friends. I wonder how Jesus feels about people that love him, but hate his bride, the church? The truth is that I have a deep need for a group of people to live life with, to laugh, cry, question, serve, help, and encourage along the way. You need that too. The local church is full of people that are not perfect. As a matter of fact, the earthly leaders of that church are not perfect either. Church is messy, because it is full of messy people. It functions as a large and often complicated family. And out of the mess sometimes we see the beauty that is found only in Christ.

What can you do? I am glad that you asked. First, invest your life in a local body of believers (a church). Be there, I mean all there. Show up regularly. Get involved in the lives of the people. Realize that the church is not always going to meet every need that you have, and that the church is not made up of just people who look and act like you. The church is old people, grumpy people, sinful people, and cool people, that is why it is the body of Christ. Secondly, give. Give of your time to serve others, give of your talents to building up the body of Christ, and give of your treasure, and by this yes, I mean your money (Don’t hate me, it was Jesus idea). Third, serve the local church. Come on, by now you know that your life and your faith is not just about what you can get, it is about what you can give. And please pray for your local church and the staff that serve there. Prayer matters.

I encourage you and challenge you to invest in the local church. Listen to great sermons online if you want, but don’t let that take the place of the local church you are called to be a part of and the local pastor you can serve alongside. No one should be able to serve your unique local community like the local church. You need it, and for the kingdom to advance on a global level we need strong local churches. I choose church, one that is built on Christ, and the gates of Hell will not overcome it.
See you Sunday!