I need the church because I am naturally spiritually lazy and there is accountability and godly routine to corporate worship and being part of a fellowship. I need the church because I can easily deceive myself and I need other brothers and sisters to speak truth into my life. I need the church because people in the church have spiritual gifts I do not have . . . but gifts I desperately need to be healthy. I need the church because I have gifts that others in the Church family need to be healthy and complete.
I need the church because The Church is Jesus’ plan and his idea for how to grow and do ministry. I need the church because I am lonely without her fellowship. I need the church because other Christians sometimes irritate me and I need to work through the challenging relationships and frustrations that “life together” affords, much like a rough gem needs to be polished with abrasive agents.
I need the church because we can do more to change the world together than we can individually. I think this is called synergy: “Synergy is the creation of a whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.”
I need the church so I am able to join in corporate praise and worship, the Lord’s Supper, Baptism, preaching of the Word, prayers of the people, etc. I need the church to have a “storehouse” to bring my tithe and to be sure that widows and orphans are taken care of by the Body of Christ. I need the church because history has shown that people who are free floaters invariably get off track and into spiritual foolishness.
I need the church. What about you? Why do you need the church?
Dr R. Quigg Lawrence is the Senior Pastor at Church of the Holy Spirit located at 6011 Merriman Road in Roanoke. Visit them on the web at www.coths.org
