Rooted - Why is the Church Important?

Read:

Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.
~Romans 12:9-16

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
~Hebrews 10:23-25 (NLT)

Consider:

Why is the church important? For me, there are so many different answers to this question. I grew up in a church family and I associate that family with so many shared experiences. Joy…laughter…sorrow…loss…pain…even more joy… Church was a place where I belonged.

To belong. The Merriam-Webster dictionary defines belong as, “to be attached or bound by birth, allegiance, or dependency”. When we accepted Jesus as Lord and were baptized, we were born again into God’s family. We belong to the family of God. As part of God’s family, we are called to “attach” ourselves to a local family of believers, found in the local church. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we depend each other! We need each other! God has uniquely gifted each of us and He calls us to use those gifts to serve each other. I need what only you have to offer. You need what only I have to offer. We need each other!

The passage from Romans above reminds us of how we are to serve each other:

Be devoted to one another in love
Honor one another above yourselves
Share with those in need
Practice hospitality
Rejoice with each other
Mourn with each other
Live in harmony

In other words…live life together! How can we live life together if we don’t spend time together? We need to get to know each other…learn each other’s stories. As we develop a relationship with each other, we can support each other through love and encouragement. When I am weak, my church family comes alongside of me and supports me and gives me their strength to persevere. When I see someone else struggling, I can offer a word of encouragement and remind them of how much God loves them.

We are on a beautiful journey together. We walk side by side through this life which God has blessed us. We hold each other’s hands so that when one of us stumbles, others can lift us up and help us on our way to a more beautiful life awaiting us with Jesus.

Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.
~Hebrews 10:23-25 (NLT)

Pray:

Jesus…thank you for my beautiful church family. You know how much I need them. Help us all to not neglect gathering together as a family. Help us to encourage and motivate each other to live lives that honor and glorify you…

Today’s post was written by Michele Barnes.

Michele is married to the love of her life, Jeff. She has 3 grown children and 1 very sweet grandson! Most days you can find Michele laughing with good friends, working with numbers, writing, or working with women. In the evenings, she enjoys spending time in a few creative outlets like creative lettering, drawing, and pottery. She loves snuggling with her dog, Tebow, and reading. But her most recent passion is snuggling with her sweet, grandson and gazing at his precious face and bright smile! You can find her most weekends worshiping at our Real Life Clermont campus.

Rooted – Why is the Church Important?

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