The Fellowship of Believers

In the years I’ve been a Christian, I’ve met many people who say they are believers, but they have no need for the church. “I can pray and worship God by myself,” they say. “Why do I need to go to church?’

I can’t answer that question for anyone else. I can only answer it for myself.

And the best place to find an answer is in Scripture.

Over and over we read how we are one body, all members of the same whole with different functions and different gifts. My gift for organization does not always translate into the warm hospitality that others more gifted in that area can offer. I can learn much from their example.

Many times I’ve struggled with a problem, and just talking about it with someone else gives me the solution. Sometimes that person didn’t have to say anything. Just having someone listen to me put the issue into words helped me see the way out.

Many more times I’ve received valuable advice from others. Another person can bring a whole different perspective to a problem. What one person learned from going through a similar experience can keep me from repeating their mistakes.

Right now my mentally ill/mentally challenged niece is living with us, and I’ve needed the advice and counsel of many to cope with the daily challenges I am facing. I’ve needed every resource I can find.

One great blessing has been how easy it has been for me to find assistance. And why has it been so easy? Because of my long involvement with Central, I know or know of lots of people. I know at least vaguely some of the difficulties they have overcome personally or what they do professionally. And by tapping into their wisdom and experience, I find real help and encouragement.

The writer of the book of Hebrews is almost urgent in telling the believers to encourage each other “today.” Not tomorrow, or when it’s convenient, but today. We need to be ready and willing to encourage and stand with each other. Two are stronger than one, Ecclesiastes reminds us.

A great question this week’s topic raises is how are we stirring up others to love and good deeds. One way I see this worked out in my life is when I am working with my niece.

I’ve been trying to teach her to be more independent. So we’ve been working on her doing her own laundry. She got a bit anxious when it came to carrying the basket up the stairs. I coached her through it, showing her how to balance the basket on her hip so she could hold the railing with her other hand. With a little encouragement and praise, she stopped whining and got up the stairs.

I’ve sometimes felt like whining when faced with a task I’m not sure I can do. That’s when a little encouragement goes a long way. That’s when I need other believers to come alongside, to pray for me, advise me, or help me.

So while it’s true I can read the Bible and pray alone, if that’s my whole Christian life, I am missing out on the joys of living in relationship with the other members of the body of Christ.