I.  Introduction

    A. Understanding This Topic

         1. When I say I need the church, am I saying that I cannot be saved without the church? After all, doesn’t God call us individually to serve Him and not as a group? Don’t I stand alone before God at judgment, not with the group of Christians I associated with in the church? Shouldn’t I be able to stand alone for God NOW?

         2. ABSOLUTELY! We will be judged individually and even if all fell away we could stand alone for God. But let me explain what ROLE the church plays in our standing before God, because it is vital.

    B. There are three reasons why I need the church.

         1. Because I need to learn to be like Christ

         2. Because we all need edification, and

         3. Because we have a God-given job to do together.

II. What Is the Church?

God’s designed the church purposefully. In other words, He planned for it, gave direction for its organization, and placed Jesus at the head of it. “So then you are... of God’s household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” (Ephesians 2:19-22, emphasis added). The church is God’s household, God’s design.

Note the description of the church given in Ephesians 4:4-6. This text gives a picture of the goal and function of the church.

    A. One Body (a description of the church - see Colossians 1:18). Why does God describe the church as a “body”?

         1. One reason is because a body has many different parts that have many different roles. So the church is composed of many different people with many different roles/functions/strengths.

         2. Another reason is because, although there are many members in a body, all of the members work together. For example, if your body walks across the room all of the members work together to accomplish this, even members not directly involved in the action.

         3. And finally, all of the members working together do so toward a common goal. The head gives the direction and all the members coordinate their efforts to accomplish the goal the head has specified. So it is in the church, all the members of the church work together to accomplish God’s will.

    B. One Goal/Means (Ephesians 4:4-6 says there is one hope, the goal, and one faith, the means to the goal). The church works toward the goal of heaven with God and ultimately will reach that goal as those in the church live by faith.

    C. One Source (Ephesians 4:4-6 says there is one Lord, one Spirit, and one God). These three make up the godhead (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), they all are the source of our salvation through the word of God working in us as we follow it.

    D. One Entrance (Ephesians 4:4-6 mentions the one baptism which is the entrance into the body - 1 Corinthians 12:13 - “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body...”). When we are baptized our sins are washed away and we are now part of the body of Christ (the church).

    E. Lessons from God’s Design

         1. He set it up this way for a REASON. There is a purpose behind Christians working together toward a common goal.

         2. When we are baptized, like it or not, we then have a responsibility IN the church of which we are now members. Once we give our lives to God we MUST think of others, God designed it this way for our good.

III.     Why I Need the Church

    A. Because I Need to Learn (Ephesians 4:11 gives a list of men who were leaders in the church but who also modeled what it meant to be a servant of God and others.)

         1. One who is a servant in the church will have the qualities listed in Ephesians 4:2: Humility, Gentleness, Patience, Forbearance, and Love.

         2. 

The book of Colossians also contains a list of Christian qualities (Colossians 3:12-14). To the list from above add: Compassion, Kindness, Bearing With One Another, and Forgiving.

         3. The book of Philippians also contains a list of Christian qualities (Philippians 2:1-4). To the above lists add:

              a. Encouragement, which means literally “calling along side to help” implying that Christians should provide encouragement by example and interaction with others.

              b. Consolation, which literally means “talking closely with others” which describes the type of relationship we have with each other.

              c.  Fellowship, meaning “working together to do God’s will”.

              d. Affection, meaning literally “bowels or inward parts” implying a true care for and closeness with others.

              e. Compassion, and

              f.  Thinking of others as more important than ourselves.

         4. Look at these lists closely. ALL of the attributes a Christian is to have in these lists are connected with how we interact with OTHERS.

              a. In the church we learn, through our continued relationships with others, how to develop these critical qualities.

              b. Jesus’ example of these qualities is found in Philippians 2:5-8. He went to the cross for US, for all those who rebelled against Him, including those who were crucifying Him.

         5. Sometimes our excuses for NOT being part of the church center around the failures of those in the church. We say things like, “There are hypocrites in the church, I don’t want to be part of that!” or maybe we say, “They didn’t treat me right,” or “They didn’t say ‘hi’ or visit me,” etc. These may all be true (even the apostles, at times, displayed some of these negative qualities).

              a. But how else will I learn forbearance unless there is something to bear with? How will I learn patience unless there are those who are displaying an improper attitude? How will I learn to forgive unless there are those who have sinned against me? How will I learn to love unless there are those that challenge my definition of being “lovable”? Why would we even be commanded to display these attitudes if God’s view was, “If there are any hypocrites in the church, get out”?

                   (1)  I’m not saying the church SHOULD have in it hypocrites and people with the wrong attitude and those struggling with sin, but these failures DO occur in others and in ourselves and so we must LEARN to react the same way God has reacted to our rebellion against Him, with love and care.

                   (2)  A good example of this principle is in raising children. There are times when our children are rebellious or hypocritical, or times when they do not appreciate what we do for them, or times when they say or do things to hurt us. However, even with all of this we realize our responsibility as parents and, because of our love for our children, work to help them and encourage them and teach them. In the process we practice and learn qualities of forbearance, kindness, forgiveness, patience, and love.

         6. I need the church because I, through my responsibility to help others and in my love for them, develop much needed qualities.

    B. 

Because We All Need to Give and Receive Edification (In Ephesians 4:12-16 we are told the purpose and goal of the church: to “equip” each other, to “edify” each other, and to help each other reach maturity in Christ.)

         1. Sometimes we say something like, “I don’t need the church, I am doing fine on my own!” Some of the more cynical have even said, “The church is for the weak who need to lean on others for strength.” We can study the Bible at home and we can pray to God at home and therefore may feel as though the church is unnecessary.

              a. It may very well be true that I am doing great right now and that I don’t need the encouragement from others to serve God... right now. But we all need edification and encouragement sometimes. At times life catches up to us and we begin to struggle with the pressures and may be tempted to give in to sin, it happens to all of us, eventually we will need some encouragement.

              b. However, if we merely think about our own strength and whether or not we need the church based upon how strong we are then we are not viewing the church from the proper perspective. The church is NOT about ME and MY strength and MY encouragement. I should not judge the church based on what it does for ME. Instead, the church is about what I can do for OTHERS.

                   (1)  What if Jesus had the attitude of, “I’m only concerned about how things affect ME!” Of course things would have been much different. Philippians 2:5-8 begins with “have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Jesus...” He demonstrated for us an attitude of selfLESSness, a complete and total care and concern for others. This is the attitude with which we need to view the church. I need to ask, “What can I do to help them grow?”

                   (2)  Paul uses the body as a metaphor to make this point in 1 Corinthians 12. The body functions as a result of all of the members working together toward a common goal or purpose. One member of the body (for instance, an eye) should not get so caught up in its own strength or ability and forget that all of the OTHER members are important in their function and purpose too. All of the members need the other members or else their purpose and function is useless.

         2. The writer of Hebrews mentions the importance of the church in Hebrews 10:24-25, “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.” We help each other do what is right when we assemble with each other. We need to be thinking of others and how to help them grow closer to God.

    C. 

Because We Have a God-Given Job to Do (In Ephesians 6:18-20 Paul requests of the brethren that they pray for him and his work in reaching out to those who do not know Christ. In this he is expressing how the church must work together to reach the lost.)

         1. When we lose sight of the GOAL of the church then the church becomes unimportant! The church has a mission given to it by God, let’s not forget that we work together to bring others closer to God.

         2. How great it is to be saved. When we are baptized our sins are washed away and we begin a wonderful relationship with God. What a wonderful day, we are excited about our new-found peace, we tell our friends, our life has meaning, and our troubles seem to shrink because we look at life from a SPIRITUAL perspective.

              a. The REALITY of life is: Life will end all-too-soon. We better be ready for that day.

              b. In 2 Peter 3:9 and 1 Timothy 2:4 we read that God desires all men to be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. This is one reason why God designed the church, to help others come to know Him too.

              c.  The church is here to work together to reach lost souls. Let’s remember we have a job to do, together.                                                                                                                                      

IV.     Conclusion

    A. I Need the church

         1. For ME - so I can learn to be like Christ

         2. So I can help YOU grow closer to God

         3. So WE can work together to reach those who need God too

    B. Take some time to find a church near you that you can be a part of and work with. Become a member of God’s church today.