Who Needs Church? Part 1

Have you ever heard a Christian say something like, "I don't need to go to church, my relationship with God is my own." Or maybe something like this, "my church is whenever I'm hanging out with other people who love Jesus."  If you've never heard something along those lines, prepare yourself because you will.  Twice this past week I heard that exact line of thinking.  Both individuals used the same biblical proof text and both proposed radical critiques of the church today.  While I agree that there are some problems with the church today that need to be addressed, the solution that these individuals proposed was, I believe, outside the bounds of God's Word. Over the next few posts I want to ask and hopefully answer the questions, what are the components that make up the church, and what should we look for in a church?

Before we get into the discussion, let me define a couple of terms to bring clarity.  We must understand what is meant by "the church."  First, there is the "universal" church, which is made up of all of the believers throughout all of history.  If you follow Christ, you are a part of the universal church.  Second, there is the "local" church.  The universal church cannot all gather and meet together... obviously!  So, God's people meet together in the form of local congregations.  You may be apart of the universal church without being involved in the local church.  It is the concept of the local church that is being challenged in our day.

Perhaps it would be best to unpack one of the arguments against the local church and provide you with the proof text that is often used.  Essentially, the argument is attacking the "institutionalized" church.  There is a strong reaction against formal gatherings and structure that involve leadership and oversight.  There is less emphasis on teaching and understanding God's Word, and more emphasis on doing and living life like Jesus.  Many times, there is a de-emphasizing of doctrine and an over emphasis on social reform and good deeds.  Please understand that this is a generalization of one of the arguments and it may not be accurate to paint everyone with the same brush. 

Often, they argue that the institutionalized church is unbiblical on the basis of Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”  While this may sound good, it is loaded with problems.  This may actually be the most miss used, ripped out of context verse in the entire New Testament.  Turn to Matthew 18 and read the entire chapter... it's about church discipline and reconciliation of a sinning brother!  This verse has nothing to do with defining what does or does not make up a church.  Besides, is God not with us when we are alone?  According to Scripture, every believer has the Holy Spirit dwelling inside them, they've been sealed (2 Cor. 1:22).  In Matthew 18, Christ is dealing with putting an unrepentant, professing Christian out of the church.  He is establishing His agreement with the decision made by those who have gone through the painstaking process of seeking repentance and reconciliation with no results.

Can we call it a church, "where two or three are gathered," or does God's Word give us the criteria and components that must be present to call  a gathering of believers a church?  Hopefully you can see that you and your friends hanging out at a pub, playing video games in your basement, meeting for coffee or having a friendly chat about Jesus is not church.  In my next post we'll look to God's Word to give us the necessary criteria and components for His church.

For His Glory,

Ian