“I don’t need church. I study the Bible for myself.”
I’ve heard something similar to that more times than I care to remember.
The truth is we do need the church.
I need it.
You need it.
We ALL need it.
In fact, it’s likely that you’ll never grow into all you were meant to be WITHOUT THE CHURCH — without some kind of connection in life-giving, character-forming, faith-inspiring COMMUNITY.
CHURCH HURT is real and cuts more deeply than words can describe.
People who disconnect from church and say things like, “I don’t need the church…” have often experienced very real and painful CHURCH HURT.
I know.
I understand.
I’ve been there.
Done it.
I have the scars to prove it.
C.S. Lewis nailed it when he wrote:
“To love at all is to be vulnerable. Love anything and your heart will be wrung and possibly broken. If you want to make sure of keeping it intact you must give it to no one, not even an animal. Wrap it carefully round with hobbies and little luxuries; avoid all entanglements. Lock it up safe in the casket or coffin of your selfishness. But in that casket, safe, dark, motionless, airless, it will change. It will not be broken; it will become unbreakable, impenetrable, irredeemable. To love is to be vulnerable.”
—C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves, p 154, Kindle Edition.
BOOM!
Don’t miss the power of Lewis’s insight.
Relationships hurt.
Love requires vulnerability.
Vulnerability is dangerous.
But avoiding connections in community because of potential danger and difficulty will eventually destroy you.
Years ago I ran across this passage in Proverbs.
“Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty, but from the strength of an ox come abundant harvests.” —Proverbs 14:4 NIV
What does that proverb have to do with RELATIONSHIPS?
The Passion Translation sheds additional light on the meaning.
“The only clean stable is an empty stable. So if you want the work of an ox and to enjoy an abundant harvest, you’ll have a mess or two to clean up!” —TPT
The point?
RELATIONSHIPS are messy.
Sometimes relationships STINK.
Sometimes relationships require lots of WORK.
But RELATIONSHIPS — even and especially in the CHURCH — are worth it.
Think of it this way.
When NOAH and his family were on the ARK, caring for all those animals was a ton of hard work.
Some of the animals were probably more than a little STUBBORN and challenging. Have you heard of sayings like, “herding cats” or “stubborn as a mule”? There’s a reason for those sayings.
Noah and his family likely shoveled tons — LITERALLY, TONS — of animal poop daily.
Life on the Ark wasn’t a vacation.
After just a few days, the SMELL of all those animals, combined with all that waste probably penetrated every square inch of the Ark. There was nowhere you could go to escape it.
BUT…despite all the smell, challenges, and hard WORK required…
THE ARK WAS STILL THE BEST PLACE TO BE AT THE TIME.
Here’s what I’m driving at.
The CHURCH may have its challenges.
Yes, sometimes the attitudes of people in the church STINK. (Okay, maybe not yours? But there have been times when my attitude has reeked.)
Sometimes people in the church are STUBBORN and OBSTINATE. (Again, probably NOT you. But, once again, unfortunately, there have been times when I’ve acted more like a donkey — there’s another word for that animal that I won’t spell out here — than I care to admit.) And, yes, sometimes members of my church family have acted like a donkey, as well.
Sometimes I’ve wondered whether or not it’s worth it to live with, have to clean up, and work through all the “CRAP” that comes as a by-product of being connected in a community of real people with real problems.
But…despite the smell, challenges, and, yes, hard WORK required…
The CHURCH is still part of GOD’S PLAN for turning this world around,
connecting people in community, and helping believers
reach maturity in CHRIST.
At the time — UNTIL JESUS RETURNS — the CHURCH with all of its flaws, imperfections, and challenges is still THE BEST PLACE TO BE.
This is why the writer of Hebrews insists that we NEVER GIVE UP on CONNECTION in and with a CHURCH FAMILY.
“This is not the time to pull away and neglect meeting together, as some have formed the habit of doing, because WE NEED EACH OTHER! In fact, we should come together even more frequently, eager to encourage and urge each other onward as we anticipate that day dawning.” —Hebrews 10:25 TPT
There’s no perfect church.
Never has been.
Never will be.
As the old saying goes, “If you find it, please don’t join it.”
Because when REAL PEOPLE join a REAL CHURCH the illusion of perfection goes out the window, leaving you with the only model of people that currently exists: BROKEN PEOPLE desperately in need of HEALING and connection in and with a community of WOUNDED HEALERS.
That may be a good definition and description of what JESUS meant for the CHURCH to be.
CHURCH: A community of BROKEN PEOPLE desperately in need of HEALING and connection in and with a community of WOUNDED HEALERS.
I need the church.
So do you.
And, if you ever think you don’t need it because you can study the Bible for yourself. That may be the best proof that you aren’t actually studying the Bible for yourself.
Just something to think about…