Is Church Essential: Why or Why Not? Conclusion & Stephen's Response to Ben

We have both given our answers to the question: Is Church Essential? Ben laid out clearly the Biblical mandate and the adaptive methodology of church. What you do with those things is now up to YOU.

When considering if church is essential to you it is important to note this nuance that sometimes evades many church goers—we are committed to church because we are committed to God, not the other way around. Why is this important to realize? Because it is ONLY a commitment to God that will make a commitment to church beneficial and enduring as God intended.

People can choose to “not neglect the meeting together” because of familial or cultural expectations and yet as Jesus described this type of people in His day, “This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.” Your commitment to church will eventually falter especially if there is not a heart-commitment to God undergirding your reason for being there.

In addition to this may we not soon forget that we should be committed to the church because God was committed to the church. “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it.” (Ephesians 5:25)

When my family and I moved to Alabama, many people of this great state sought to change my college football allegiance and fandom to one of their state teams. They all wanted to know if I would be yelling “Roll Tide” or “War Eagle.” (That’s the chants for Alabama and Auburn respectively. Why a team with the nickname Tigers yells “War Eagle” is still one of the world’s greatest unsolved mysteries.) As I considered the question of changing the colors of my cheerleading outfit, it didn’t take me long to give a declining answer to both. The reason—because my mind instinctively went back to the commitment my late grandfather and father had to the fandom of the Florida Gators.

All the memories as a fan growing up are special—the incessant heat of the Florida sun, the unrelenting stench of body odor that followed, and then the sticky, late-night drive back home after the game. It really was special! But the commitment to the team from those that I loved and their willingness to do this over and over again surpassed any other reason for commitment and fandom of my own.

Could it be that there will come a day when the only reason you walk into a church on a given Sunday is not because you feel like it or even because you have always done it but because your Heavenly Father is committed to it and therefore you choose to be as well?

As Ben conveys in a fantastic pastorally way: church is not essential because any one person (including us as pastors) said it is but because Christ’s blood proclaimed that it is louder than any words ever could. And, to keep the analogy of Ephesians 5, our relationship with the church should remain committed “till death do us part.”

For in Christ’s case it didn’t even stop there.

Is Church Essential: Why or Why Not? - Ben's Answer

Is church essential? Well, yes. It is.

Is anyone reading this surprised by me saying so? Like an engineer who’s weak in mathematics, I wouldn’t be a good pastor if I didn’t think church was essential. A tree cannot grow without soil. A calf will not survive in the wild without a heard. Likewise, we will not grow as Christians unless we’re in a Christian community; or as my hermeneutics professor consistently barked, “Christians…go to CHURCH!”

A BIBLICAL MANDATE

Far more important than what I think is what the Bible says, and in the clearest possible way, God tells us that He too thinks church is essential. Again, is anyone surprised by this?

Now, I won’t walk through every passage which speaks of the church’s indispensability, but it would at least help us in our discussion, if we were to look at the clearest example of this in Scripture:

Hebrews 10:24-25 (ESV)
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Within chapter 10, this is the third “let us” appeal that is based on a common premise that, “we have confidence to enter the holy places by the blood of Jesus” (cf. Heb. 10:22). Meaning, because of Jesus, we have a place in the Holy Place to draw near to God, to bolster our resolve in God, and to thoughtfully consider our fellow Christians for God.

Of those three appeals only the last requires us to be in the literal company of others to accomplish its set objective. Simply said, it is impossible to “stir up one another” if you’re aren’t meeting together with one another. Thus, it appears that Christians do indeed have to go to church.

This is not to say online worship is wrong. I’m an ardent fan of online services. In fact, I readily encourage my people to tune in when they cannot attend and to also go through our sermon archives to review past lessons. However, just as Boston is a poor man’s Journey, online worship is a poor substitution for in-person worship. A screen simply cannot replicate even the most basic church service.

This is why the writer of Hebrews admonishes us to make Church a priority. He tells us not to neglect her because she is the best avenue we have to encourage one another. That in these final days we ought to lovingly spur, spark, and stir one another into doing good works. Every believer should be around those who are aflame with holy fire so that they too may begin to burn all the brighter.

AN ADAPTIVE METHODOLGY

While the principle of church is non-negotiable, the methodology of church is not. Or, to put it another way, while church as an institution is essential, the way in which we do church is not. Without a doubt, there are characteristics of the Church that are rigid and uncompromising. I will not deny that the Body of Christ has a buttress of fixed doctrines which not only supports it, but also helps channel its mission and practices. Yet, simultaneously, the church is also adaptive and fluid. There are very few (if any) contexts in which the church cannot thrive. Like the wind, it flows and fills a vacuum no matter its dimension or size.

This is because we are being pulled along by an endlessly creative Spirit. This Spirit moves in the valleys and vales breathing life, restoring flesh, and forming people where once there were only dry bones. This is achieved through voices in various languages and dialects preaching God’s Word in varied contexts and circumstances with varying degrees of pressures and difficulties.

No two churches are the same, and I’d argue that they shouldn’t be.

Churches are as diverse as the people who make up these faith communities. If every church were to be woven together into a vast tapestry each community would bring a color and texture that was uniquely their own. Some cords would be thin but long. They would wind their way throughout the curtain in subtle lines. Others would be thick and bold. They would cut deep swaths of color in a spectacular fashion throughout the drapery. Still others would be utterly unseen, yet they would provide the hidden backing which undergirds and strengthens the fibers closest to the surface. When viewed from a distance, those labyrinthine threads suddenly coalesce to reveal the grandeur of God’s sovereign plan. A work of art and beauty which was not designed by a mortal mind but was still made with mortal hands.

Because of this, Christians throughout history have met in homes. They’ve met in designated buildings. They’ve even had church with nothing more than the sky and stars over their heads. Until recently I would’ve been hard pressed to find anyone that believed that churches must meet inside. However, the conduct of some faith communities throughout this pandemic make it seem like that this is exactly what they believe. Brick and mortar are not essential for the church, but people are. It is a shame I would even need to write those words, but there are some who undoubtedly need to hear it.

In fact, as we all know, Christians were first recognized by the actions they did and not by the buildings in which they met. The irony, of course, is that the Greek word for church is ekklēsía. A word which literally translated means “assembly.” Yet this does not mean they assembled in “church” buildings but, rather, they were the church assembled. The trappings changed; the assembling of believers did not.

So, yes. Church is essential.

But may we not rigidly define what church should look like in the future. May we instead hold to the foundation of Christ while being pressed into creative avenues by the Spirit for the purpose of glorifying God in whatever way, method, or form we can. May we abide by the biblical mandate in the midst of a chaotic world yet adapt our methodology to the fluidity of our individual circumstances.

Is Church Essential: Why or Why Not? Ben's Response to Stephen

Stephen said, “how we live many times speaks louder than our words...” And though that sentence may be somewhat wordy, its meaning still rings true.  Sure, we can claim that church is essential. However, when Sunday comes and we haven’t made church a priority, it seems more like it’s an accessory to us rather than something that’s indispensable.  

We all know that our actions end up speaking louder than any word we’ve spoken. All of us have a knack for comparing what we’ve heard with what we see. And, while I think doing right because you have an audience is one of the worst motivations for doing right, it is still important to consider how our actions are being seen. Should there be a discrepancy between our words and deeds, wrongly or rightly perceived, we should at least take notice. 

 

In reading through Stephen’s post, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the saying, “We may be the only Bible some people ever read.” And true, it’s an overused adage that should be retired, given a substantial severance package and a golden watch, it does express an undeniable fact: We are being watched. (BTWs, I know how creepy that sounds. And on a not unrelated note, I can actually see you right now, in your jammies, reading this. Does your wife know you’ve just downed an entire pint of Cherry Garcia? Que, Twilight Zone theme song. Dah nah nah nah, dah nah nah nah.)

 

We can hate it. We can try and deny it. But we do not live in vacuum. What we say and then do either points people to Christ, or away from Christ. And though I may be crazy to say this, let’s hope what they see…is Christians going back to church. 

 

Just a thought. 

Is Church Essential: Why or Why Not? - Stephen's Answer

What do you call a male ladybug, a fun-size candy bar, and turkey shaped like bacon (aka turkey bacon)?

HYPOCRITES.

Because none of these live up to the names they possess, do they? If it’s a male how can it also be considered a ladybug? If it means less candy can it actually be considered “fun”? And the turkey bacon needs no further explanation. (For, as one comedian said while walking through the grocery store, “Turkey, just be yourself. You do not need to emulate the other animals.” And it shouldn't; but I digress.)

 

Hypocrites.

 

In all seriousness hypocrites (of the more human type of course) are the number one reason, at least in my experience, people do not attend church. The fact that there are people in the pews each Sunday who claim to be and believe one thing and yet live a life totally absent and apart from those beliefs is outright hypocrisy. Some call it a mask, some the fancier term of façade, but no matter what you call it, you know somebody who fits this description.

 

Hypocrites.

 

Hypocrites are also the number one reason for why I believe church is essential. It is the very place and only place where we can be reminded of the One who never saw hypocrisy in His own reflection and neither did anyone else who knew Him. You see, apart from Jesus, the line of division is not between hypocrites and non-hypocrites but between those who admit the hypocrisy in their life and those who do not.

 

A failure to admit the hypocrisy in our lives as Christians causes two main issues. First, it devalues the price that Christ paid on the cross. How can we continue living a life of thankfulness for His sacrifice while simultaneously considering ourselves a perfect example of what it is to keep the law of God? Whether we say those exact words or not, how we live many times speaks louder than our words anyways.

 

The second issue in Christians not admitting the hypocrisy in our lives is that the day will come when the standard we claim to hold will fall short in the eyes of those around us. In other words, it is not if you fall short but when.

 

As a Christian my most frustrating days are the ones where my actions fail to reflect the things I truly believe and desire to display. It is in these times that I must remind myself that being a Christian does not mean I will be perfect but the exact opposite. The claim of sinfulness and imperfection is even a first step in becoming a Christian.

 

Yet while we all walk through the front gate of salvation admittingly imperfect just a few steps into our salvation journey we somehow only see our “righteousness.” Truth is we are not forgiven by God in this life because of our perfection today or any hope for it tomorrow but because of our continual dependence upon His Son who truly was/is sinless.

 

The admittance of our hypocrisy on any scale is not a license to sin, a reason to “throw in the towel” in becoming more like Christ, or a way to excuse our misdeeds. In contrast, it is a reminder to:

-       stay thankful to Christ for our standing with God.

-       stay dependent on the Holy Spirit for His continual work in our lives to make us more like Him.

-       point others to Jesus as the genuine Savior and not ourselves.

 

From here until eternity, our sanctification (the process of being set apart unto holiness) will be incomplete and our hypocrisy of not living up to the standards we claim will show. Don’t try to ignore it or reason it away. Let it humble you when it shows. Let it break your heart when it does. My kids need to see it, my wife needs to see it, and, as hard as it is, I need to see it.

 

We are and will always be honestly in need and humbly imperfect this side of eternity. That’s the banner we should carry for Christ to be glorified for who He is and not us in our make-believe image of which no one is impressed.

 

We tend to believe we can control our image before those we come in contact with on a daily basis—how good we look becomes, in our minds, how good we are. But when we walk through the doors of church every song, every verse of Scripture, and every taking of the Lord’s Supper reminds us that we are still sinful enough to put Christ on that cross.

 

That makes church essential to us all…including this preacher.

 

“As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one:”

Romans 3:10

 

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.”

Ephesians 2:8-9