Whoa, "The Christian v. the Church?" Yup. More than once this year alone, I've heard people say, "I don't need Church." I'm not planning to tell them why they're wrong, but I do want to have a chat with them. For the sake of this, I'm going to pretend like you're one of them.
I'd like to start with a story. Once there was a kid named Jessica. Jessica was a great swimmer, so her father enrolled her in swim team. While there she grew with her teammates and learnt values like sportsmanship. One day her coach grew angry at her. "Why can't you swim faster," Jessica would be asked.
After practice that morning, she couldn't get those words out of her head. "Why can't I swim faster? I must not be good enough." Then she quit the team. She wanted to continue in the competitions, but the swimming organization wouldn't recognize a solo swimmer. She had to be a part of a team.
Now obviously this is an analogy, and I'm sure there are flaws, but the point I'm trying to create is that there is no such thing as solo Christianity. There are plenty of things in our faith that we do alone, but we are created for community. If God wanted people to be loners He'd have just let Adam chill with the squirrels in paradise. Yet He made Adam this awesome chick called Eve.
"Yeah, but that's not the Church." Ok, point taken disgruntled person. Let's get back on topic. Somebody at your Church made you mad. I understand. It's happened to me before, and I can guarantee you it will happen to me again. But let me ask you this: if people gave up when things get hard, would anything ever be accomplished? (That's rhetorical by the way..."
In America we were raised to be the ultimate consumers of the world. Everything has been laid before us on a silver platter, and if we don't like it then we can demand the gold platter as an upgrade.
You can't upgrade the Church.
The Church is the entire body of believers throughout time. Whenever Christians are in tough places, alone or with a group, they are always supported by the Church - past, present and future. That's one hell of a support group if you ask me. Pangloss might tell you that even though your Church body may suck, it's for the best and nothing needs to change. I say he's wrong. If you see something that should be changed, be that change. God didn't place us where we are to be passive consumers, we're His tools.
Of course, sometimes in order to grow in faith we have to remove ourselves from some circumstances (even your home Church at times). But now what? Where should you go from there? I'm not going to echo the responses you've heard before. No, you don't have to go to a physical Church building. But no, solo Bible study isn't enough either.
The government of the United States is made in such a manner that there are checks and balances in place. In the same kind of way (although established much earlier), the Church is our check and balancing force. We are not told to meet in a building - although they are convenient for sure - but we are called to meet with each other. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "And let us be concerned about one another in order to promote love and good works, not staying away from our meetings, as some habitually do, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day drawing near."
So what does this look like for you? Maybe you were, in fact, hurt badly by the people in your old Church. There are home churches that some people do on their own that you could look into. You may also seek out others in a similar boat and study together at a coffee shop. If, however, you stay away from the Church - and I'm talking about the people, I could care less about the building - you won't be a part of the community that we are all called to be part of.
Don't fool yourself into walking alone.
