And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers
Acts 2:42
Welcome to week 5 of our Made for Community study. This week we are talking about the fact that we are made for the local church.
Someone once said that many Christians long to be in church but not of it. I would go even farther and say that many professing Christians don’t want to go to church at all. Many feel it is just a duty they need to perform. Some say it is boring, others don’t want to be around a bunch of hypocrites and others have a hard time feeling like they belong.
I am excited to have a special guest with me here today who will help us work through some of these issues.
Joe is a pastor who also happens to be my husband. I have decided to interview him regarding the Christian’s place within the local church. I hope it is helpful (and please excuse the interruption, not from my kids, but from our dog! 🙂
Here are some of the questions that I asked him.
What is the point of the local church? Why was it established?
The reason the church exists is that Jesus Christ has purchased a people for his own possession. The purpose of the church, or it’s mission is to make disciples through evangelism, preaching, teaching and instructing.
Why is it important to be a part of a local church?
There are two reason it is important to be a part of a local church.
1) You cannot be what you are called to be apart from the local church.
We are called to be Christians who are maturing in the faith, growing in grace, through the means of grace as an active member of the family of God.
2) You cannot do what you are called to do apart from the local church
Think of all of those “one another” passages. We are called to love one another, forgive one another, count one another as more worthy of honor, to exhort one another, rebuke one another, correct and support one another. We are suppose to mourn with those who morn and rejoice with those who rejoice. These commands can really only he fulfilled in the context of the local church.
Why are many hesitant to get plugged in?
Many people have been burned by unhealthy churches or cruel, unkind, and judgmental christians. Others are afraid to join a local church because it requires effort and vulnerability When you join a local church you should be all in serving and getting to know people as well as letting them get to know you. This means that we confess our sins to each other and are honest with each other about our struggles and our failures.
Others are hesitant to join a church because they are turned off by the church’s obsession with entertainment and programs and other superficial things.
In our verse it says that they (Christians) were ”committed to fellowship” or some translations say “to life together”. What does it mean to do life together?
It means that we reject living the life of a mere individual and a life of isolation and instead embrace a life of community and communion together through Jesus Christ. It means that we share our burdens, joys, sorrows, and failures and that we welcome people into our lives and are willing to step into other peoples lives.
How should someone go about finding a good church?
1. Look for a church that is confessional. That holds to a confession or has a clearly stated body of doctrine that can be evaluated to make they are evangelical and orthodox. If you are looking for a presbyterian church then you want to look for one that holds to the Westminster Standards, if you are non-denominational or Baptist then you want to look for a confession of faith .
2. For the preaching you want to look for a pastor who preaches expository messages, going through the text of the Bible and pointing people to Jesus.
3. You want to look for a church that has a plurality of elders that hold each other accountable and are accountable to the congregations. Plus you want to make sure that the leadership is approachable and transparent.
4. Look for the general temperament of the congregation. Are the people friendly and welcoming and are they involved in each others lives.
Challenge:
If you haven’t found a church home start actively looking for one.
If you belong to a church but have been remiss about attending regularly, commit to making this a priority in your life.
For those who attend a local church but aren’t plugged in, find out what your church’s needs are and get involved. Join a small group or start getting to know people in your church through practicing hospitality.
WEEK 5 Reading Plan
WEEK 5 Memory Verse
WEEK 5 Challenge
Looking To Jesus,
I don’t understand the reference to a botanist. As far as I know, that term means one who studies plant life. What does that have to do with the type of church you are looking for? Other than that question, thanks for including this encouragement to get involved and stay involved in a local community of believers!
“Botanist” was a misprint in the transcript – in the video, he said “Baptist.” Botanist confused me at first, too! 🙂
Yes, it was suppose to be Baptist. I just changed it. 🙂
What if I look at the challenge and say yes, I do these things (I’m in the third section by actively participating in committees and support groups and am a part of Sunday school and a small group study) and still feel like something is missing?
It’s great that you are so involved and I’m sorry you feel that something is still missing. Do you feel that you can be open with the people in your small group and they with you? Do you feel that you are learning and growing through the preaching and worship times? Do you ever have time to hang out with people from your church outside of church activities? I will be praying that God gives you wisdom and insight into what might be missing.
I have a very dear friend who I’m trying to get to come to church with me. The challenge is that she has been burned multiple times by churches. Not sure of all the details, but she’s very hesitant to come, says she wants to but doesn’t make it. Please pray for her to overcome this hurt and to commit to getting her family in church. Pray for me as I minister to her that my words and actions will point the way to Jesus. Thank you for your prayers!
I will be praying for her. It can be really hard to heal from past hurts and then be willing to get involved in a new church. Thankfully we have a Savior who can heal anything!
While I appreciate the interview, I hope the point wasn’t to encourage those who are not and have not been involved in church to become a part of the church. Why I say this is the pastor being involved is speaking or use terminology that would be very difficult for a non-involved person to understand. I think people are often very “put off” by those of us who speak Christian-ese, often missing the fact that visiting or new members are a totally different level of understanding bible concepts. I reminds me of when I used be a preceptor to a 1st year nursing student, I would have to change so much of my daily language to bring it down to their level of understanding. Do you honestly feel your are going to encourage those who are not involved and are looking for a church by saying they should “look for a confessional church …one with a clearly stated body of doctrine….that they are preaching expository messages…check parallelity of the elders?” Whom are you speaking to? Other pastors looking for churches? I am the wife of a pastor of a tiny, loving church, I was once a new Christian only 8 yrs ago…had a pastor encouraged me using the terms used here I would have been confused, felt stupid, and move on.
I’m sorry you felt that he used too many “Christian-ese” terms. But he does explain it a little because he said that we are to look for a church that has a “statement of faith” and with a “plurality of elders” he simply meant more than one elder that hold each other accountable. I’m sorry if it was confusing.
Did you name your dog Lucy-fur?
LOL – Well her name is Lucy, but her nick name is Lucy(Fur) because she can be quite destructive. 😉
Jen and Joe!
Thank YOU so much for making this blog post for us today! I know it takes a lot of time to prepare for the video, record it, edit it and then write the blog post! I so appreciate the time you took to encourage us to be in a local church and the importance of our participation in one. 🙂 Thank you for explaining what we should look for in a local church for those in our audience who don’t have one yet! 🙂 So appreciate you both today!!! THANK YOU!;)
Thank you Angela! You are the most encouraging person I have ever known! Love you
I was debating to leave my small group….feeling too vulnerable….but after watching this…I’m going to stay. Great interview.
Oh, I am so glad you have decided to stay with your small group. Being vulnerable is really hard. And finding a small group where you know you will be loved and accepted no matter what is a true treasure. But it is also a little scary.
I believe in being active in the local church. 10 years ago my husband and I moved across the country to be closer to our kids and grandkids. We had been very active in our “home” church. I was secretary for over 17 years, a youth sponsor, teacher, involved in choirs and most everything else. My husband served as Elder, Deacon, Sunday School teacher, and did yard work. We have been attending a small church in a small town in a rural area in the Mid West. Same denomination as we did before, our family attends here also. About 6 months after we arrived the church split and we went with the split because those were the only people we knew at the time. It is a friendly, caring congregation. I got involved in the office for a while since I had the experience and they asked me. Being a small church and we didn’t have our own facilities, there isn’t much going on. We are now in our own building and the church is growing. I volunteer in the office and do the books for the church. I have attended the ladies’ Bible studies, and ladies’ group. My problem? I still feel like an outsider. Everyone here grew up here and they all know everybody and who is related to who..that type of thing. Being a rural area nobody lives close. I get very lonely, and I’m not sure how to “fit in”. I have felt guilty because I’m wondering if this same thing happened to new people who came into my old church…it was a relative small (not as small as this) community too….how do I overcome this?
Oh, I understand what you are going through. The first church that my husband pastored was a rural church and we were the outsiders. People would turn down our invitations and when they did stop by our house they would not come inside. It was really hard to make friends. Thankfully my husband was and is my best friend and so we spent a lot of time together which, looking back, strengthened our marriage.
But it is also during those times , that we have the opportunity to learn that Christ needs to be enough. That even without friends and family we can be content and joyful because we have Christ. We say that he is our everything, but it is during these lonely times that what we say we believe is tested.
Also, don’t stop praying for God to open doors and break down walls. Pray all the time for good friendships. I will take lots of patience because his timing is not like ours. Praying for you!
Thank you Jen for your response because from a feeling of loneliness in my church and just not fitting in I have learned to lean on Jesus and make him all I need. Now I can move on through that growth and I make more of an effort to go up to people that I see that may be feeling the way I did!
Your dog had me in stitches!
Anyhow, my question is about people with health issues. I know someone who is a Christian and is so sweet, giving and loving. But she does not attend church. She has a daughter with severe autism. All of her energy goes toward helping her family. A lot of these children with special needs have very restrictive diets and/or cannot be around cleaning chemicals, hand sanitizer, or be around places cleaned with them. Nor can they be around perfume… It sets them off or does further damage to their healing process. I would show grace to these parents. It is sad that they have to feel so isolated and judged as well. What do you think the solution is? I think there are ways to get plugged in like through this study…but there is no opportunity to go and be with other believers in worship and service when all your service is being poured into a special situation.
The same would apply to my husband who suffers with severe chronic nerve pain. He is unable to attend or serve physically spending most his days lying down unable to move much.
I loved what Pastor Joe said about joining the local church requires “effort & vulnerability.” That really speaks to me personally as I hate that vulnerable feeling when I start get really plugged in (we’ve moved a lot in the past) and I feel myself wanting to pull away and hide!!
You are right, there are times when people are providentially hindered from going to church or really being plugged.
My mother-in-law can no longer to to church. She has had a stroke and dementia, but that means that my father in law can’ t leave the house unless someone comes over to stay with my MIL. So every other Sunday my sister in law comes over and stays with her so that he can go to church.
Would that be a possibility for you friend with the autistic daughter. Would friends be able to take turns staying with her on Sunday morning so your friend could go to church?
Or what about hosting a Bible study in your home so that your husband could participate but still be able to be as comfortable as possible?
It is during these times that I am especially thankful for the internet because you can listen to great preaching online.
I will pray that you and your friend find meaningful fellowship despite difficult circumstances.
These are really great ideas Jen!! Thank you so much.
also, very very sorry to hear about your mother-in-law. Praying
I feel torn about the idea of church as an institution. The church of the Bible is no different than the body of Christ. Sure people met together to learn, grow, fellowship and help one another. This is a wonderful example of the church. I don’t, however, see the need to attend an official church facility in order to grow. My parents were missionaries and there often were no churches near enough to travel to on a regular basis. That did not stop their faith from learning and growing in their faith, neither did it stop them from fellowshipping with other believers. A church facility can be a safe haven for many people, but I do not believe it to be a necessity in any way. I also believe that this week’s SOAP scriptures prove this to be true – they promote exactly the same things as living in community with the body of Christ as a whole – there is no real difference. People are people. The point is to be supportively (and peaceably) living alongside other believers (and people in general). We also need to be studying God’s word together and praying for one another. This can be done outside of church facilities and is sometimes even easier to do outside of a facility.
Cara, I thought a lot about your point of view while studying today. I just wanted to share my opinion, if you don’t mind. I think that if you want to get really technical, there might not be a Biblical mandate to be involved in a local church building on a weekly basis. However, there are many commands, suggestions, encouragements from the Scriptures and I wonder how feasible it is to be doing all these things outside the context of a local church body:
Listening to teaching
Fellowship
Breaking of bread (communion)
Prayer together and for one another
Participating in good deeds together
Meeting together
Using your Spiritual Gifts
Giving financially to those who preach and teach the gospel (1 Timothy 5:17)
It is biblical to appoint elders, overseers & deacons in each town, according to Paul
So, in order to be a biblical Christian, you would have to find other Believers who you are doing these things with, and then, doesn’t that become a local church? A local church can meet anywhere: in a park, in a home, in a building. Our church meets in an art gallery… It can be any size of group: 3 people meeting in a home on a weekly basis would constitute a local church, in my opinion! So, if you feel like you are consistently doing the above things outside of a large church building, then I believe you are a biblical Christian. But the local church, when it is healthy and following Christ as it’s head, is pretty much the perfect place to do all of these things consistently. That’s just my opinion! God bless you however you are involved in His family. 🙂
Sara,
Thank you for speaking up! I liked what you said about a healthy church being the perfect place to consistently do all the items you listed, which are definitely Biblical! I definitely agree with that point of view. I live in a small area with a small number of churches, none of which I have found to be healthy for various reasons. I participate in each of the items you listed outside the context of a church facility, however.
I learn via sermon podcasts, book and online studies (such as LGG) and personal Bible study.
I make a point to meet regularly with other believers for fellowship over the phone, in person, through email, facetime, texting, etc. throughout each day and week. Our family also regularly has couples and families over for meals and other activities – both Christians and non.
We regularly participate in activities with other believers and work together with others to meet people’s needs.
We financially support various missionaries and people in need.
My husband and I are both on good terms with a number of church leaders and elders in the area, with whom we fellowship and support prayerfully. We also defer to their guidance in a number of areas.
I suppose my only hesitance about church attendance, in the post here, is really the idea that there is no other way to be a “good Christian” without attending a local church facility and participating in various church programs. Thank you for reading through and being so encouraging! May God bless you as well! 🙂
Cara, I personally have difficulty attending church physically because of illness. I use to be apart of several service teams at our local church but I attend now via their podcasts, being on the prayer team (they email me the requests) etc. I fellowship online with other believers – to keep me accountable and for encouragement. So those count for my ‘church’ so to speak. Thank you for sharing with us today. I really enjoyed reading your post and Sara’s reply.
Blessings,
Martha, ‘LGG Leadership Team’
Sara,
Thank you for your thoughtful reply! <3
Blessings,
Martha, 'LGG Leadership Team'
I am not receiving these lessons in my inbox anymore. I did get them for the first couple of weeks then nothing. I have to come to the website now. Is there a way I can receive them again? Also I will be leading group of ladies, starting tonight, from day one. I am hoping to still have access to these lessons and videos through the end of March or first of April. Is that possible? I love this study and look forward to sharing it with others. Forgive me for leaving this kind of message here but I can not seem to get a message to anyone about this. I’ve tried other contacts on the site. Thank you for your ministry.
Tori, Please email [email protected] so that Martha can check on your subscription for the blog updates. She will also be able to send you a facilitator enrollment form so that you have access to graphics, etc.
Blessings, Amy A (LGG Encourager)
Sigh….there is no good local non-denominational church in my community. I’ve contemplated attending the local United Church of Christ because my son has friends who attend that church and I’m friendly with that friend’s mom. BUT they are accepting of the homosexual lifestyle, which I do not believe in whatsoever. My son has been attending their Youth Group after the dodgeball activity that’s held at the same church…because his friends all do…they don’t promote the gay lifestyle at that level AFAIK.
Same with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in my community…didn’t they just elect an openly gay Bishop? I was born & raised Roman Catholic but for various reasons, I don’t believe the same as they do any longer.
There is a Church of God in my town that IS very conservative but I don’t know anyone who goes there. And that’s a big thing with me…to know someone who already attends that specific church.
Kelly, It is hard when you are in an area with no like-minded believers. Praying that the Lord provides you courage to step out in finding a congregation. It is hard to walk into complete unknown.
Blessings, Amy A (LGG Encourager)
Amy,
My family and I have been attending a small church for almost 4 years. Our lives were changed by God and He led us there to be ministered to. We have been there ever since. I have a issue as of late. I am not seeing growth or love like the one prescribed in the Word. I have lacked in many areas and my faith low. God has been faithful in teaching and growing me through my weaknesses. The church we are in has been apart of this to an extent. I started seeing a lack though.
When I email or text my pastors, they dont always respond back. I have a hard time with this and I have to say I am hurt. It seems like every time I am asked to open myself to them and trust them with my heart, they do something that instantly breaks that. Like not answering my text message or email. So, help please! God is using this plan and what’s happening at church though to show me that He is all I need.
I need help finding the spiritual gift test in english. I have it in spanish, but need it in english, too. I´m unable to find it on the pinterest site of yours. Can you send it to my gmail? for some reason, it only let me type it in capital letters, but my email is in lowercase.
thanks for your help….