Why You Need a Church

During the course of the next year or so we will be focusing in our Sunday Morning Worship on the Power and Spread of the gospel in the book of Acts.  This study will focus on the fledgling church and its humble beginnings and exponential growth due to the power of the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.  As we do this, I know that there are some people out there who wonder about why they need a church.  Have you ever asked the question, 'Why do I go to church?'  Perhaps you go out of some feeling of religious obligation.  Perhaps you go because your parents always went.  Perhaps you think that in going to church you are performing some duty before God that will earn you heavenly brownie points.  Perhaps it is merely a social gathering and you go simply to be with friends.  Why should we go to church?  The simply answer is that we need church.  Allow me to outline just a few points in the New Testament that illustrate this point.

1 Corinthians 12 - you need a place to use your spiritual gift(s) and there is a place that needs you!
     God gives to each of us a spiritual gift at the moment of salvation and these gifts need an outlet!  They need some place to be used.  You cannot use the spiritual gift of encouragement without someone to encourage.  You cannot give without a recipient.  You cannot serve with out someone to serve.  You need a place to use your spiritual gifts in a way that brings honor and glory to God, and God's chosen place for you is in the local church. 

James 5:19-20 and Galatians 6:1 - you need a place where you can be corrected!
    If you live your relationship with God in singularity with just you and God I promise you that you are going to go easy on yourself.  We never tell ourselves just how bad we really are, especially when we don't want to change.  Instead, you need a church where you build relationships that will tell you when you are doing something that is inconsistent with the Word of God.  You need people who will boldly correct you when you are wrong. 

Ephesians 5:19 - you need a place where you can speak the Word of God to others and hear the Word of God through worship. 
     We need to worship.  We were created for worship.  We were created to live in a community of people who worship together.  You cannot speak to one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs without having someone to speak to.  This goes for all of the other "one anothers" in the New Testament to.  We need each other.

So, if you don't have a church family would you consider finding one this week?  Perhaps it could be ours, but find someplace and some group of people with whom you can worship God together.  And in doing so you will be a blessing and be blessed.