Should Christians Attend Church?預覽

Point #3: The church is spiritually immature.

There are times when you might be further along than believers around you. If you attend a church that mostly distributes spiritual milk, you may be asking, “Where’s the meat?”

Before packing your bags, I want you to consider this: you may be the waiter or waitress God has called to deliver the main course. I’ve heard many Christians say, “I learn so much from the Holy Spirit on my own, so why do I need church?” Here’s my answer: if you’re so spiritually mature, use that maturity to build up the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit is not teaching you for your benefit only. He’s teaching you for the benefit of the body. I’m not telling you to share every little thing the Lord gives you. It’s important to use wisdom. However, there is a purpose behind your growth, and that is for you to be a vessel to grow others.

We also need to remember that God did not expect us to be mature the minute we believed. Why then do we sometimes expect perfection out of others?

When we sit down for a Bible study with the mindset, “Well, time to tell everyone why they’re wrong about the Bible,” something is off. Do believers have wrong opinions about Scripture sometimes? Yes, absolutely, but it’s not our job to correct people every time. It’s our place to listen to the Holy Spirit and share when He is leading us, but it’s not our responsibility to “fix” people. That is the Holy Spirit’s work, and it’s a work He does gently.

Finally, there is one thing you can always learn from any other believer, no matter how spiritually immature they may be. You can always learn to be more humble. Here’s one thing I’ve learned from my own struggle with pride: if you think you’re better than someone else, that means you’re not.

All spiritual knowledge and truth is revealed by the Holy Spirit. No matter how much time you’ve spent studying God’s word, you didn’t arrive where you are on your own. Just ask the Pharisees. Prolonged study didn’t work out too well for them because their pride was blocking God’s work in their hearts.

When you think you have gained something beyond another believer, remember this simple truth: everything you have is given to you by God. You haven’t earned it. You, just like them, are recipients of His love and mercy. When we look at spiritual maturity from that perspective, it makes serving others a whole lot easier.