Reflections on the Holy Scripture

Church commonly refers to the place where Christians meet to worship God and study His Word, usually once a week on Sunday. Biblically, the Church is the Body of Christ, which includes everyone who believes in Him and is saved. In the New Testament, the idea of the Church is a very major topic, as most of the books and epistles are dedicated to its growth and development. That field in the theological world is known as Ecclesiology, but that is for another article, as such studies can get enormously deep.

This article will brush on the idea that Christians should meet to edify one another and build up the Church, as well as give cursory insight into what the Church really is.

The Church

The Bible makes many references to the Church, though this can mean a couple different things depending on how the word is used. In today's language, church commonly refers to the weekly meeting of Christians in a building or other place to worship God and study His Word. The Bible hints that the Church is more than just these weekly meetings, though, and refers to all believers as being a part of The Church which has a remarkable destiny in the Book of Revelation.

Meeting Together

Every day, Christians around the world praise and worship God. Most people do this at church, and most people visit their church on Sunday. This is because God blessed the 7th day of the week1, as seen in Genesis 2:1-3.

The Bible tells worshipers to meet together with other Christians, and while it doesn't specifically mention church as we know it, attending a church fulfills this command. The author of Hebrews makes this clear in Hebrews 10:24-25:

24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

NKJV

Here, we are told not to stop our assembly with other Christians, but to promote it so that more and more people can worship Him.

These two verses combined, we can see why church has been established on Sunday. It comes in concordance with the idea of the Sabbath, where rather than working, we take time with other Christians to worship God, at least once a week. This day of meeting is not required to be Sunday, though, and for some it may be more convenient (and possibly safer) to meet another time, for example in a neighbor's house on Wednesdays. Regardless on how one conducts church, it is yet a necessity for growing in the Lord and in the Christian community.

Body of Christ

The main way the Church is used is by referring to the entire Christian community, or body. The difference grammatically between The Church and church that we visit is that the latter is not capitalized, nor is there a "the" preceding it. This distinction helps with communication.

Paul shows in 1 Corinthians 12 how the Church represents the Body of Christ:

12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. 14 For in fact the body is not one member but many.

Here we can see that all Christians are part of the Body, not just Jews, not just Gentiles, not just free, or old, or rich, or the sick. Every Christian is included as a part of the Church with many members, and each member is an essential. This is important for recognizing the destiny of the Church, detailed in books such as Revelation.

Denominations

While there are some defining elements that most Christians believe, not all Christians share the exact same beliefs. In fact, very few people have exactly the same beliefs as another person. Differences in the interpretation of the Scripture gave rise to sections in Christendom called "denominations". There are many, many different denominations, each with distinct customs and values. Denominations are separated into three major groups: Protestant, Catholic, and Orthodox. Within these are further divisions, such as Baptist or Lutheran.

Some of the most popular denominations in the United States include: Baptist, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Eastern Orthodox, Anglican, Episcopalian, Non-denomination, Amish, and Seventh-day Adventists. However, this list does not even scratch the surface of denominations around the world.

When it comes to selecting a church which may or may not have a denominational affiliation, the most important thing to consider is this: does the church believe in the deity of Jesus Christ, and that He died for our sins? If so, then you can check the church against the Christian Doctrine and go from there. If not, find a different church.

Importance of Church

The Bible stresses the importance of going to a church to worship God in many places, such as in Ephesians 4:16. However, that is only one reason to find a church to attend. Another reason going to church is a good idea is because it allows you to deepen your relationship with God. We all need an outside perspective to edify and solidify our beliefs; fellowship with other Christians can help achieve that. Also, going to church helps those around you, spurring their faith forward, so that they can promote God to those around them, and so on. When we go to church, we are making a huge difference that we may not even realize.

Finding a Church

At this point, you may be wondering how to find a church, or what kind of church to go to. For countries in which churches are permitted, there are many churches that you may attend. Specifically in the United States, most communities have at least one church which would gladly welcome you into the worship of God. You can use websites such as this one to help identify churches in your area or look around the community for religious centers.

Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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