We ALL need a local church, an assembly of believers, We need a pastor, strong men and godly families. Titus 2/Prvb 31 women…People to pray with, to share with, to worship with. We need to be faithful to that assembly. Support it with our prayer, our finances, and our attendance. Those people need to depend on us; God expects that of us. This is a 2-way street. Jesus cannot be Lord when we disregard his word, when we refuse to be part of his body on a local level.
God Commands us to assemble, to submit to Biblical Authority, we need Pastors, Elders, Decons, Teachers, Apostles, Prophets, and Evangelist. Cant find that on the internet.… cant do church online. Church is not a spectator sport, it requires participation and accountability.
The Bible teaches for us to dissemble is a sin. Its not good for man to be alone. Our family is not the church. Our families are part of the church. Woven together, dependent on one another. This is clear teaching, and the pattern set by God.
When we do not have a pastor, when we do not have a local assembly, we are out of the will of God. Full Stop 🛑
The reasons given for leaving a church are never really the reason. They are the excuses. We leave because of immaturity, lack of forgiveness, carnal thinking and worldly living. Most of all we leave because we are selfish. We want our own way. We want God in our image, a church built our way. I know that stings; but it is the absolute truth. 35 years in the Ministry… 25 of those Pastoring, and I have never seen anyone make it without a commitment to the local church. There is no commitment to Jesus Christ without a commitment to His body; the church.
I have on the other hand watched many people reject the local body, get offended, get upset and walk away from their brothers and sisters in Christ… I have yet to see that produce anything but a train wreck. Divorce, bankruptcy, bitterness, children that no longer darken the door of a church, who waste their lives in a wanton pursuit of sin. One generation away from the local body of Christ is not a pretty sight. Time does not look favorably on those that go it alone.
We dont repent today, we just change churches, and when we do that enough, we are no longer teachable, and therefore unreachable. Those that leave their church will most likely leave their next one also, those that come with an “Issue” will leave with one. Until we lay broken at the cross of Christ our entire walk with God will just be a shopping trip.
Find a church, a book of Acts church. Make it your home generationally. Raise your children in it, follow its godly teachings, commit to your place there. Submit to the ministry there. Invest your time, your finances and your future there. Love the people there. Let it be where they do your baptism, your wedding and your funeral. Let your presence become a memorial there to future generations. Find your necessary food on a weekly basis in its sermons… invest yourself into it, spend your life there. God has no potted plants, grow roots!
If you are looking for a First Century Church, you will find Cedar Hill to be one… straight out of the book. But if its not a good fit, you still need to find one. Our doors are open to anyone. Come experience Jesus, Come be a part, we welcome you, embrace you, and will stand by you, no matter what. A beautiful building downtown @ 3036 Carney Ave in Marinette and a 130 acre event center/ Family retreat in Wallace MI.
CHM.Church