Why Even Go?

Published: May 9, 2020, midnight

b'Church is boring. Trust me, I know. When I was an energy-filled young boy, the decrepit, 1970s-style church building\\u2014with its mildew smell and lifeless music\\u2014threatened to suffocate me. \\u201cSinging? Listening to people talk? These are a few of my least favorite things.\\u201d\\nLater, I learned a painful truth: some pretty bad people lurk in churches, just waiting for the right time to rip off their fake smiles and unleash hatred of all forms.\\nSo why even go? Isn\\u2019t it better to just hang out at home, communing with Jesus from our beds on Sunday morning? After all, everything we do should be done in worship of Christ\\u2014from sleeping to eating to watching football (Colossians 3:23). Isn\\u2019t church redundant?\\nThe thing is, Jesus is building a great big church. He\\u2019s building it out of broken, sinful people who He is making new. In today\\u2019s Bible passage, the apostle Peter describes believers as \\xe2\\u20ac\\u0153living stones,\\xe2\\u20ac\\x9d being built into a vast temple, the cornerstone of which is Christ (1 Peter 2:4-5). Going to church reminds us we are part of something much bigger than ourselves.\\nIn fact, the Bible often describes the church as a city. Christianity is not an individualistic experience. It has been defined as a community ever since God promised Abraham He would make a nation out of him (Genesis 12:1-3; Galatians 3:26-29). The people of God are meant to live and worship together.\\nWhen we attend our local churches, we confess and worship Jesus, our King, together with every saint who has ever lived (1 Corinthians 1:2; Ephesians 2:18-22). And together we look forward to dwelling with Him (and each other) forever (Revelation 21:1-5). The gospel of Jesus Christ unites the people of God throughout history and around the world.\\nChurch got less boring once I realized these truths. I am part of Jesus\\u2019 church\\u2014the family of God\\u2014which will outlast all sin and suffering. \\u2022 Kevin Zeller\\n\\u2022 How do you feel about church? Do you ever think about the church as a gigantic family of people united around faith in Jesus? \\n\\u2022 There are good times to leave certain churches. Does your church proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ? If you have questions about whether it\\u2019s time to leave a church, who is a trusted Christian you could talk with\\u2014 such as a teacher, camp counselor, parent, or friend? \\nYou are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God\\u2019s temple\\u2026.And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. 1 Peter 2:4-5 (NLT)\\n\\xa0\\nRead Verses:\\n1 Peter 2:4-10'