We have taken a week long detour from our discussion on Prayer to discuss why "church" is important for Christians. We discussed the C yesterday as "Commanded." Please read that article before this one if you have not done so already.
H.
Hard
(if not impossible) to Remain Faithful Without It
I was watching discovery channel and saw this wildebeest
that had just birthed a new son just minutes earlier. She and her new son were
standing apart from the rest of the pack. The mother was urgently nudging the
new calf, trying to get it to stand and move on with her. She nudged and moo’d,
but the calf could not stand. The camera then moves to the left as we see why
the mother is acting so nervously. A hyena is stalking the wildebeest and
moving ever closer. The mother takes a few strong steps towards the hyena and
scares it away; however, the camera then shows many more hyenas moving toward
the pair. The mother fights as hard as she can, but eventually a few of the
hyenas distract the mother as the rest grab the new calf and drag him away. All
the while, a few hundred yards away stood thousands of wildebeest that could
have easily handled the small pack of hyenas.
Why did the hyenas go after these
two? It is obvious right? They were away from the pack, and therefore easy pickings.
They wouldn’t dare attempt to attack a wildebeest in the midst of the group of
thousands led by the strongest bulls, especially when these two were out on
their own, asking for it.
Satan, like the hyenas, is on the
prowl, and he also has lots of help. The Bible even describes him as a roaring
lion, going about, seeking whom he may devour.
Newsflash: Satan is much much
stronger than you, much smarter than you, much more experienced than you are.
He has existed since the beginning of the earth and has been devouring men and
women since the Garden of Eden. He is good at what he does. You cannot defeat
Him alone, you are guaranteed defeat. You cannot survive spiritually without
other Christians there supporting you, guiding you, protecting you. When you
become a Christian, you are adopted into the family of God, adopted into a pack
of millions of wildebeests that will do whatever it takes to keep you with
them. This is one of the main reasons God created the church.
Our habit in today’s world is to
live our lives basically alone, to ourselves, to keep our distance. That’s not
God’s way though. When you separate yourself from the pack, you are easy
pickings for the devil and his demons; you are asking for it.
When we separate ourselves from the pack, we miss out.
We miss out on the Guidance, Protection
and Support promised by the pack as a whole and specifically by the strong
bulls that are there for our protection and guidance.
1 Peter 5:1-7
So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a
partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you,
exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have
you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the
elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward
one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.”
Humble yourselves,
therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt
you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour.
Hebrews 13:17
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will
have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning,
for that would be of no advantage to you.
God set up the church, the pack, for your benefit, why would we not take advantage of it?
Grace and Peace
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