The Church & Nominal Christians

#Church #ChurchFamily #Disciple #Discipleship #SpiritualMaturity #Growth #ChurchLife #Christianity #LocalChurch

A story often heard in conversations among church groups goes something like this. “Have you seen Brother and Sister Jones lately? I can’t remember the last time they were in Bible study or worship.” The reply may go something like this, “Oh, yeah! I remember seeing them shopping this week, and they shared how they are busy doing [fill in the blank].” The response then may go something like, “I hope they come back soon. After all, they are a wonderful couple to have around.”

19 Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,

20 by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,

21 and since we have a great priest over the house of God,

22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water.

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful;

24 and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,

25 not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.[1]

While it may seem insignificant, someone’s absence from the local church life is more than a lack of attendance. Spotty attendance may well be a symptom of something else settling in unbeknown to the proverbial Jones’. Nominal church life is a pattern that arises with the best intentions and often leads individuals to a false sense of comfort and assurance of God’s transforming power. The lack of discipline in partaking in regular church life opens the door to spiritual slothfulness.

Being a church member is more than the right to vote. The benefit of a covenant between individuals and a community of faith is extensive. We are not strangers among those foreign to us, but we are part of a family that extends beyond time and space. Active participation in the local church also expresses the kind of love that Jesus led the disciples to teach generation to generation (Agape love). Being part of the church is also a means to protect our souls from the corruption of selfishness, pride, indulgence, and the tyranny of self-assurance of being “good enough” without being part of the community God designed as the vehicle for reaching the world.

Regular activity in the local church is part of discipleship. Individuals cannot hold to being a disciple of Jesus Christ without being part of a community of disciples. Yes, we have the bible to instruct us and mold us into the likeness of Jesus Christ. But, as a family of faith, we must hold together to avoid falling into our preferences and selfish desires. Disciples need other disciples to grow together. The local church prepares us for what is to come upon Jesus’ return and fulfillment of the Kingdom already at work among us.

Dear reader, the next time you feel like you are practicing some pseudo-spiritual discipline by choosing not to attend your local church, please remember that our faith is strengthened by sharing the good, bad, and ugly with those around us that confess Jesus Christ as Lord, Savior, and King. There must be a sense of constant surrender to Christ, which involves acknowledging that we are insufficient to live the life God is calling us to live. We depend on the Holy Spirit and the comfort and strength offered by our brothers and sisters in the faith.

[1]New American Standard Bible: 1995 update (Heb 10:19–25). (1995). The Lockman Foundation.