Why bother with Church?

Check out this thoughtful article from Christianity Today about why we should bother with being a part of the Church (here).  Here’s a snippet:

The church is the body of Christ, and it carries his wounds. To know
Christ is to share in the fellowship of his sufferings-even if the
suffering comes at the hands of the sinners who sit in the pews or
preach from the pulpit.

How can we communicate this to unchurched
Christians? The only way I know is to preach it. We need to tell them,
even if it goes against the grain of our culture. We need to tell them,
even if talking so frankly goes against our philosophy of outreach.

If people commit themselves to the church, they will
undoubtedly suffer. The church will fail them and frustrate them,
because it is a human institution. Yet it will also bless them, even as
it fails. A living, breathing congregation is the only place to live in
a healthy relationship to God. That is because it is the only place on
earth where Jesus has chosen to dwell. How can you enjoy the benefits
of Christ if you detach yourself from the living Christ?

Amen.

for further reading . . .

• None Found