Do I need to go to church?
This question is rather like asking, ‘Can you be married and not live together?’ The answer, of course, is ‘yes’ but there is something wrong with a marriage which is in such a state.
A Christian is someone who has turned from his or her sin to put his or her faith in Christ who died for sin and rose again as conqueror over sin, death and the devil. Christ is both Lord and Saviour of a real Christian.
When someone truly trusts Christ, God gives spiritual life. Many things are changed when a person is converted, but basically the Christian has a relationship with God that is real and deep. A real believer will want to meet with others who trust Christ. Christians are great to be with because their love for the Lord, as well as their genuine and growing concern for others.
Christian worship is exhilarating if it comes from the heart of people who are thrilled by God Himself and all that He has done. To listen to somebody who loves Christ, teaching the Bible to those who are keen to grow in their knowledge of God, is not dry or boring but exiting. The Bible teaches that God inhabits the praises of His people. To be in a place where God is loved and honoured is a delight and joy to a real Christian. If you do not experience this, perhaps there is something wrong with your Church, or maybe you have never really trusted Christ as Saviour and Lord.
But can I be a Christian without joining a local church?
Yes, it is possible. It is something like being a student who will not go to school, a soldier who will not join an army, a citizen who does not pay taxes or vote, a salesman with no customers, an explorer with no base camp, a seaman on a ship without a crew, a businessman on a desert island, an author without readers, a tuba player without an orchestra, a parent without a family, a football player without a team, a politician who is a hermit, a scientist who does not share is findings, a bee without a hive.
So you need to go to church if you want to grow as a Christian, but going to church never made anyone a Christian.
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