There is good reason that no Christian lived their lives outside of the church, the Body of Christ.
The Body of Christ
Many Members
The Body of Christ doesn’t have scattered, isolated body parts. What good is the eye if the foot cannot take it somewhere? What good is the hand without the mouth to share Christ with the lost? There are dozens of reasons why every believer needs to be involved with other Christians. The Great Commission, serving the community, the commands to pray for one another, to reach the poor and support missions. One body part cannot do much on its own, but the entire body working together can achieve God’s purposes as the church can be used by God as a means to save the lost.
Here Comes the Bride
The audience for the New Testament in the letters written to churches was not sent out in mass mailings to scattered, individual Christians. The Epistles (books of the New Testament) were sent to churches as they are addressed to “the church” (Eph 5:25, 32) and not Mr and Mrs. Smith. The Epistles were specifically written for and specifically to groups of Christians in the local churches (Corinth, Ephesus, etc.). These instructions were given to the church to help them act as the corporate Body of Christ to reach the lost, to renew their minds, be conformed into Christ’s image, and to love God and to love one another and others…even enemies. The church is referred to as a Bride. Never is an individual Christian referred to as the Bride of Christ (2 Cor 11:2; Rev 19:7). The New Testament stresses the importance of getting the Bride ready for her to be wed to Christ at His appearance.
Body Functions
When God dispensed the many different gifts of the Spirit, He gave each one different gifts, just as there are different body parts and not multiple eyes or hands (1 Cor 12:27). The church needs someone there to have the gift of hospitality, another to have the gift of service, to another the gift of teaching and so on. No one Christian alone can have all the gifts that they need to grow in God’s grace. Paul explains in Romans 12:4–5 that “just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.” Did you catch that statement, where it says that “each member belongs to all the others?” There are no Scriptures that allow for solo Christians to live out their lives alone and on their own, but dozens upon dozens of Scriptures show that we are part of a greater whole. They are not their own! They (and we) were bought with a price so we don’t belong to ourseves anymore. There are extreme examples of those who are in other lands who have no church or access to church and can only worship God alone, but even here, they have a deep hunger and desire to hear the Word preached through electronic devices though other ministries or their own Bible if they have one. But that is the rare exception and certainly not the rule. To forsake the assembling of the church is to forsake God’s command and the one-hundred one-another’s.
Iron Sharpens Iron
As the Proverbs says, “Iron sharpens iron” (Prov 27:17). Why? You can’t sharpen iron by itself. It needs something else to keep it sharp and to continually knock the rust off because rust never sleeps. The Body of Christ is accountable to one another. This keeps us out of sin. When a member sins, the member is brought back to repentance (hopefully) and back into the sheepfold (Matt 18:15-20; 2 Cor 2:5-11). The only place of true safety is to be in the sheepfold under the care of the Good Shepard (John 10). Outside the fold are the wolves roaming about…inside is the Lord God, Jesus Christ, so who can oppose all that come? Wolves are not afraid of sheep…but they are afraid of sheep close to the Shepherd.
Forsaking Assembly, Forsaking Worship
The solo Christian outside of the church misses out on the preaching of the Word of God, something they are commanded to submit themselves too. As we near the second coming of Christ, we must “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works” (Heb 10:24). You can’t stir yourself up. It must come from another. As the Day or Jesus’ coming nears, it’s going to be more and more needful to lean on others and help others in these last, difficult days. The Author of Hebrews clearly states the critical importance of corporate worship for Christians, commanding us to not be “neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near” (Heb 10:25). This too is an imperative command by God through His Word. Yet people try to say the church is not relevant and they don’t need church anymore, but tell me. Have the gates of hell prevailed against the church when Jesus said it never would (Matt 16:17-19)? So, is Jesus most precious to them?
The Under-Shepherd
Often, the church is referred to as the flock and when sheep get separate from the flock, what generally happens? The wolves love lamb chops. That’s a hint. Satan looks around, roaming about, looking for the wounded, separated sheep who are outside of the protection of the sheepfold and the Good Shepherd (1 Pet 5:8). The safest sheep are those who stay with the flock, being under the watchful-care of a local shepherd. The Apostle Peter tells the pastors or under-shepherds to “Be shepherds of God’s flock that is under your care, watching over them” (1 Pet 5:2). A pastor is called the shepherd, protect, feed, nurture, encourage, and equip the flock. They are also to correct, rebuke, and exhort in love by the Lord’s command, but a shepherd cannot possibly look over and care for individual sheep scattered over a thousand hills, therefore, these sheep are in real spiritual danger.
Conclusion
If you have never trusted in Jesus Christ and God has never brought you to repentance, then you had better prepare for your eternal judgment which is to come on all who reject Jesus Christ (Rev 21:8). Either trust in the Lord today, while there is still yet time (Psalm 95:7-8; 2 Cor 6:2; Heb 13:7-15), or face God’s wrath and His judgment after death (Heb 9:27) or at the appearance of Jesus Christ (Rev 1:7, 20:12-15), whichever occurs first!
Here is some related reading for you: Examples of Trials in the Bible – 7 Biblical Stories
Resource – Scripture quotations are from The Holy Bible, English Standard Version® (ESV®), Crossway Bibles. (2007). ESV: Study Bible: English standard version. Wheaton, Ill: Crossway Bibles. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
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