Why Church?
Updated: May 14, 2025
Many followers of Jesus have heard this scripture: “not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is….” We do well to heed this command. Yet it is important that we understand why this is necessary, or we will too easily find reasons to disregard it.
Jesus and others throughout the New Testament used the Greek word ekklesia (usually translated “church”) to refer to an assembly of believers. The Apostle Paul wrote that the ekklesia is Christ’s body in the earth, where Jesus is the head of that body.
These days we often refer to “church” as a place where believers gather, but nowhere in the Bible does this word refer to any building. We may join an established group of believers by some official membership, but all we need to join the body of Christ is to be born into the family (See Why Born Again?). So in one sense, we are all the ekklesia, but in the usual Bible usage of the word, we really can’t fulfill this command without an actual assembly of some kind. The “not forsaking the assembling” scripture doesn’t make sense unless we interpret it as meaning an actual gathering of believers.
Many wrongs have been done in church, but you can see in the scripture that it has been this way since the beginning. So how did mature believers deal with it back then? Several scriptures remain to teach us how to live with other believers, and we will thrive if we obey them. (See also Why Unity?) The scripture also makes it clear that we should not just join any church that happens to be convenient, as (sadly) not all Christian churches are actually following Jesus or doing their best to obey the scriptures. If you will seek the Lord about where you belong, He will absolutely lead you to the right place.
Keep this a priority until you are certain that you are where He wants you. Body parts just don’t function when they are physically separated from the rest of the body. You cannot even know what you are missing in your life without this connection. So many scriptures won’t apply to you until you learn how to give and receive the life that flows through Christ’s body, the special gifts that God gives to us all to build one another up. We all need what you bring as well. Together we are powerful and effective as we follow Jesus!
(Hebrews 10:25, Romans 1:11, Colossians 1:18, 1 Corinthians 14:26, Galatians 6:2, Philippians 3:17-19, 1 Peter 4:10)