A Church With a Purpose

A recent Gallup Poll revealed that although 94 per cent of Americans say that religious experience is important to them, only 25 per cent attend church regularly. A lot of people today have bought into the idea that religion is a strictly private matter, nobody else’s business. They excuse their lack of involvement by pointing to hypocrites in the church. But the fact is, Christ brought the church into existence to fulfill our inherent needs. Private commitments tend to wither away when the going gets tough. We need the support of others to keep our faith alive and productive. Individuals need the church because fellowship helps us grow. The church also plays three other important roles:

1. The church guards the truth.

“The church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.”
—1 Timothy 3:15.

The church upholds and defends God’s truth before the world. It’s easy for individuals, following their own varied points of view, to go off on all kinds of doctrinal detours. It’s simply not realistic to believe that truth is whatever you find in your heart. Truth is what God says is true. And we need the collective wisdom of other believers to help us focus on the essential truths of Scripture.