The benefits of the church

As we've recently moved churches to one closer to home that we feel more aligned with the vision of, I've been thinking about the many blessings we experienced in our old church.

Friendship
Encouragement in the word
Correction
Care
Leadership
Serving others
Getting to know people different from ourselves
Prayer
Hospitality

There are so many benefits to being part of the church. When you are not part of the church, you do not have continual reminders of the right way to live. You less likely to have people around you who are committed to the ideal of caring about those who are suffering. You do not have the same regular opportunities to serve others in ways that may be uncomfortable.

The blessings I've listed above are common to most Bible-believing churches. I believe that one of the key blessings non-Christians miss out on in this life is being part of a church community. They are less likely, as a result, to have networks of people who care (even imperfectly) about them. When they are old, they will likely be lonelier and have less contact with a variety of age groups. One of the things I love at our new church is that they pray for church members during the service, including those who are unable to be at church due to age or ill health. When you are a part of the church, you are remembered.

I know the church is imperfect, often frustrating, and even hurtful at times. Yet it is also one of the great benefits God gives Christians. One of our key motivations for evangelism should be to bring people into the community of the church. We live in lonely, socially-dislocated communities, where people receive all kinds of ungodly advice on how to live. The benefits of being part of a loving, godly community would be enormous for those who are presently without positive social networks. What an incentive to fulfill the Great Commission, spread the blessings of church life to as many as possible.