Are You Willing To Hear?

 "I Don't Need To Go To Church"

Has this happened to you? After meeting someone new, you find out that they're also a believer in Jesus. As a strong, growing Christian yourself...what is usually your next question? "So where do you go to church?"

Why would this naturally be your next question? Because as a student of God's Word, you know that this is what Christians do! We gather together in a church; we just know to go to the house of God. We know we need to hear the Word preached, to get around other like-minded believers, and to grow up in the faith.

But have you ever heard this answer to that question? "Nah, I don't need to GO to church...I AM the church. I'm serving God OK all by myself!" Immediately, you know something is wrong with that statement. You instinctively have a check inside of you, something that says, "Whoa...that's not right. That is not something a healthy Christian would say." 

I believe this attitude is described in Proverbs 18:1 - "A man who isolates himself seeks his own desire; he rages against all wise judgement."

Now...what's your response to this person? How do you articulate what you already know in your Spirit? How do you help that brother or sister see they cannot serve God effectively without being a part of a local church?

I want to help you with that conversation in this series.

Or maybe, you're the one who holds this opinion. Maybe you don't think that you need a church. Maybe you're under the impression that "church" is something that is worldwide, we're all a part of, and it has nothing to do with a place. 

If you're willing to hear, with an open heart, I want to help you understand what God really wants for you and the local church.

Or...maybe you've been hurt by a church in your past. Maybe a brother or sister - possibly even a minister or leader - has done something to you that they shouldn't have. As a result of that pain, you've washed your hands of the whole thing, and have sworn to never step back into a church again.

If you'll let Him, I believe that God can help you heal, and I want to help that healing in this series.

God Has A Plan For The Local Church.

1 Timothy 3:14-15 - "These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth."

Here's how I want to approach this topic of church attendance:
While we will talk about some arguments made against church attendance, that's not my heart for this series. Instead, I want to show you that the local church has always been part of God's plan for your life. I want to show you the incredible benefits and unique blessings that come from belonging to a local congregation of believers.

I also want to help Church leaders see that God has a blueprint for your church. He isn't interested in you building things your own way. He doesn't want to see your plan for His church. If you want to be trusted to build His church, then you will need to know what He wants for it.

Could You Hear Him?

And that, my friend, is what our Christian life is all about: What does HE want for your life? If He is really Lord, then He should call the shots, correct? So today...laying aside all the arguments about church membership (both for and against it), examine your heart. No matter what you prefer, are you willing to hear what God wants for you?

"A willing heart always has to come before a hearing ear." - Keith Moore. You will not hear His voice until you are willing to obey it.

Whenever I talk to a believer about drinking, I always ask them; "If God told you to stop, could you hear it?"
When I'm talking to someone about worldly entertainment, I'll ask; "If God asked you to, would you give it up and spend that time seeking Him?"

And this is the same question I have as we move into this series on the local church: If you knew God commanded you to "go to church", would you be willing to submit? In spite of "other plans", in spite of what you personally prefer, and in spite of the hurt you've suffered in the past...would you be willing to obey Him?

Because - whether you like it or not, it's really that simple: God commanded you to go.
Hebrews 10:24-25 - "And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."

Which side of this verse do you want to fall on? Do you want to be the obedient one, who continues to assemble with other believers...and even more so as the Day gets closer? Or do you want to be part of the "some" that forsake the assembly?

I encourage you to take a minute and examine yourself today. Please, submit to His will for your life, and come back to His house. That's God's plan for every believer - He wants you in church!