Why Belong to a Church?

Why Belong to a Church?

A church on Long Island made a survey of its neighborhood to find out what reasons people give for not going to church. Here are the reasons for not attending:

• 23% Want the day for themselves.
• 21% Unfriendly or insincere people.
• 19% Always asking for money.
• 15% Sermons not interesting.
• 9% Miscellaneous reasons.
• 5% Never receive spiritual help.
• 4% Minister moralizes too much.
• 4% Never invited.

Practically all these reasons are based on the premise that the church is merely a human organization for mutual benefit, and that any exertion or discomfort, either physical or mental, is a good reason for staying away.

1. THE CHURCH OF CHRIST (Part 1 of 3)

The results of this survey led to the question, Does the Lord have a church after all, or is the whole idea merely a human invention? Is the church a social club that a person may enjoy or ignore? One passage of Scripture will settle the question. Christ Himself said:

"Upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."—Matthew 16:18.

Christ founded His church; that makes it important. Sometimes we hear people say: "I can live a good Christian life outside the church, so I will not join any church. I have more freedom by just being a Christian on my own." The fact is, however, that Christ Jesus founded the church. If it were not important, if it were not the best place for us to be, then why did He found it?

When Jesus founded the church, He said that "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." And they have not prevailed against it — the Christian church is still here.

The enemies of Christ have tried to destroy His church by killing His followers; but the blood of the martyrs has been like seed — every time one was put to death, several others seemed to spring up. The church was persecuted, but out of the deserts and caves of the Dark Ages it emerged. Infidels tried to laugh it away, but it kept on growing and spread out into lands afar. Terrible apostasies seemed to write its doom, but it grew all the more.

Then came popularity and the favor of kings and emperors — and that was the greatest danger of all. Thousands fell away into a worldly life; fewer and fewer knew by experience what it meant to be a Christian.

But the church did not die. The Lord has always had a remnant of faithful ones who in the blackest hours shine brighter, as stars do in the darkest night.

God has made an appeal to those in a sinful world to come out and unite with His church.

"Wherefore COME OUT FROM AMONG THEM, and BE YE SEPARATE, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I WILL RECEIVE YOU."—2 Corinthians 6:17.

1. THE CHURCH OF CHRIST (Part 2 of 3)

"Come out from among them," is the call. The very word "church" comes from the Greek word ekklesia, which means "the called-out ones." Those who are called out from the world are called together to be God's people. God expects those who believe in Him not only to "separate" themselves from evil, but to unite in Him.

Even in Old Testament times God had a special people.

"This is he, that was in THE CHURCH IN THE WILDERNESS with the angel which spake to him in the mount Sinai, and with our fathers."—Acts 7:38.

Coming to the New Testament, we read:

"And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved."—Acts 2:47.

Christ's church is represented as "God's building." (1 Corinthians 3:9.) If Christ founded the church, and if the Lord adds to it those who believe, how can we ignore or reject it?

"Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."—1 Corinthians 3:11.

"And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone."—Ephesians 2:20.

Two other figures are used to show the relationship of Christ to His church; first, that of a husband to his wife:

"For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church."—Ephesians 5:23.

Second, the church is represented as a living body, with Christ Himself as its head.

"For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones."—Ephesians 5:30.

"And he is the head of the body, the church."—Colossians 1:18.

With this close relationship to Christ, how can anyone ignore the importance of the church?

All who are baptized become a part of Christ's body of believers.

"For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body."—1 Corinthians 12:13.

In the book of Revelation, the church is symbolized by the seven candlesticks.

"The SEVEN CANDLESTICKS which thou sawest ARE THE SEVEN CHURCHES."—Revelation 1:20.

In this same vision the apostle John saw Jesus walking among these candlesticks, showing His care over His churches and His presence with them through the ages.

"I saw seven golden candlesticks; and IN THE MIDST OF THE SEVEN CANDLESTICKS one like unto THE SON OF MAN."—Revelation 1:12, 13.

1. THE CHURCH OF CHRIST (Part 3 of 3)

Christ has never forsaken His people, and He never will forsake them to the end. His churches are still in His mind and care.

2. CHURCH WITH A PURPOSE (Part 1 of 3)

After the mighty preaching of the apostle Peter on the day of Pentecost, "the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved." Acts 2:47. Certainly God would not add to the church without some purpose. What is that purpose? The Lord Jesus commanded the representatives of His church:

"Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."—Mark 16:15.

With this command Jesus coupled the promise:

"And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."—Matthew 28:20.

The people of God enjoy certain privileges:

(1) They have the assurance of sins forgiven.

"The people that dwell therein [in the family of God] shall be forgiven their iniquity."—Isaiah 33:24.

(2) They have a heavenly citizenship.

"And hath raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus."—Ephesians 2:6.

(3) They have constant spiritual refreshment.

"They shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make them drink of the river of thy pleasures."—Psalm 36:8.

(4) They have God's providential watchcare.

"And upon this rock [Christ Jesus] I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."—Matthew 16:18.

(5) They have an inheritance in prospect.

"Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."—Ephesians 1:14.

The church also has at least three great responsibilities:

(1) It guards the truth.

"That thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD, THE PILLAR AND GROUND OF THE TRUTH."—1 Timothy 3:15.

As "the pillar and ground of the truth," the church has a duty to uphold and defend the truth and to proclaim it to the world.

(2) It is an example of what God's grace can do with and for sinners.

"YE ARE A CHOSEN generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar PEOPLE; THAT YE SHOULD SHEW FORTH THE PRAISES OF HIM who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light."—1 Peter 2:9.

2. CHURCH WITH A PURPOSE (Part 2 of 3)

The foundation of the church, the basis on which it is built, is the gospel of Christ, "the mystery of godliness." 1 Timothy 3:16. The strength of the church is His indwelling presence, the mystery of "Christ in you, the hope of glory." Colossians 1:27. Until Jesus comes, we are to make known by our lives the converting, redeeming power of the crucified Christ.

(3) God's people are His witnesses to a lost world.

"YE SHALL RECEIVE POWER, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and YE SHALL BE WITNESSES unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."—Acts 1:8.

Every Christian ought to be aware of his responsibility to give the message of Christ to others. As proclaimers of the gospel, we are the "stewards of the mysteries of God." 1 Corinthians 4:1.

So it is the duty and the privilege of the remnant church to carry the gospel of Christ, the gospel of the kingdom, to earth's remotest bounds, to all nations everywhere, to fulfill Christ's great commission:

"This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come."—Matthew 24:14.

It is to be proclaimed to "every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." Revelation 14:6.

Dedicated men have brought physical healing, education, and peace to great areas of the world. Wherever the church lives up to the message and the teachings of Christ it is a blessing to the world. Pastor H. M. S. Richards gives this testimony:

2. CHURCH WITH A PURPOSE (Part 3 of 3)

"I have seen the change wrought in the hearts of people who have heard the gospel of Christ. I have traveled in lands where the name of God and of Christ was never known until His church took the gospel there. I have seen these people changed from filth to cleanliness, from disease to health, from constant fear of evil spirits to joy in Christian living. I have seen the change in the status of womanhood. I have seen true Christian homes emerge from pagan darkness. In every land that I have visited I have seen lives changed. I know that 'the gospel of Christ . . . is the power of God unto salvation.' Romans 1:16. I know that when the church proclaims the gospel message, changes take place in human hearts and in human homes, and they are visible in the lives of those who respond to its appeal."

What brings these transformations? The work of the church, the proclamation of the Holy Scriptures, the voice of prayer, and songs of praise. The Holy Spirit, working through these agencies, changes lives.

3. ORGANIZED FOR STRENGTH AND SERVICE

The church which Christ established had a definite organization. It had a membership which one could be included in, or excluded from. (Matthew 18:15-18.) It had appointed officers and a world headquarters, as well as meeting places. (Acts 8:14; 14:23; 15:2; 1 Timothy 3:1-10.) It was a real, literal organization right here on earth, and when believers were baptized they were added to the church by the Lord. (Acts 2:41, 47.)

We are definitely told not to forsake "the assembling of ourselves together, . . . and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching." Hebrews 10:25. In other words, we are to attend the services of worship in God's house.

The church was organized to strengthen God's people. It is really an assembly of the saints.

"God is greatly to be feared in the ASSEMBLY OF THE SAINTS[illegible] be had in reverence of [illegible] them that are about him."—Psalm 89:7.

The people of God love the Word of God, the basis of their hope. They feed upon the Scriptures. They love the house of God, and the communion which they enjoy there. They reverence God's holy day as well as His holy Book; they uphold God's man in his preaching of the Word. They are faithful in the use of God's money, to forward His cause over the earth.

Not only was the church organized to strengthen God's people, but for service as well. When someone asked General William Booth the reason for the success of the Salvation Army, he replied: "I'll tell you the secret. God has had all there was of me. I made up my mind that God would have all of William Booth there was; and if there is anything in the power of the Salvation Army today, it is because God has all the adoration of my heart, all the power of my will, and all the influence of my life."

Our Saviour told His disciples to go forth and tell sinners everywhere the good news that Christ died for them, that their sins can be forgiven, that they can live for God in this world, that Christ will give them a new life, and that through His grace they may also live eternally in a new world. That's our work as Christians, and for nearly two thousand years Christian men and women have been doing it — carrying gospel cheer to all the world.

Christ did not come to this world for people to do good things to Him, but to do good for others.

"The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many."—Matthew 20:28.

This is the Christian's motto — to minister, to help, to be a blessing. And this was the spirit that motivated the pioneers of the Christian church, the holy apostles, as they went forth doing good, healing those who were sick physically and spiritually, and turning men to God.

4. WHAT'S RIGHT WITH THE CHURCH? (Part 1 of 3)

Someone says, "But there are so many imperfect people in the church." That certainly is true. However, notice how the apostle Paul addresses the Corinthian church:

"Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, to them that are sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be SAINTS [or called saints]."—1 Corinthians 1:2.

Read on through this wonderful book of Corinthians, and see the faults that he finds in these "saints." In some ways they certainly were not saintly. There were some serious evils that needed to be corrected in their lives; and yet they are called "saints."

Henry Ward Beecher said, and it's true, "The Church is not a gallery for the exhibition of eminent Christians, but a school for the education of imperfect ones."

In the very beginning, when Jesus founded His church with the twelve apostles, He Himself said that one of them was a devil — in other words, he was being led by Satan and possessed with his spirit. Should we reject Jesus because He associated with such a man? Should we turn down His church because all the disciples forsook Him and fled at the hour of His greatest need? No! The church will not be perfect until God's saints are gathered home at last, glorified and immortalized.

If the church were perfect, it would cease to be so as soon as we joined it. William Spencer said that the church should be the Society of the Forgiven and Forgiving. The church is the hope of the world, but even so, there are tares growing among the wheat, as Jesus put it in His great parable of Matthew 13:24-30.

Defects often appear in the church. At some time or another most of us have gone to church expecting to be fed with the Word of God, but have come away hungry. We have known ministers who did not sense their privilege and responsibilities. We have known some church members who did not live up to their profession. We have found some churches cold, like icebergs or refrigerators; as one man said, "so cold you could skate down the center aisle."

4. WHAT'S RIGHT WITH THE CHURCH? (Part 2 of 3)

That may all be true. Let us grant that there are imperfections and imperfect people in the church. But remember that the church is not a society of the perfect. It is made up of human beings who worship together, seeking to find help for their own souls, and to help other people. Because some may be hypocrites, does that prove that all are? And all the faults of the church fail to shake its foundation — Jesus Christ Himself.

Let us never forget the supreme rightness of the church. It is a divine institution, founded by Christ Himself. It is His church. We might call it a college for training and educating believers, a hospital where sick believers are made strong, a factory where character is produced, a home in which Christians may grow and mature and find love and spiritual communion, a society of common interest and blessing. And of course, above all, it is a place of worship. We may say of it, as Jacob said of the place where he found the presence of God:

"This is none other but the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven."—Genesis 28:17.

Christ is both the foundation and head of the church, its Saviour and Lord. Despite its faults, the church belongs to Him.

A traveler, visiting a cathedral in Germany which is famous for its stained glass windows, glanced inside. The interior was very plain. He was disappointed. But a guide told him to come inside and look eastward through a stained glass window. He did so, and a marvelous vision was revealed, of Jesus in the temple with the doctors. It filled the visitor with joy. Then the guide told him to come back about noon. Another window in the south flamed in the sun, with Christ walking upon the sea. He was requested to come yet again at sunset, when the light fell upon Christ on the cross, in a scene that can never be forgotten.

4. WHAT'S RIGHT WITH THE CHURCH? (Part 3 of 3)

So many people today see nothing to admire in the Christian church. There are always people who see the church only from the outside — see only its broken bricks, its grime, its split shingles. Or if they do come inside, they look from a wrong angle, on a dark and foggy day. Some see only the pews, the floors, the walls, the hats and clothes of the members. But those who really come inside, and look toward the Sun of righteousness, will see the glory of Christ. This is the power of salvation. They will find the witness of His Spirit in their hearts. They will have the joy of the Lord all the days of their lives.

With all its faults, the church is still the object of Christ's supreme regard in this world. Empires and nations have risen to power, then vanished from the earth; but the church is still here, and it will outlive all the kingdoms of this world. It has been persecuted, laughed at, neglected, avoided — but it cannot die. It was founded by Christ, and He has promised to be with it and in it to the last day of the world's history.

"Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world."—Matthew 28:20.

And where Jesus is, is always a good place to be. The apostle Paul says,

"Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it."—Ephesians 5:25.

Just think how important it is — He gave Himself for it! And church membership should be that important to you. Have you considered seriously your relationship to the church? Are you a member of Christ's body?

God and Father of us all: I shall be always grateful that I received the good news through Thy church. I am thankful for those who were concerned enough to sacrifice for the spreading of the gospel. This moment I want to become a part of the increasing army of Christian soldiers who are marching to proclaim Thy love. May I be directed by Thy Spirit in witnessing every moment of my life in and through Thy church. I pray in the name of my Lord. Amen.