The Church (Part 3)

We also develop the character of Christ through bearing with one another in the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:2 "With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love..."

How else will we grow spiritually unless we interact with other believers? We learn humility, gentleness and patience, developing the character of Christ as we relate within the body of Christ.

-In the body of Christ we exercise our spiritual gifts to serve and minister to one another-1 Peter 4:10; 1 Thessalonians 5:11; James 5:16 

We will discover a satisfying sense of fulfillment when we begin to carry out our purpose in the body of Christ. We are the ones who miss out on all the blessings of God and the gifts of our "family members," if we choose not to be a part of Christ's body.

God has placed us into the body of Christ for our own protection and blessing. Just like every earthly family, it's not always fun. We don't always have warm and fuzzy feelings in the body. There are difficult and unlovely moments as we grow together as a family, but there are also blessings that we will never experience unless we become relational and connected in the body of Christ.

Jesus went to church as a regular practice. Luke 4:16 says, "He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom." (NIV) It was his custom—his regular practice—to go to church. The Message Bible puts it like this, "As he always did on the Sabbath, he went to the meeting place." If Jesus made it a priority to meet together with other believers, shouldn't we, as his followers, do so also?

Resolution

So, if you are disillusioned with church, perhaps the problem is not "church in general," but rather the type of churches you have experienced thus far. Have you done an exhaustive search to find a good church? Perhaps you have never attended a healthy, balanced Christian church? They really do exist. I would encourage you not to give up, but continue to search for a Christ-centered, biblically-balanced church. But as you search, remember also, churches are imperfect. They are full of flawed people. However, we can't let other people's mistakes keep us from a genuine relationship with God and all of the blessings he has planned for us as we relate within his body.