18 reasons why you need a church …

It’s been trendy for several years now for some to claim, “I love Jesus, but I hate the church.”

I think most people make such a comment out of biblical ignorance, not knowing just how serious a statement that is. It makes me want to echo Jesus’ words from the cross, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing” (Luke 23:34a).

It doesn’t take much effort to glean from the Bible there are many reasons why every Christian needs a church. Taking paper and pen, I jotted down an “off-the-top-of-my-head” list why every Christian needs a church, and came up with these 18 points:

1. You were reborn into it. Most people, at least in the Western world, are born in a hospital. Shortly thereafter you are taken home, a place where you are loved, cared for, nurtured, protected, taught, disciplined, and otherwise raised into adulthood. When you are reborn (see John 3:3), you are born again into the family of God. Shortly thereafter, you join a local church which is your spiritual home where your spiritual family gathers. It’s in the local church you are loved, cared for, nurtured in God’s Word, protected, taught, disciplined, and otherwise raised into spiritual maturity.

2. In the church, you experience the reality of who you are. “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession …” 1 Peter 2:9a and “Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God’s people …” 1 Peter 2:10a.

3. You’re an indispensable part of the church. “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other,” Romans 12:4-5.

“The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. Some of us are Jews, some are Gentiles, some are slaves, and some are free. But we have all been baptized into one body by one Spirit, and we all share the same Spirit. Yes, the body has many different parts, not just one part. If the foot says, ‘I am not a part of the body because I am not a hand,’ that does not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear says, ‘I am not part of the body because I am not an eye,’ would that make it any less a part of the body? If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if your whole body were an ear, how would you smell anything? But our bodies have many parts, and God has put each part just where he wants it. How strange a body would be if it had only one part! Yes, there are many parts, but only one body. The eye can never say to the hand, ‘I don’t need you.’ The head can’t say to the feet, ‘I don’t need you,'” 1 Corinthians 12:12-19.

4. Your engagement in the church is good for the health of the church, and your spiritual health. “He makes the whole body fit together perfectly. As each part does its own special work, it helps the other parts grow, so that the whole body is healthy and growing and full of love,” Ephesians 4:16.

5. You need a pastor. “Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit,” Hebrews 13:17.

“Dear brothers and sisters, honor those who are your leaders in the Lord’s work. They work hard among you and give you spiritual guidance. Show them great respect and wholehearted love because of their work. And live peacefully with each other,” 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13.

6. The church is where you’re discipled to maturity. We’re commanded by Jesus to teach every new disciple, “Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you …” Matthew 28:20. This process of discipleship, from baby Christian to mature Christian, is done in the church.

“This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. Then we will no longer be immature like children. We won’t be tossed and blown about by every wind of new teaching. We will not be influenced when people try to trick us with lies so clever they sound like the truth. Instead, we will speak the truth in love, growing in every way more and more like Christ, who is the head of his body, the church,” Ephesians 4:13-15.

7. The church is where you’re equipped for ministry. “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ,” Ephesians 4:11-12.

8. You have at least one spiritual gift given to you by God specifically for using in the church. “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other,” 1 Corinthians 12:7.

“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another,” 1 Peter 4:10.

9. Scripture bluntly tells us NOT to forsake gathering with the church. “And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near,” Hebrews 10:25.

10. You’re commanded to love your brothers and sisters in Christ. “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples,” John 13:34-35.

“This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you,” John 15:12.

“Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude,” 1 Peter 3:8.

“And this is his commandment: We must believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us,” 1 John 3:23.

“If someone says, ‘I love God,’ but hates a fellow believer, that person is a liar; for if we don’t love people we can see, how can we love God, whom we cannot see? And he has given us this command: Those who love God must also love their fellow believers,” 1 John 4:20-21.

11. God works through His church and you have been appointed an ambassador in God’s work. “Jesus came and told his disciples, ‘I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:18-19.

“And all of this is a gift from God, who brought us back to himself through Christ. And God has given us this task of reconciling people to him. For God was in Christ, reconciling the world to himself, no longer counting people’s sins against them. And he gave us this wonderful message of reconciliation. So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, ‘Come back to God!'” 2 Corinthians 5:18-20.

12. You need a church so you can bear each other’s burdens. “Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ,” Galatians 6:2.

“Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone — especially to those in the family of faith,” Galatians 6:10.

13. You need a church to give and receive encouragement. “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing,” 1 Thessalonians 5:11.

“Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy. Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone,” 1 Thessalonians 5:14.

“Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works,” Hebrews 10:24.

14. You need a church to help you guard against sin. “Be careful then, dear brothers and sisters. Make sure that your own hearts are not evil and unbelieving, turning you away from the living God. You must warn each other every day, while it is still ‘today,’ so that none of you will be deceived by sin and hardened against God,” Hebrews 3:12-13.

15. It is basic Christian obedience to share in baptism and the Lord’s Supper. “Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,” Matthew 28:19.

“All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer,” Acts 2:42.

16. You need the church to worship together. “Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts,” Colossians 3:16.

“And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near,” Hebrews 10:25.

“Since we are receiving a Kingdom that is unshakable, let us be thankful and please God by worshiping him with holy fear and awe,” Hebrews 12:28.

17. You need a church to enjoy fellowship with other Christians. “All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer,” Acts 2:42.

“But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each other, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin,” 1 John 1:7.

18. New Testament Christianity in scripture is addressed to the church, not individuals. “Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other,” Romans 12:4-5.

There’s more that an be added to this list, and I’m sure YOU can probably think of other reasons why you need a church — so add to the list!

Scotty