Myth-Buster Series: I'm a Christian and I don't need go to church.

So last week we busted the myth that you can pick and choose what you believe in the Bible. It's complete, it’s solid and its truth surpasses time and cultural thinking. I want to call this part two: I'm a Christian and I don't need to go to church.  How this part two, well again I have a story for you...well and addition to last week's story...

Again, I have seen and experienced this myth first. Last week I told you the story of how my family left the first church we attended when I was a kid because of last week's myth. After my parents made the decision to leave that church, they didn't hesitate in looking for new church. We attended a couple different churches in our town and ended up at a church in Sheboygan that felt similar in style to the one we left.  At this time I was in 8th grade. And just like last time, we got really involved. Things seemed to be going well: the priest was an interesting character but he believed God's word to be complete, to be authoritative and life changing. And I'm sure my mom had a lengthy conversation before we committed to this church. But the honeymoon only lasted for about three years...there were some issues arising with the national church. On the national level there was a priest who divorced his wife, came out as gay and had a partner and then was being ordained as bishop. Anyways, slowly things were changing at my church and my priest ended up leaving the church, soon followed by my parents, and it wasn't pretty. It left my family jaded about church.

I went off to college thinking I would find a church easily, but instead my experience left me critical, which made me rationalize the idea of well, I'm at Bible college, I don't need Sunday mornings when I have awesome classes during the week about God.

Now I don't know every Christian’s reasoning who doesn’t go to church. I know for me and my family, the changes at church were disappointing, frustrating and hurtful. I'm sure there are those who say they have experienced some hurt and don't want to experience it again. Then there are others who get saved, say I don't need church, I'm good, I'm saved, I've got Campus Life, my group of friends that I hang out with....you know the verse, " For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”  Matthew 18:20. Or have you seen that video by Jefferson Bethke, "Why I hate religion but love Jesus."  This has become a reason for some: "see this guys has a problem with the church and he's saved." 

Whatever the reason, we all must submit ourselves to God and what His word says.  My experience, my hurts, my opinions, it all needs to be submitted to what God’s Word says. And the same goes for those who are real about following Jesus, if you truly believe, you'll listen and do.

First, I need to make this clear: your salvation is not dependent on your church attendance. God doesn't care about how many times you go in a year, but he does care if you care about his people.  Even though your salvation is not dependent upon church attendance, it is vital for your long-term growth and healthy relationship with God and with his people.

Let's see what God's word says about the church...

Ephesians 1:22-23:  And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, ²³ which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.

Ephesians 4:15:  Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head that is, Christ.

Ephesians 5:23-24: For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. ²⁴ Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Colossians 1:18:  And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.

What do these verses say about Christ's role with the church and our role? Christ is the head and we are the body. 1 Cor. 12:27 says we are part of the body, the moment you believe,  ^" Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it."

If we are the body and Christ is the head, what does that mean? What kind of relationship are we to have with Christ?  Take a look at Ephesians 5:24, and Matthew 28:18:  Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  As we are the body of Christ we are the church we are supposed to submit to him and his authority, right?

Romans 13 talks about submitting to authorities in place. God says he has put them in place for our benefit.  The local church is one of those authorities God has put in place.

God did establish this for our benefit:

Now to Romans 12:3-5. For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. ⁴ For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, ⁵ so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

As members of the body of Christ, we belong to each other...what does that mean?

Romans 12:10: Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. We have responsibility to each other.

We are to love others just as Christ loved

We are forgive each other just as Christ forgave.

We are to patient with one another.

There are a ton of verses about how we are supposed to treat one another within the church. God's word also talks a lot about how we are to hold each other accountable.

Matthew 18 and Hebrews 12 talks about how to handle church discipline. 1 Timothy give instructions for the local church, who should be deacons and overseers...how do conduct ourselves. 1 and 2 Corinthians has instructions about giving, worship, communion, gifts to serve the church. Titus is about church leadership and what should be taught within the church..All the letters written by Paul were letters to local churches....Romans, 1 &2 Corinthians, Philippians, Ephesians, Galatians, and Colossians.

And they weren't perfect either...they all had their problems...sexual immorality, idolatry, false teaching, gossip...etc...

So God created the church, establishing Jesus as the head of it, as members of the body we belong to each other meaning we have responsibilities...and we are to meet regularly...

Hebrews 10:23-25:  Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴ And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, ²⁵ not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

We meet regularly because we need to know what truth is:

1 Timothy 4: 6- 16:
⁶ If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. ⁷ Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. ⁸ For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. ⁹ This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. ¹⁰ That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.
¹¹ Command and teach these things. ¹² Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. ¹³ Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. ¹⁴ Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
¹⁵ Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. ¹⁶ Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

We meet regularly, to encourage on another, hold each other accountable.

When you don't meet regularly, we lose track of truth, we become hard hearted, we drift away from our faith. I know, I have been there.

Campus Life is not a church. We don't have pastors, deacons, elders. We are a part of the local church. We aren't multigenerational...we aren't here for your long-term growth. We are a tool to be used by the church.

As one has said, "there are no such things as lone-wolf Christians." It's true. As a follower of Christ we are called submit to the authorities God has put in place, one being the church. We understand that we belong to one another as one body, and we need to be plugged in regularly so that we can have healthy fellowship with Him and each other. We are in a battle against the evil in this world, and God gave us the church so we don’t have to fight alone.