This blog was influenced by the following article.
The recent trend among college students and 20-somthing adults has been moving away from attending local churches. I see how this is an attractive solution for many young adults my age. We are in a time when the church is undergoing major changes and reformation, and, due to this, a lot of young adults have found themselves alienated from the church. Many churches do not have programs for college aged students so, after graduation, many young adults find themselves lost in the shuffle of Sunday morning service with no place to call their own. These trends have left many young adults feeling like they do not belong in the church. Because of this, young adults have found other places to fill the void left by the absence of a local, Christian body in their lives. As a young Christian, I too have felt similarly towards the church in the past; however, I believe it is important to find a local body that we can call our home.
Allow me to present you with three reasons why I believe the church is still important for our lives. I am currently not going to list scripture to backup my statements, but, in the next week, I will develop a list of Scriptures to round out why I believe as I do.
1. The Church is Christ's body: The Bible tells us that the church is Christ's body in the world. Without the church, Christ has no way of working in the world we live in. When we choose to do all of our Kingdom work outside of the church, we are acting like a severed finger that is attempting to hold on to something without three other fingers, a thumb, a palm, a wrist, a fore arm, and so on. We simply cannot work to our full potential, as a Christian, outside of the church.
2. The Church is where we grow and help others to grow: The church has many functions within the Christian life. Evangelism is only one of the church's many functions. As new believers becomes a part of Christ's body they find themselves guided by mature believers who poor wisdom into their lives. Being a Christian is not easy but having a friend that can help guide and direct you makes a world of difference when learning the Christian life. Humans are created with a natural want to live together, the church is where God reaches out to his people as a group and where his people come together to help one another.
3. The Church needs you: The reality is this, we are the future of the church. We can either choose to make the church what we believe God is leading us to make it, or we can walk away and let it crumble. Our only real option is to become a part of local churches and give them what we have to offer. God has gifted all of us with unique talents to use for his glory. What better place to use them then for his body as it works in the world, reaching out to the lost and giving comfort to the weary.
We have no real choice, God has spoken and the church is his vessel in the world. As God, he could have reached his people in any way that he saw fit, he has spoken, and his body, the church, is the only answer. In the words of David Platt, "We [the church] are plan A, and there is no plan B."
until next time...
laterDays
