My Son The Preacher : What is Being a Christion

"I believe in Jesus,

I just don't think I have to go to church or be a member of a church to be a Christian."

I've heard this phrase many times from many people who claim Christianity as their faith/religion. Many of those people will go on to say the church (general term) is full of fake people full of old, useless traditions. Many will say they had bad experiences in past churches. Some honestly say they don't want to waste their Saturday nights or Sunday mornings, that they can pray and read at home.
      
     "I've even heard, "I'm a millennial, and whatever people want I'm OK with.""

Why is the local church so important? Why should those claiming Christianity get involved with fellow believers locally, nationally and globally?

First and foremost, the church is not a building, it's a group of purposely gathered people. In this case, a group of people gathered to worship, learn about, and serve God for His gift of Salvation through Jesus Christ the Messiah (whose birth we celebrate the end of this month).

God's Word, the Bible, shares numerous reasons why, as Christians, we need to be involved in a local church. Matthew 18:12-14 speaks about a man with 100 sheep. One wanders off. The man leaves the 99 to find the 1 and rejoices over it when He finds it. The 99 stay together and are strong under God. The church together keeps its own protected. The one who wanders is in jeopardy. The Bible says Satan is like a lion waiting to devour it's prey. A wandering sheep is an easy target.

Also, as in a fire, when all of the embers remain together the fire remains hot. However, if an ember falls away from the fire, it quickly becomes cold and useless. A Christian without a church is very similar. Without the gathering and refueling, an individual becomes less effective.

In Matthew 16:18 Jesus declares that the gates of hell will not overcome the church. The church, the purposed gathering of people, is vital to stand against evil. We must stand together to bring the love of Christ to a world where the devil roams freely until Jesus returns (I know some of you are rolling your eyes if you've read this far, but I'm only sharing what's in God's Word).

I will say this, the church in America has given up, or shirked, many of it's duties. 

Duties to feed the poor and take care of the widows and orphans, allowing the government to take its place. 

The church has been judgmental and religious. Many have been hurt emotionally by the church (usually by church leadership). 

The church needs to be the church Jesus intended it to be. 

Powerful and loving, led by the Holy Spirit. In order for this to happen, those claiming to be Christians need to get involved with a local body of believers, a church!