I’m really busy and I find that Sunday is the only day I have to relax. Do you have to go to church to be a Christian? I mean, is church membership really that important?                                                                                                                                   

For some reason church has been defined as a place where we go rather than who we are. The word church comes from the Greek word ekklesia which means assembly. Assembly of whom? The assembly of God’s people. Ephesians 5:25 says that “Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her” In other words Jesus Christ died for the church. Our sin (which is the cause of death) had separated us from God, but Christ’s death on our behalf removed that barrier and made it possible to have a relationship with God (Romans 5:10). This is what it means to be saved, (i.e. saved from sin and death). Salvation, however, is not just fire insurance; salvation is a new way of life. The experience of grace is a very personal thing, but God never intended for it to be private. His desire is for us to share our experience of salvation with others and to celebrate it within the assembly of God’s people.

The church in its local expression is the family of God. As God’s family it should be characterized by love, encouragement, service, honor, truth, justice, prayer and peace just to name a few. It’s where burdens are lifted and joys are shared. The church should seek to help those in need; to show mercy and compassion to the broken; to discipline the unruly. It’s where God’s Word is proclaimed and the ordinances of Baptism and the Lord’s Supper are administered for the nourishment of our souls. The church is a community of worshipers; a community thankful to God for giving us life and for showering us with his blessings. The Bible says that we were created for God’s glory; so when the church assembles (and departs) it is for that very purpose. I’m sure there’s more to be said, but it’s clear that God does not want us to forsake the local assembly (Heb. 10:25). After all, church was His idea not ours.

Because imperfect people are involved, like anyone’s family, it can also be a place of pain and hurt. People will get mad, hypocrisy will on occasion rear its ugly head, some will refuse to forgive like Christ and yes on occasion some will leave. But what family hasn’t experienced these kinds of things, and yet we still remain devoted to our family. Church is not for the perfect; it’s a hospital for the sick, and just like any hospital every patient is at a different stage of healing. But for all its shortcomings and failures the Bible tells us that Christ still loves the church. I suppose that’s why we should love it too and want to be among its number.