Spiritual but no religious is increasingly common, but how realistic is this one might wonder. It could be said that such is just a meme, an excuse, a phase, or something in between. The idea of worshipping God without the Church or anywhere might be appealing and often at times refreshing. But let’s come back to the heart of the why worshipping together in Church matters. Because without you, the Church will be different – no matter all your flaws, doubts and misgivings, the Church is designed to include you.
It's inescapable reality that a body has many parts and if any part is missing or lacking then the whole body is impacted. God designed the Church to be like this, each person is part of the body in that we all contribute in our unique ways. We all bring different perspectives together under God’s authority and when we are short of even just 1 person, the Church doesn’t achieve its full potential.
God’s design for the Church is perfect and is fully reminiscent of the Trinity being the three in one. When Christians come together and work together as part of the Church, we are acting more like God himself. The church needs people with heart, people who can see, people with courage, people with a brain, people who are handy, and each person is loved dearly by God. Ultimately, the Church in coming together is a reflection of God’s unified character as one body with many members as the Apostle Paul teaches us through 1 Corinthians chapter 12.
We need you!
By becoming a Christian, you join with others who are part of the body of Christ – that is the Church. You may not agree on everything that other Christians do, but our fundamental beliefs are united and the same. There is no choice in not becoming not part of the body or excluding yourself from the Church, you made the choice to join when you gave your life to Christ.
When parts of the body try to run away, it is not possible and ultimately is to the detriment of the entire Church. Often, we will encounter trouble and perhaps even disunity among Christians, but we should be working hard not to be quartering the Church. Christians are called to be one with Christ and in doing so live in harmony among one another. We cannot be saying to each other that ‘you’re not needed’ and in turn no one can really say ‘I’m not needed’.
There is no backup plan or alternative body for Christians, we are all in this together. Not being part of the Church is more than just about an empty seat among the pews, but rather about how seriously we are trying to fulfil our calling to be what God has created us to be – that is ultimately in a relationship and being a part Him through the body of Christ.
Coming Together
For many both new and long-time Christians, the question of which local Church should I attend is a real and pressing concern. I do not profess to be an expert on the subject but through reading the Bible and learning from the teachings of Jesus, we see guidance for this decision-making process. And ultimately, one should not forget that the Church ultimately are different imperfect human beings on a shared mission together under God. The only perfect Church that will exist is when we are in the eternal rest of God when we experience eternal life as Christians after Jesus Christ’s second coming.
Some important questions to ask perhaps both literally and also in observance of a local church’s practice is whether God’s Word is at the centre of Church life, how I be serving here, and can I commit to this here?
The Church is a place where God’s Word being the Bible is read, taught, and ultimately leading people to act in response. We meet together as the Church to practice in such. It is critical that any local Church that claims to be part of the Christian body upholds the Bible as authoritative in all matters of life and faith.
The Church should be a place where we should feel called to serve and be present regularly, a place where we put others above ourselves as an act of worship. Coming and being part of a local Church shows commitment to the area, to this mission of God in this world and ultimately to join together as the body of Christ to be a blessing to others. There is no one size fits all and, in the quest, to find a local Church where you can relate best with, you may need to visit several local Churches for a few weeks or longer but ultimately when we seek first the kingdom of God through looking above to Him for guidance, we can rest assured that we will be sent to a place to serve Jesus and love others.
Roydon Ng is a Christian writer and Baptist seminary graduate from Western Sydney.
Soli Deo gloria.
Follow @RoydonNg on Twitter
Email: roydon@roydonng.com.au
Roydon’s previous articles are available at: https://www.christiantoday.com.au/by/roydon-ng