"Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her to sanctify her, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to Himself as a glorious church, without stain or wrinkle or any such blemish, but holy and blameless."
Ephesians 5:25-27
Over the years I’ve heard lots of people say, “I don’t have to go to church to be a Christian.” While that is 100% true, my reply is, “Do you have to go home to be married?”
See, going to church doesn’t make anyone a Christian, but NOT faithfully participating in Gospel community and Jesus’ Great Commission directly as a functioning member of His Body & Bride, i.e. not being the Church, most certainly demonstrates one is NOT a Christian. TV Evangelists and prosperity preachers have been lying to people for decades. Personal salvation isn’t the goal and never was.
King Jesus said, “He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters.” It’s about identification. That’s what baptism symbolizes… but few churches understand or teach that.
The book of Hebrews reveals, “Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”
The book of Revelation states, “…For the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready. She was given clothing of fine linen, bright and pure.” For the fine linen she wears is the righteous acts of the saints.
And Christ told a parable, foreshadowing the wedding banquet of the Lamb, saying, “But when the king came in to see the guests, he spotted a man who was not dressed in wedding clothes. ‘Friend,’ he asked, ‘how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But the man was speechless. Then the king told the servants, ‘Tie him hand and foot, and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Going to church doesn’t make anyone a Christian, but rejecting the Word of God certainly exposes we’re not His tribe and family.
King Jesus said, “There is a judge for the one who rejects Me and does not receive My words: The word that I have spoken will judge him on the last day.” And that judgment will look like this: “But to the cowardly and unbelieving and abominable and murderers and sexually immoral and manipulators, idolaters and all liars, their place will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur. This is the second death.”
Saying, “I don’t go because churches are full of hypocrites” is the most hypocritical thing anyone can say. There aren’t any perfect people, so get comfortable with all of us hypocrites who are still works-in-progress. Hopefully, you find a church family where they extend that same kind of grace to you too.
Blessings,
Kevin M. Kelley 🕺
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