Things you are in disobedience of by not being a member of a local church, and being active there
Since Covid era many young people are questioning if they have to go to the church physically. The answer is yes.
As a Christian you love God and his people. You cannot rightly say you love God and His people if you are not where the Church gathers.
It has always been unfathomable to be Christian and not be a in the local church. If you are saved you are in the body of Christ, and the hand cannot function without the body. You have a place in the local church and are to be there.
If you look at Scriptures, besides the fact that God had shown us those who are His are aet apart [example being Nation of Israel, they went to Temole and synogouge every week], in the New Testament you see [the same example] those who heard the Gospel message and got saved were baptized and added to the local church. They were given gifts by the Holy Spirit that were for in the local church, to serve God there and the people. You cannot use your gifts if you are not in the church, and you are not storing up treasure in Heaven if you are not doing those works and service. God has no use for a rebellious servant. We are also ministers of the Gospel and missionaries who are sent out by the church, under its authority and leadership in pairs (2-3) to go out and bring new believers in for discipleship and repeating the above cycle.
Believers also gather corporately to worship God and glorify Him, they witness baptisms, they participate together in the Lord's Super.
We also encourage one another, pray for one another, help in various life situations and celebrations, from financial to marriage & relationship counsel, to weddings and parent deducations on the premises. Caring for Widows, homebound, hospitalized, elderly care, and even doing evangelistic funerals. God also uses the local church to grow us in sanctification and build up our faith, which also helps us not be sinful introverts, recluses, social hermits, thus helps us with conflict resolution and communicatuon skills, and equipping us to share the Gospel. Church also is where we fellowship and deeply study Scripture together, asking questions, and hearing what the Lord put on the Pastors heart in the sermon. Church is a community.
You cannot do these things and be in and of the local body of Christ if you are not a member in the local church.
All of these community are things that cannot be done online or over social media in our bedroom. It is a community in real life, in person. It is a community, and is a training ground as much as it is a sending forth out. No army kids it's soldiers in a bunker, they're sent out into the battlefield and on peace missions. We too are Ambassadors and soldiers of the Lord, we cannot be derelict or awol. God has no use for wicked rebellious servants.
When reading the New Testament you see the evangelistic side starting in the Gospels and through Acts, but also the churches [like synogogues] are being founded. Yes there is the universal invisible church but there is clearly the physical local church where all believers gather together at. It is the family of God and our community. The NT is written to the universal and local churches. God used the Apostles to found churches, disciple and grow them but also in-between their travels to them and return trips the Apostles wrote letters to these churches to correct errors discipline and bring to holy living, and in other cases to praise and encourage.
No one who is born again will avoid the local church. If they are playing a solo game it is likely they are not saved, or never understood these things. You now do and so you must repent & go be an active member at your local church. With church being as close to Heaven as possible for us on earth, (and filled with fellow flawed Redeemed growing and maturing believers), we should be of the mindset to joyfully desirously always want to be there. We are compelled by loving and obedient desire to be there. Our new righteous nature draws us there. If it is not happening, you need to examine your salvation and make sure you really are saved.
I say these things to exhort, admonish and encourage you in love.
Go join a church.
God bless
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