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"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."
(Hebrews 10:25)
If a person can live a good Christian life alone, apart from the church, then why did Jesus establish the church? Matthew 16:18 Jesus told Peter that He would build His church: "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it." Upon this foundation, the truth that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and Savior of the world, He built His church. The church was not built on a human being, like Peter, but on Christ Himself. It is His doing, His idea, His passion, and His will for everyone who knows Him.
The church is a big deal! It continues to flourish because it is His church! Many denominations, true, but that is not the real issue. We must find a church that teaches the Word of God. He works through us as His people, the church. There is what I call "the Big-C Church" and "the little-c church". Stanley breaks it down this way: there is the large corporate body all over the world, and there is the local church. Why is there so much emphasis on this in the Bible if we do not need it? Why are there so many epistles written to local assemblies if the church is irrelevant today? Because we do need the church! The Christian life is all about our relationship with Jesus and our relationship with others. Every believer is expected to be a part of a church body. To think you can live a godly life without a local church is to make a big mistake.
True, the church is divided, and there are no perfect people or churches, but it is still God's idea and design for you to belong to a group of people with whom you can relate. It is His will that you meet with other Christians so you can hear the Bible taught so you get the strength and help you need to live the life God intends for you to live. Just as a car cannot travel with no gas or an electrical charge, we are unable to go far with the Lord and do things in His name without the church.
Why did God say to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together? It is His will that we meet, and it is for our everlasting good. Each time you show up to church, you are making a huge statement that you believe in Jesus and His way. One of my friends put it this way: "The local church is the hope of the world." I totally agree. The Lord desires us to assemble together, hear His Word proclaimed, sing His praises, build one another up, and go with power to a hurting world that needs Him.
The church protects us from being pulled away from the Lord. When people are church members and decide to stop coming to church, before long, you find they drifted away, not only from church, but also from God. We need one another. If you have no church, you really need one. Over 25 times, Paul shares about our relationships with each other. We read commands like love one another, build up, comfort, prefer, forgive, accept, encourage, serve, be patient, be kind, devoted, admonish each other, and fellowship with one another. Church is all about relationships. The Lone Ranger idea is not a biblical idea. We each have the responsibility to assemble with other believers to be instructed and encouraged so we can carry out the work He has for us to do.
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