Church… There is no substitute

There is something about the church.  Something special.  In Matthew 18, Jesus Himself said wherever two or more are gathered in His name, He will be there with us.  Think about it!!

The church brings so much more value into the lives of its family than one could imagine.  We celebrate each other’s victories.  We shoulder each other’s burdens.  We hold each other accountable.  We strive together for a deeper understanding of the Word of God.  We band together to work as one body in this world, achieving far more as one body than we would ever achieve as individuals.  There really is no substitute.

Over the years, I have heard many points of debate about the church and a Christian’s need to be part of it.  “I can worship God on a softball field (or from a boat or a deer stand).”  Yes, certainly you can worship God from anywhere.  But the church is NOT ONLY ABOUT WORSHIP!!

“My children attend a Christian school.  They are getting plenty of Bible education.”  (By the way, I attended a Christian school.  And used that excuse, too.)  If the church were ONLY about EDUCATION, that might work.  But it is not!

“I am involved in a community Bible study.”  That is AWESOME!!  WONDERFUL!!  Discipleship is definitely a HUGE need within the church.  But, the church is not only about discipleship.

I would ask “Where do you practice stewardship?  Where do you engage in ministry?  How do you pour into the lives of the next generation?”  In other words, you need to find a church family.  And be true to that family, wherever it might be!!

And, in all honesty, when we spread ourselves across the community and attempt to replace the church with different activities, 99% of the time we are trying to AVOID ACCOUNTABILITY.  Because NO ONE likes to be held accountable.  But a huge role the church plays in the lives of its family is accountability.  If you walk away from accountability, you will eventually walk away from the family of God.  (I’ve seen that happen, pretty much 99 times out of 100.)

There really is no substitute for engaging in a church family.