Do I Need Church?

 

    If you have true salvation, then you need church.  If you do not have salvation, then you need Jesus.  Once you find him, then you need church.  Church is where believers come together to work for God's glory, have fellowship, and bonded relationships to help each other through the hard times.  The difference between church and the world is that you draw your strength from the true source of power: God.

    Church is where you will go to worship God or to watch.  If you are a watcher, then you are just waiting to judge and accuse.  You may think you are doing good, but you are tearing apart the church from the inside.  The church faces enough from the world, we should be able to feel safe in church.  Now if it is something that truly requires church discipline, then that is something different all together.  I am talking about the gossip, nit picky ways of doing things, and other decisive traits that are just unnecessary.

    Jesus grieves over the hard heart.  A hard heart turns what is good into evil.  All the evil around them callouses up their heart where they can't see the harm that they are doing.  That is why we need to take a good look at our own life and pray that the Holy Spirit reveals our sins to us.  That way we can work on our own evil ways instead of focusing on other people.  Choosing to look at other people as the problem instead of facing your issues reveals hate in your heart.  It is called self-righteousness and it will get you no where in life.

    No one can tell you that you need church.  You have to come to that conclusion for yourself.  If there is someone you don't like at church, then pray over them and your perspective of them.  Church has several people, so reach out to the people that the Holy Spirit  leads you toward.  If you allow the Holy Spirit to work in you, then you can see the flaws in church but not to the point that it will drive you out of church.

    Rejecting church over certain hurtful experiences reveals a heart problem in you.  We are all hurt by people.  It may hurt more when it is in the church, but they are just people dealing with their own sin issues just like you.  Instead of rejecting church, look to Jesus to find healing in your soul and heart.

    It is important to find the right church.  Trust the Holy Spirit and He will lead you.  Look for a church that is Biblically sound, upholds church discipline, and focuses on the mission that Jesus laid out for all followers.  You will find healing as you step out in faith and being obedient.  

    When you are going through the healing process it is hard because you have to face what you want to run away from.  You have to ask yourself some hard questions like what are you struggling with and why?  Remember that you are not facing this alone.  Put your faith in Jesus and trust the Holy Spirit to guide you through the pain to healing.  If you can't do this, then you will never find it because you are refusing to be obedient to God.

Mark 3:1-6, Luke 6:6-11, Ephesians 1:19-23, & Colossians 3:16-17