Can You Be Close to God Without Attending Church?

We know that our relationship with God is personal, one on one.  The church can supplement and help that but we can go directly to God without depending on a local church. There are many today who have stopped attending church. Some have stopped because of Covid, others because they’ve been hurt by someone or something in a church and others who disagree with something that happened in a church.  The number of those claiming to be Christians but don’t want anything to do with a local church are growing.  They say they love Jesus but not the church.

The truth is, though, we need the church to be all we can be as a Christian. Jesus calls the church “MY” church (Matthew 16:13-19).  We belong to Christ. The church belongs to Christ. If we distance ourselves from that which is His, we distance ourself from He who is the Head of the church.

Many say they are leaving the church but not their faith. When there is no church available, as is true in some parts of the world today, God sustains them in His own special way. But for places that have a functioning Church body, He works through it to provide for many of their needs.

God gifts each Christian in a unique way. Our gifts are to be used to minister to other Christians. Thus we need to be with other Christians for them to be of use. My gift of teaching does not function when I am alone. It is not given for me to teach myself but to teach others. We all need others with different gifts to find fullness in the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:12-14).

As Christians, we should have a desire to fellowship and connect with other Christians. Those in the family of God should love to get together with their family members. We are all One in Christ.

Church involvement can be messy and difficult because the church is made up of other imperfect human beings.  But withdrawing from them and trying to make it on our own is not God’s way.  If you are Christian, you are part of the Body of Christ.  He is the Head and we are His Body.  We need other Christians and they need us. It’s the way God created it to be.

Hebrews 10:235 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Are you involved in a local church?  What are you doing to help strengthen your local Body of Christ?  Are you using your spiritual gifts to minister to others?  Are you allowing them to minister to you?

INDIA UPDATE & PRAYER REQUEST:  Yohan and his wife healed from sickness and accepted the Lord and God called them from catching fishing and now they are preaching and teaching in their own people group who lives on the edges of rivers and canals in the east coast of AP .  They have two children.  We are training them for reaching their own people for Christ, appreciate your prayers.  See their pictures below.

 

cto Rev. Dr. JERRY SCHMOYER

Christian Training Organization 

Jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org

ChristianTrainingOnline.org

(India Outreach, Spiritual Warfare, Family Ministries, Counseling, World View)

Copyright © 2022

 

C t O Rev. Dr. JERRY SCHMOYER
Christian Training Organization
jerry@ChristianTrainingOrganization.org
| ChristianTrainingOnline.org
(India Outreach, Spiritual Warfare, Family Ministries, Counseling, World View) Copyright ©1995-2024