YOU CANNOT LOVE JESUS CHRIST AND DESPISE HIS BRIDE, THE CHURCH

Hebrews 10: 24-25, "And let us consider how we may spur one another on towards love and good deeds. Let us not give up on meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing. But let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the day approaching." 

This past Sunday Neil Silverberg, one of the pastors at the church I am a member of preached on the importance of being a committed part of the church of Jesus Christ. There are many issues he hit on but I want to point out one or two. And hopefully provide a template to use in looking for a church home in the process.

Here are some reasons people give for not being part of a local church:

1. I don't need to be part of an organized church. Church to me is getting together with a couple of friends and discussing life and the bible at Starbucks. Often Matthew 18:20 is cited, "For where two or three come together in my name, there I am with them."

Answer: There's an old saying, "A text without a context is a pretext". It is true that Jesus is present when two or three come together, but the context of this passage is intercessory prayer. It is not describing the anatomy of a church gathering.

Here is a template to apply to the meeting at Starbucks, or any other gathering for that matter.

Ephesians 4: 11, "It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."

There are 5 ministries that God provides to build up his church:
1. Apostles
2. Prophets
3. Evangelists
4. Pastors
5. Teachers

So here are the questions:
Was your group founded on an apostolic foundation? Meaning was it planted and established with leaders and pastors appointed to care for the group?

Is there an evangelistic outreach to reach the lost?

Are you under the care of pastors and and benefiting by teachers who have been gifted by the Holy Spirit?

Do you have the prophetic word of God being spoken into your life in a relevant way?

I would dare say that the Tuesday morning coffee group does not provide any of this.

Another objection I have heard is, "I don't need the church. I don't need pastors and teachers because I have my Bible and that's enough.

Answer: This same Bible tells us that God has chosen to work through his church by special giftings and anointings, given to individuals for the building up of the members. In 2 Timothy 2:15 Paul exhorts his protege to show himself a workman who correctly handles the word of truth. If there is a correct way to handle the word of truth, then there is also an incorrect way to handle it. That is why God established a a 5-fold ministry. In addition, he gives different spiritual gifts to the individual members for the common good (2 Corinthians 12:7-11). If you are not actively a part of a local church congregation, you are not benefitting from the ministerial gifts which are provided by the Holy Spirit. You are not benefitting from spiritual gifts given to other believers, and others are not benefitting from gifts that you have been given.

The church isn't relevant.

Answer: That's a HUGE issue today. Pastor Neil cited some statistics about millenials leaving the visible church. The major reasons were lack of relevance and authenticity. "They have a dim view of church and religion but a hunger for transcendence". In response to young people leaving, many congregations are attempting to attract them by being "cool". That is actually making the problem worse because in our attempt to be "cool" we become even more phony. The answer to the call for relevance and transcendence is the very Gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the only message that offers true hope. The gospel is transcendent because it's final fulfillment is in the next life.

In almost every case I know of where a professing christian used to be a part of a local church and no longer sees the need, there has been deep hurt. I get it! I've been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. The problem with the legitimate body of Christ is that I am a part of it. I am an imperfect, broken sheep being carried in the arms of the good Shepherd. And so is everyone else. We all fall short and we get it wrong sometimes. Sadly, someone is bound to get hurt.
Also, there are a LOT of unhealthy  churches out there and even more entities passing themselves off as the church, which are no more the church of Jesus Christ than a cow is a monkey. Jesus said in Matthew 24:11 that there would be many false prophets, not just a few. Often these false churches have one or both of these characteristics:

1. Revolve around a personality -- usually a very charismatic individual who attracts people.
2. Incomplete and therefore misleading view of scripture -- 2 of the most common themes are the Prosperity Gospel (Jesus wants to fix your problems and give you a great life) or the Social Gospel (It's the job of the church to change the world). [Also, Universalism is very appealing because it basically says that there is no coming judgment.]
This is why it is so vitally important to have spirit-filled leadership that correctly handles the word of truth. It is also crucial to be as the Bereans in Acts 17:11 and "search the scriptures daily", to see if what the man in the pulpit is saying is true. You don't need to be a Bible scholar, just write down the references, look them up later and read them in their context. That will tell you a lot.

Now you may be asking; Where can I find such a church as you have described?
I will admit, they are few and far between, but they are out there. If you are truly seeking to be a part of the true body of believers God will provide. A healthy church won't necessarily have all 5 ministries in equal proportion. Often the apostolic may diminish once a congregation is well established, unless that congregation has a special calling to plant churches. There should be an evangelistic ministry toward preaching to the unsaved. But that will vary with different congregations. The pastoral, teaching and prophetic ministry are vital to the life of a congregation. Without it, the congregation is truly a flock of sheep without a shepherd. The wolves are going to have a field day.

I don't have a nice concise conclusion, so I'll just say I'm done. If you are still reading, thank you for bearing with  with me. Feel free to share this. If you have any comments or questions but don't want to leave them publicly, you can PM me.  I don't pretend to have any answers but but you never know what the Holy Spirit might do.
I pray God's richest blessings on all of you.