QUESTION:

What Should I say to someone who says “I don’t need to go to church to believe in God.”? I am told this a lot.

ANSWER SUBMITTED BY PASTOR JAE ALEXANDER:

I would say, “That’s true, you don’t need to go to church to believe in God.” Then I would smile and follow that up with a question of my own, “But, if you believe in God, why wouldn’t you go to church? Because it seems to me that Church was His idea!”

Years ago, I had a 2 or 3 year ongoing conversation/argument with someone very close to me; my dad. He used to say that he “didn’t need to go to church to know Jesus.”  In essence, this is the same as the question that you wrote. I’ll share some of our discussions with you in a minute, but I think that it is important to identify something first before getting into specifics on answering that statement. I believe you first have to understand “why” the person is making that statement. Sometimes people who make this statement are “church hurt”. In other words, they have had a bad experience in the church in their past & they have decided to throw the “baby out with the bathwater” so to speak. I know this was the case with my dad.

I would encourage you to take the time to ask some questions of them to try to understand the context of where they are coming from. That will help you know which direction to take next with them.

I also believe that many people have a misunderstanding of what “church” is. Church is not a place, it’s a people and an identity. This fact changes whether you can “go to it” or not.

When I was talking with my dad those many years ago I started to make my case against what he thought using the beginning of the scriptures. In Genesis 2:18, God makes the observation, “It is not good for the man to be alone.” This infers that man was intended to live in relationship: First with his Creator, then his wife, his surroundings, and later his family. This continues throughout the OT, with tribes and nations. God’s design for people is community, not solitude, plain and simple.

As dad & I worked through our argument we eventually came to the NT & Jesus’ life. Now, Jesus was Jewish. That is an important, simple, sometimes overlooked fact that has a lot of significance. Here’s why: God’s people (the Jews) had been exiled, dispersed, and released to come back to their ancestral home…but some did not. As God’s people, how did they keep their identity while they were spread out all over the world? They formed little communities. In fact, anywhere there where 10 or more Jewish families a synagogue could be started. Now, a Jewish synagogue is kind of a unique thing. It is a community hub. Religious teaching took place there of course, but so did a whole lot of other things that supported and strengthened the community of God’s people in a specific place. This was the context into which Jesus was born.

So, what does He model for us? Community! Think about it, how often during Jesus’ ministry did He spend by Himself? Not a lot! He practiced living in relationship with God & others.

What was Jesus’ message that He was proclaiming at the beginning of His ministry? The Kingdom of God/Heaven is here! This is Jesus giving His community their identity. The apostle John summed it well when he wrote; “He (Jesus) came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.” - John 1:11-13 NIV

Children are often given instruction, expectations, and guidance. God’s children are no different. We see examples of these in the NT. First in Jesus’ commission given to the disciples in Matthew 28:18-20 and then with the Apostles living it out in Acts 2:42-47.

Now, you’d think with all that, I would have won the argument with my dad! Nope, he was pretty stubborn! So, I got real practical with him. I asked him to explain these two passages to me -

“Love must be sincere. Hate what is evil; cling to what is good. 10 Be devoted to one another in love. Honor one another above yourselves. 11 Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. 12 Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. 13 Share with the Lord’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality.

14 Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse. 15 Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn. 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be proud, but be willing to associate with people of low position. Do not be conceited.” - Romans 12:9-16 NIV

and…

“let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” - Hebrews 10:24 - 25 NIV

How do you love sincerely all by yourself? How can you be devoted to one another in love, or Honor one another, or share with the Lord’s people, or spur one another on, or etc… all by yourself outside of the people of God? The answer is obvious, you can’t. The Church is a people and an identity. The Church is the Body of Christ and cannot be separated from the Head, ever.

I prayed for my dad and pleaded with him. Towards the end of his life he may have changed his position a little. But, only God knows his heart now on the matter. So, be patient with people that throw up this objection, reason from the scriptures with them if they will let you and give them over to God.

Excellent question.

In Christ,

Jae