“..thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church…” (Matt. 16:18)
Over and over, throughout the New Testament, the Bible emphasizes the importance of the local church. The church was started by Jesus and He is the builder of it. He said, “I will build my church.” Now, He wasn’t speaking of building a church out of wood or mortar. The building materials God uses to build His church are people…those who have been saved!
Satan constantly tries to diminish the importance of the church, but God thinks it is important. In fact, He said that it was so important to Him that He died for the church (Eph. 5:25)!
So if the church is important, AND the materials God uses to build His church are His children…that means YOU are important to the church. Your church needs you.
FIRST—Your Church Needs You PHYSICALLY.
A home without people living in it is not really a home; it is only a house. Likewise, a church without people is only a building. It is not the building that is the church. The PEOPLE are the church. The people can meet outside the building and still be the church. You can have church without a building, a piano, a sound system, pews, or even electricity. But you CANNOT have a church without people! So, your church needs you every time the doors are open.
SECOND—Your Church Needs You SPIRITUALLY.
There are churches that are alive, and churches that are dead. Since the church is made up of people, the atmosphere of a church is also determined by the people. Your church needs you to be spiritually alive when you go to church. It is up to YOU to help set the spiritual temperature in your church.
Don’t take your church for granted. You need them, and they need YOU!