The church has become a very controversial body. Many people, especially the young ones, are shying away from church, and this is fueled by a lot of bad news and negative experiences people have had in churches, especially with men of God, church members, or the church as an institution. I would like to talk about the impact of the church, and then I will share how the church has positively impacted my life.
The Bible says in Hebrews 10:25, “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.” The Bible admonishes us not to forsake the gathering of ourselves as believers. The church came about as a result of people meeting together to worship, pray, exhort, and praise God. It is usually led by a pastor or leader who has one of the fivefold ministry gifts or someone who is zealous for Jesus Christ. Ephesians 4:11 says, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers.” Once the Bible tells you not to abandon the gathering of the saints, then there must be a very good reason why it says so. I will share a few reasons why it is important to always be in the presence or gathering of believers.
The first reason why it is important to be in the presence of saints is to grow your faith, know the word of God and understand the ways of the Lord. It is okay to have encounters with the Lord Jesus alone, but God will always direct you to a person or a group of people to help you grow and mature in your spirituality. When Paul met Jesus Christ on his way to Damascus, Jesus could have told him everything he needed to know, but instead, God directed him to go into Damascus, where the rest of the encounter would unfold. God first sent Ananias to heal him from blindness and, secondly, to baptize him. After that, Paul joined the disciples in Damascus to learn more about the faith and receive in-depth teaching of the Word of God. The Bible says in Acts 9:19, “So when he had received food, he was strengthened. Then Saul spent some days with the disciples at Damascus.” Spending time with the disciples gave him more insight into the Word of God and the walk with God.
A lot of us need to spend time with other disciples in order to understand the Word of God and the walk of faith. Right after spending days with the disciples, Paul was empowered and began to preach the gospel. Spending time with other believers can help grow your faith, help you understand your own encounters better, and give you more insight into the Christian faith. Seeing and hearing other people’s encounters also increases your faith so you know your encounters are not a figment of your imagination. Also, there are many questions you may have about the faith that you can find answers to in the company of believers.
Secondly, the Bible says in Proverbs 11:14, “Where there is no counsel, the people fall; But in the multitude of counselors there is safety.” When you find yourself in a Bible-believing church with a good eldership, you can find safety in their midst. Life is full of decisions, and receiving counsel from the wrong person can derail your entire life and destiny. Therefore, it is critical to surround yourself with believers who make biblically sound decisions and decisions led by the Holy Spirit. When you have to make certain decisions you’re unsure about, they can assist you through spiritual guidance, counselling and confirmation. A boxer is only as good as the lessons they receive from their coaches. In this walk of life, you need to be among coaches (spiritual leaders) who will help you navigate life’s journey. This is why church is important.
Thirdly, you need to be among believers so you can grow and sharpen your spiritual gifts (1 Corinthians 12) and the fruits of the Spirit together. “Iron sharpens iron,” and you need a group of believers to help you develop the unique gift God has given you. Also, in the presence of the brethren, you can grow the fruits of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22–23 says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law.” You cannot grow these fruits in isolation, but among the brethren, you are tested and shaped. The church is a perfect institution ordained by God, but the characters in the church are striving toward perfection. Hence, the many contentions, envy, and strife in church, but it is still the perfect place to test and grow your fruits of the Spirit such as love, joy, peace, self-control, and long-suffering. Imagine this: someone who gossiped about you in church comes back the following week, sits next to you, and urgently needs financial help. How do you respond? Do you become so angry that you refuse to speak to them? True love is tested in such moments. Because of love, you choose to let go of the offense, sit beside them, and show them kindness, regardless of how they treated you. That is the love Christ calls us to walk in.
I could state many more reasons why we need to go to church. Let me add one more: we go to church to be infected with the good behavior and values of the Lord. If evil company corrupts, then a good company builds up. We see in the book of Acts that the apostles were always in the company of believers in every town they visited. They strengthened each other.
My Church Experience
My experience with church is that I barely went or took it seriously until the year 2017. I was introduced to a charismatic church called Word Faith Chapel, where I currently serve as a branch pastor at the Pantang Branch (WFC Refuge of Grace Assembly ). When I joined the church, I barely read the Bible, prayed occasionally, and had no proper understanding of Jesus and the walk with God.
The first thing that happened when I joined was that, for the first time, I could now understand the sermons preached by the pastor. He broke down the Word of God in a way I could understand. Secondly, I became infected with their love for spiritual disciplines which includes long hours of prayer, the pastor’s personal love for the Word, and the love for souls. Immediately, I decided I wanted to be like everyone there, so I began to emulate all the great characteristics of the church. This helped me grow immensely, and with the help of the Holy Spirit, I couldn’t get enough of the God the pastor spoke about every Friday night and Sunday morning.
Within a span of three and a half years, I was commissioned to start the church’s first branch. I believe all this happened so fast because God led me to the church, just like He led Cornelius to Peter. Then I also made a conscious effort to focus on God and my personal walk with Him. Many people become discouraged because they are always finding faults with the church. Jesus is the Lord of the Church, and the day you shift your focus from Him, you will become bitter and quick to leave the church. Then you stay home and sing the song, “The Spirit dwells in me; I do not need to go to church.”
I pray for anyone who is bitter and does not want to go to church. May God heal your heart, and may you receive direction to a church God has ordained for you. You can also reach out to me so we can talk:
📧 iraindolf@gmail.com
📱 WhatsApp: +233 244 636 555
