A Place on a Mission
Let me share one last reason that I like to go to my local church, in person or online. It’s because it reminds me of my mission.
Maybe you’ve heard it said that the church is not a yachting club, but a fleet of fishing boats! Our mission as the church is to do more than be together, and encourage, and hold each other accountable. But it is to make disciples for Jesus, to point people to Him, to offer people hope in Him. And if we forget that, friends, we become nothing more than a social club.
The Church Exists for a Mission
Jesus’ last words to His disciples in Matthew 28:19–20 were not to form a social club, but He told them to go and make disciples, to teach people what He had taught them. You know, we come to church because here we are reminded week after week of our mission in life — to share Christ with people outside of these doors.
A painter was once given the commission to paint a picture of a dead church. They expected him to paint an old cathedral that was empty and broken down. And instead, the painter painted a full church. But in the corner near the exit, there was a box that said, “Collections for missions.” And right before the slot, there was a big cobweb.
That’s an apt picture of a dead church. A congregation who cares only about themselves, rather than going out and making a difference in people’s lives, is missing the point.
Remembering Our Calling to Share Christ
I believe that when we stop fellowshipping with each other, when we don’t invest our lives in the local church, we forget the urgency of this. Our faith becomes very much about ourselves — what I can get, what God is saying to me. And that’s important but we forget the urgency of our mission. We forget our great calling to show and tell others the good news.
I pray that you will get connected with a local church who will not only give you a place of togetherness and encouragement and accountability, but will remind you of your mission to share the love of Jesus with the world.
Go well, friends. And I pray that you will connect with a local church this weekend, online or in person, and find people who you can do life with in this way.
Embrace your calling as a Hope ambassador this year, boldly representing the hope found in Christ to a world that desperately needs it.