10250 North Freeway @ West Road
Houston, Texas 77037
Tel: (281) 447-8484
Pastor: Dr. Lester Hutson

All of the material listed herein is the property of the Byron McCartney family, and may not be copied without express written authorization.

The Difference it Makes to You

In the previous two lessons of this series we looked at how important it is to God which church you join. Now let us concentrate on why you should make it a priority to join the right church. According to God's Word spiritual growth, worship, service to God and rewards are just a few of the important reasons why you should find and join one of the Lord's churches

Spiritual Growth

In a previous series of lessons ('How to Find the Right Church') we learned that although there are many Bible based churches in existence today only those which adhere to His teachings and conform themselves to the God-ordained New Testament pattern can be called one of His churches. Then in the previous two lessons of this series we've learned how important it is to God which church you join. We know that it is His desire that all His children belong to one of His churches.

God is personally interested and involved in adding believers to one of His churches. Acts 2:47 states that 'the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved'. And Paul taught the Ephesian congregation that God places each member in the congregation for a specific purpose (Ephesians 4:11-16).

The church is the 'pillar and ground of the truth' and it is the institution through which Bible teaching is to take place (Matthew 28:18-20). It is only through one of His churches that we will correctly learn the truths from God's Word. No other organization on earth is devoted entirely to preaching and teaching the Word of God. If you and I are to experience spiritual growth and increased knowledge of God's teachings we must affiliate ourselves with one of His churches.

Paul also teaches us that the Christian outside one of the Lord's churches is in a life threatening and spiritually compromised position (1 Corinthians 5). He states that outside the church you are prey to Satan (v. 5). Christ's teaching on church discipline in Matthew chapter 18 gives us another clear indication of how bad it is for a Christian to be outside the membership of one of His churches. The fact is that the scripture references to Christians outside the membership of one of the Lord's churches is very negative. In both of these scriptures the Christian is referred to as either 'leaven' or 'rebellious'. Their position outside the church was disciplinary in nature.

Worship

Another reason You should find and join the right church is to properly worship God. Christ founded it (Mark 13:13-19, Luke 6:12-16), the Holy Spirit revealed the New Testament for its edification (1 Peter 1:21, 2 Timothy 3:16) and it is through one of His churches that God gets the glory for what is done (Ephesians 3:21).

God has always had a physical location where men could come and worship Him. In the Old Testament times it was the tabernacle and then the temple. In our time it is the church. Matthew 18:20 records that the church is where God meets with His people.

There are 5 formal acts of worship and although some can be done anywhere others can only be scripturally done within the confines of each local church. These are: praying, singing, giving, preaching and the Lord's Supper. We can glorify God anyplace with our praying and singing but the giving, preaching and the Lord's Supper can only be observed or performed within the local church. 

Service and Rewards

One of our greatest desires as children of God is to somehow repay Christ for His sacrifice on the cross. We know from God's Word that there is absolutely nothing we can do or say to repay Him. However, we know that one day we will stand before Him to receive our rewards for service to Him. And we look forward to that day knowing that we will then place those rewards at His feet. So, the more we do for Him the more rewards we will have to lay at His feet.

But the New Testament teaches us that only what we do for Christ through one of His churches will be rewarded. Look at Paul's teaching to the Corinthian congregation, for example. In chapter 3 of 1 Corinthians Paul tells the Corinthian congregation that they are 'God's building' (v. 9) and that every man should 'take heed how he buildeth thereupon' (v. 10) because every man's work, which he/she does within that congregation, 'shall be made manifest' and 'the fire shall try every man's work' (v. 13). The work that is done according to God's Word (gold, silver, precious stones) will pass through the fire unburned and that man shall receive a reward (vs. 12,14). However, the person whose work is not according to God's principles (wood, hay, stubble) would not receive a reward because their work would be consumed by the trying fire (vs. 12, 15). Christ Himself affirms this fact in Revelation 2:23, 'all the churches shall know that I am he which searcheth the reins and hearts: and I will give unto every one of you according to your works.'

SUMMARY

It was never God's intention that His children serve Him outside the confines of one of His churches. Christ instituted the church at the start of His earthly ministry and spent the following 3 years training its leaders. Then after His ascension to glory the Holy Spirit authored the New Testament for the churches and their members. It is God's desire that you and I serve and worship Him through one of these churches: His churches. The Christian outside the membership of one of His churches is living a dangerous, unblessed and unrewardable life.

NEXT LESSON

What type of Christian are you? Join me next lesson as we take a semi-humorous look at some of the many types of Christians I've known.

"It Does Make a Difference What You Believe"