It just kind of happened.
Maybe in high school we visited a friend’s church every so often. In college, we liked the music at one but the teaching at another, so we hopped around different churches until graduation. Perhaps we put off attending church when we started a new job or got married, and never returned because we haven’t found the right one.
Dating may be a good way to figure out romantic relationships, but the Church isn’t a casual interest for us to flirt with or visit at our convenience. No matter what our reasons for dating the Church, on again, off again, it’s never too late to turn flirting into faithfulness.
Church is for us, but it’s not about us.
God doesn’t want us to plug in to a local church so He can get something out of it; He wants us to plug in so we can get something out of it. We’ll get the most out of church when we’re as committed to it as Jesus is.
We commit to the Church because Jesus committed to the Church.
3 Reasons To Stop Dating The Church and Commit To It
1. You help the church be what it is.
You are an irreplaceable part of the Church (Romans 12:4-8).
Church isn’t any of us individually reading the Bible and watching a sermon online. Nor is it simply being in a room with others, singing songs and listening to a speaker. The Church is a group of people united with the purpose of listening to Jesus and doing what He says.
Church is not a building; it is a movement. We are being the best church we can be when we connect more people to Jesus and to each other. Jesus never leads His followers away from the Church He started, died for, and came back to life for.
2. Following Jesus is not a solo sport.
It’s impossible to be completely devoted to following Jesus and not commit to the Church. We commit to the Church because Jesus committed to the Church (Ephesians 1:22-23).
The Church is the primary environment in which we live out what Jesus tells us to do. As people taking next steps with Jesus together, we:
- forgive one another (Colossians 3:13)
- do what’s good for one another (1 Thessalonians 5:15)
- accept one another (Romans 15:7)
- serve one another (Galatians 5:13)
- encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
We cannot love one another if we’re not living in connection with one another.
3. We can’t do life alone.
Every celebration is sweeter and every letdown is lessened with friends by our side (1 Corinthians 12:26-27). Working together for the same eternal cause helps the Church grow and more people meet Jesus.
Community is built on commitment to Jesus and commitment to each other. The more next steps we take together following Jesus, the stronger His Church will become.
Is your next step to commit to a local church?
