When You Wonder WhySample

Community: Life Together

None of us are meant to live the Christian life alone. First Corinthians 12 says we are all members of one body, baptized in one Spirit. We all need one another. An ear or thumb or face can’t function on its own.

Maybe you’re wondering why you need to attend church in person when there are so many other ways to hear God’s Word. Today, we can stream church services, listen to podcasts and follow our favorite pastors online without ever stepping into an actual service.

While online resources are good, they don’t measure up to being together in person. You are meant to be known fully. In the age of online connection, it’s easy to present only our best selves to the world, but church is meant to be a family who accepts you and walks with you in your problems and pain as well as your successes and joys.

Relationships also provide accountability. Proverbs 27:17 says we sharpen one another like iron sharpens iron. We help each other when we’re veering off God’s path, and we encourage one another as we grow in faith.

If we’re only reading and watching what interests us, it’s easy to let our faith become self-serving; it’s all about what we like and the content we want to consume. But when we are a part of a local church community, we might find ourselves spending time with people we wouldn’t normally spend time with or serving in ways we might not have envisioned ourselves serving. Then, our faith is no longer just about us but about the God who has united us in Christ and is leading us by his Holy Spirit to join in his work in the world.