To love God and love people to Jesus

There are a lot of people who subscribe to the notion that "you don't have to go to church every Sunday to be a good Christian." And they are absolutely right. You can cultivate your relationship with Jesus Christ totally on your own, and even share His love with others without ever setting foot inside of a church. But people who feel that way are missing out on SO much that they don't even realize.

 

I used to use that saying all the time. In college, I went to the Well fairly regularly, but I hardly ever went to church on Sundays. And even when I went to the Well, I wasn't growing. I was going for an hour and a half, listening to some loud Jesus music and an amazing speaker, then going home and letting it end there. I wasn't sharing what I was learning with others, or gaining new perspectives from other Christians. I was punching my Christian punch card and leaving it at the door.

 

I understand this idea that churches can be narrow-minded, off-putting places. I really do. There are certain beliefs in my own church that I don't necessarily agree with. But that's the beauty of it; I don't have to agree. I can go to church, learn about the way others believe and why. I can share my experiences with them, where my beliefs stem from, and we can learn from one another and grow. You are going to run into narrow-minded, off-putting people all over the place, so why would that stop you from going to church? If you go to one that doesn't welcome you, don't go back. Church is meant to be a loving place where we (as FLBC puts it) love God and love people to Jesus.

 

So like I said, you can be a Christian without going to church. You can even be a "good" Christian (whatever that means). But I think we are meant to gather together to celebrate Christ. We grow so much more than we realize when we surround ourselves with like-minded people. When we have other people who care about our walk, who are there to pray for us, to lift us up, we create this powerful community of believers that work together like a family. God is going to sustain you, but give Him the chance to work through others to do so. When He gets the opportunity to connect us, big things happen. God can move in so many more ways when we give Him the chance.