To be sure, this post is revised from an earlier one I wrote a couple years ago. My hope is that it will be as encouraging to you who are reading it today as it was then. The truth remains the same for all times, generations, and cultures.
Reason #1: Jesus loved the church. I am not Jesus, neither are you, but
being called by him means we must be like him. His passion for his bride brought
him to death. We ought to prize his beloved church above any program, ministry,
school, family, or institution.
“Husbands, love
your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave
Himself up for her, so that
He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the
word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no
spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless”
(Eph 5:25-27).
Reason #2: The church began with the Apostles but
it didn’t end with them. We
long for connections that extend beyond our current network of friends, family,
and tradition. We want an ancient one. One reason family genealogies are so
popular is because most people long for roots. Christians have deep roots, our
history began in chapter one of Acts and continues on through 28 chapters of
Acts, and right up to today. There are no new questions, nor are their new
answers. We look to an ancient book (the Scripture) for answers. And if we are
still curious, there is nearly 2,000 years of historical theology to help us
learn how the church taught the Scriptures in years past.
Mike
Horton says that “The church was born in doctrinal debate. It fought its way to
dominance through centuries of arguments over doctrinal detail. The Reformation
was a controversy between two different gospels.”[1] Today
marks a terrific vantage point for the church. There is no actual reason for heresy, accurate theology was worked out in history. For starters, we believe the Bible is a
genuine book that came from God. The church has taught this since its inception
nearly 2,000 years ago. Who are we to think that the Apostles got it wrong?
Reason #3: The church is full of people who can
help. I long to learn more,
to be better equipped to serve Christ. I want genuine answers to my questions
about God, and I want to mature in Christ with other Christ-followers, and I
hope you do as well. If so, there is good news, the church exists to help,
to build you up.
“And He gave some
as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors
and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the
building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the
faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure
of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ” (Eph 4:11-13).
Reason #4: The church is commanded by its God to
love everyone. Of all the
groups of people in the world the local church ought to be the safest and most caring
environment. God’s people are called to unconditionally love one another, and God
calls the church to love those that no one else will love and to expect nothing
in return (no strings attached). We love because our Lord is glorified when we
do so, and we want to show the world his love.
“Be devoted to
one another in brotherly love; give preference to one another in honor; not
lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord” (Rom
12:10-11).
“Owe nothing to
anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled
the law” (Rom 13:8).
Are you
convinced? I hope so. Let’s remember that the church is not a building, a
program, or a denomination. We are not scary either. We are God’s people, whom
Christ has redeemed and prized as his own. If you don’t love it already, begin
to cultivate a love for the church.
