BOOK REVIEW: Church matters! Here’s why …

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Some of the biggest bashers of the church are church leaders who set themselves up as the culturally cool, spiritual hipsters of our day. They take sport in constantly haranguing the church for its faults without realizing who they are really throwing rocks at.

Who would that be?

The “bride of Christ.”

That’s one description scripture gives of what the church really is, and the further we delve into the Bible to study the church, we learn that the church matters — dramatically so! — to Jesus, and so it should also to those who identify themselves as Christ’s followers.

“Why Church Matters,” written by Joshua Harris and published by Multnomah Books, is a basic, biblically solid, unimposing but direct look at why church really does matter to Christians and to the world, and how it is far more than what many today make it out to be.

In just 119 pages, Harris unfolds in his easy-to-read style plain biblical truths about the church, starting by getting our attention with highlighting the value God Himself places on the church. Harris writes, “The preacher taught from the book of Ephesians. He showed that the church was actually God’s idea — not some plan or program invented by humans. In fact, the church is the only institution God promised to sustain forever.”

Harris does more than expound on a theological defense for the church, but walks the reader through why being a connected part of the church matters to every believer, how to look for a church, and how to re-value gathering as the church every Sunday.

This is a good read for those who want a refresher in why church really does matter; for new believers who are learning what the church is all about; and for those who have strayed from a biblical view of the church. “Why Church Matters” could also be used as a good tool for a small group study about the church, and the book includes a four-week discussion guide.

With the start of a new year, I encourage Christians to pick up this quick read and start out 2012 with a fresh insight into why the church matters to God, and why (and how) it should matter to us.

Scotty

I received this book free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group as part of their book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”