Isn’t technology wonderful? Evangelists deliver powerful messages on television. Daily devotionals are received via e-mail. Thousands of Christian groups tweet words of encouragement. Facebook feeds include plenty of thought-provoking photos and passages. Inspirational bible quotes and photos of mission trips are all over Instagram and Pinterest. Heck, we can even punch a few buttons on a phone and send money to churches and charities all over the world
Why do you need to belong to a local church? Is there any reason left why regular meetings with your church friends are important?
Of course, the Bible instructs us to gather and pray together and learn (Acts 2:42; 1 Tim 4:13 et al). We are supposed to encourage each other to love and act and not put off meeting together (Heb 10:24-25). But the Bible was written before technology and social media exploded to what it is now. Do you think if Jesus came today, he would walk over storm-tossed lakes? Or would he blanket Facebook and Twitter with inspirational quotes and develop an E-baptism site?
What would really happen?
If Jesus came back today, he probably wouldn’t use social media like that. In fact, He just might shut the whole system down and force all of us to look up from our smart phones. We’d see Him standing there with open arms, ready to re-introduce us to humanity and the Word.
You see, we are supposed to learn and not just “like” or re-tweet small glimpses of what our faith is all about. We need to hear the gospel from those who were chosen to share it with us. We need to affirm what we hear and encourage others to believe.
You just can’t do that 140 characters at a time in between everything else that is barraging our consciousness today.
There is no substitute for gathering together. Human touch and expression is only appreciated live. No matter how many pixels you have, it cannot be replicated on an i-pad. The Bible also encourages us to break bread together. I suppose you can chat and watch someone on Facetime or Skype while you eat, but it’s not the same. Sharing the same meal, face-to-face, at the same table…that is what breaking bread is all about.
Get together…right now!
This is why regular meetings with your Church friends are important. We have the ability to receive news and information from around the world in seconds when we need it. Things that used to take weeks to find our attention are instantaneously delivered to us. Surely, we can catch up on things quick enough if we take 45 minutes or an hour to sit and listen to the Lord’s lessons.
Church services are a vital part of our faith journey. Those who think they are spiritual enough without the support of a church body always find themselves wrong. Praying to Jesus every minute of every day does not replace the innate sense of community that comes with having a church home and family to rely on.
Bible classes and studies are also best done in person. You can read all you want and even watch a forum on live feed, but there is nothing that captures the emotions of the people better than sitting near them. Passion and love do not project well from a smart phone screen.
Small groups are another wonderful tool to connect to a faith community. If you are bashful about walking into a church full of people you don’t know, find a friend who has a church family. Ask him to go with you to a small group and break the ice. Soon you will understand why communicating with your whole self is worlds better than using only your fingertips.
Do it now!
So now that you know why regular meetings with your church friends are important, why are you still reading this blog? Get out there to spread and receive God’s love with your fellow believers!
Please get in touch now and let’s get better at these things together. We’ll be looking for you!
