Let Us Not Give Up Meeting Together
For some Christians, plugging in at a local church is a breeze. Perhaps their family has been attending a certain church for generations. They are well-known and loved in the church family. They are fed nourishing truths of God and have ample opportunity to serve others. Other Christians came to know Christ in the context of a great church and have never needed to look for fellowship anywhere else. From the moment they entered the building, they were embraced by the local body of Christ.
For some of us, though, finding and staying committed to a local church has been a great challenge in our faith life. We know that we’re called to meet together (Hebrews 10:24-25), but it just hasn’t been easy for us. Maybe we’ve been committed to a local church, but experienced terrible hurt or betrayal that left us with a bitter taste for local church involvement. Or maybe we have such high standards for the ideal local church that we’ve searched and searched for “just the right place” only to come up empty. After years of searching and feeling that nothing fits, perhaps we’ve grown weary and decided to settle for the fellowship of informal gatherings with Christian friends and participation in large, distant communities of faith like Inspired Faith.
As a mediator of online faith community, I certainly don’t want to give the impression that Inspired Faith is nothing more than a cheap substitute for involvement in a local church. I know how powerfully God can communicate through daily devotions, Facebook notes, tweets, and blog posts. Surrounding ourselves with life-giving truths of God is important in all dimensions of our lives. If we’re going to be online, we need to make sure that some of our online content is driving us toward a deeper relationship with God. There are times in our lives when we feel alone, afraid, or depressed, and having online inspiration instantly accessible is key to hearing God’s word in those situations.
That being said, I wouldn’t be honestly sharing God’s word with you if I didn’t highlight the importance of being part of a local community of believers. We see beautiful examples of believers living in community throughout the book of Acts, and we have a specific directive in Hebrews to not give up meeting together, “as some are in the habit of doing.”
Maybe you’re finding yourself in that place where sleeping in on Sunday mornings has become a habit. Maybe you’re finding it near impossible to drag yourself to a church on Wednesday or Thursday or Saturday night. There are so many competing demands in life, and let’s face it–dealing with the imperfections inevitable in any local church may not seem worth the trouble.
But engaging in a local body of believers is essential to our spiritual growth for many reasons. As I already mentioned, it’s worth doing first and foremost because it’s an act of obedience to the Lord. But I think there are some practical reasons why the writer of Hebrews directs us to meet together regularly.
Being a part of a local church provides us with opportunities to serve in our communities.
It forces us to take one or two days out of each week to be around other believers, to worship God, to hear His word preached, and to be reminded to fix our eyes on what is unseen in much of our daily lives.
Even conflicts and shortcomings in local churches are opportunity for our growth in Christ. Remember, churches are full of broken, sinful people being formed into the image of Christ. It might seem like some leaders or church members are beyond redemption. But maybe, God is calling you to reach them. Even if you can’t change their minds or soften their hearts, as a member of a church, you always have authority to intercede on behalf of your church and ask God to bring healing and spiritual fruit to even the most bitter situations.
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.” James 1:2-4 TNIV
Being committed to a local church is not easy, but it is one of the best places for God to grow us through trials. As we persevere in prayer, in love, and in service we become mature and complete in Christ. Let us not give up meeting together!
Have you faced trials and discouragement being part of a local church? Have you gone through periods of spiritual isolation, when it was easier to go it alone than to be engaged in a church body? How has God used your involvement in a local church to mature you?
