WEBVTT 00:00:09.410 --> 00:00:14.210 Hello my friends, and welcome back to the Spray UMC Podcast. 00:00:14.449 --> 00:00:15.730 I'm Hoyt. 00:00:16.530 --> 00:00:20.849 Today I want to talk about a question that many people are asking. 00:00:21.089 --> 00:00:23.489 Why does the church still matter? 00:00:24.129 --> 00:00:30.609 We live in a time when many people say they believe in God, but they do not believe they need the church. 00:00:31.089 --> 00:00:42.210 Some believe they can worship God just as well at home, sitting in a favorite chair, walking through the woods, or watching a worship service online. 00:00:43.250 --> 00:00:45.090 And there is some truth in that. 00:00:45.410 --> 00:00:48.210 God is not confined to a church building. 00:00:48.530 --> 00:00:50.210 We can pray anywhere. 00:00:50.530 --> 00:00:52.609 We can read scripture anywhere. 00:00:52.929 --> 00:01:04.049 We can experience the presence of God in our homes, in nature, in a hospital room, or even sitting in a dialysis chair. 00:01:04.450 --> 00:01:08.530 But Christianity was never meant to be lived entirely alone. 00:01:09.650 --> 00:01:14.129 Others have walked away from the church because they were disappointed or wounded. 00:01:14.450 --> 00:01:23.650 They may have encountered judgment, hypocrisy, division, manipulation, or even abuse. 00:01:24.850 --> 00:01:27.650 We should never dismiss those experiences. 00:01:28.049 --> 00:01:35.170 When people have been hurt by a church, telling them to just get over it only adds another wound. 00:01:35.890 --> 00:01:43.570 The church has been made mistakes because the church is made up of human beings, and human beings are imperfect. 00:01:45.570 --> 00:01:50.609 But the failures of Christians do not erase the faithfulness of Christ. 00:01:51.650 --> 00:01:59.329 The church still matters, not because Christians always get everything right, but because Jesus has not abandoned his church. 00:02:01.409 --> 00:02:10.689 In Matthew 16, 18, Jesus said, I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 00:02:12.769 --> 00:02:16.370 Notice that Jesus called it my church. 00:02:16.849 --> 00:02:22.129 The church was not invented by a group of people who simply wanted to establish another organization. 00:02:23.890 --> 00:02:28.849 The church belongs to Christ, and Christ is the one who builds it. 00:02:29.810 --> 00:02:37.009 Paul tells us in Colossians 1 18, and he is the head of the body, the church. 00:02:39.409 --> 00:02:50.050 A church may have a pastor, committees, teachers, musicians, and other leaders, but ultimately Christ is the head. 00:02:50.449 --> 00:02:54.610 When the church forgets that, it loses its direction. 00:02:56.289 --> 00:03:06.289 The church does not exist to glorify a pastor, protect an institution, preserve a building, or promote a political party. 00:03:06.610 --> 00:03:20.849 It exists to worship God, proclaim, proclaim the gospel, make disciples, care for people, and carry the love of Christ into the world. 00:03:23.810 --> 00:03:26.530 That brings us to another important truth. 00:03:27.009 --> 00:03:29.569 The church is not merely a building. 00:03:30.689 --> 00:03:32.849 We often say, I'm going to church. 00:03:33.009 --> 00:03:39.650 We know what we mean, but the church is not the brick, wood, carpet pews, or stained glass. 00:03:40.289 --> 00:03:42.930 The church is the people of God. 00:03:45.170 --> 00:03:53.810 Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12 27, Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular. 00:03:55.250 --> 00:03:57.650 Every believer is part of that body. 00:03:57.890 --> 00:04:02.610 Each person has value, and each person has something to contribute. 00:04:03.569 --> 00:04:06.689 Paul explains that the body has many different parts. 00:04:06.930 --> 00:04:13.090 The hand cannot say it has no need of the eye, and the eye cannot say it has no need of the hand. 00:04:13.569 --> 00:04:17.329 Every part is different, but every part is necessary. 00:04:18.129 --> 00:04:20.529 The same is true of the church. 00:04:21.729 --> 00:04:38.050 Some people preach, some teach, some sing, some cook meals, some visit the sick, some maintain the building, some quietly pray for people without anyone else knowing about it. 00:04:39.649 --> 00:04:45.730 Some people have the gift of speaking, while others have the gift of listening. 00:04:47.730 --> 00:04:55.649 Some people stand in front of the congregation, while others faithfully where few people ever notice. 00:04:57.410 --> 00:05:00.290 Every faithful act of service matters. 00:05:01.889 --> 00:05:05.490 A church also gives us a place to belong. 00:05:06.530 --> 00:05:12.370 We live in a world filled with communication, but many people still feel terribly alone. 00:05:12.930 --> 00:05:21.329 We can have hundreds of social media contacts and still have nobody we can call when our world falls apart. 00:05:22.930 --> 00:05:30.769 The church is meant to be a family, not a perfect family, but a family held together by the grace of God. 00:05:31.569 --> 00:05:34.290 People in a church will not always agree. 00:05:34.850 --> 00:05:41.970 We may come from different backgrounds, generations, political viewpoints, and life experiences. 00:05:42.449 --> 00:05:50.530 But our unity is not built upon anyone being alike. 00:05:51.490 --> 00:05:54.449 Our unity is built upon Jesus Christ. 00:05:56.370 --> 00:06:01.089 Galatians 3.28 teaches that we are all one in Christ Jesus. 00:06:01.970 --> 00:06:04.449 That does not mean our differences disappear. 00:06:04.689 --> 00:06:10.129 It means those differences no longer have the power to separate us from one another. 00:06:11.329 --> 00:06:23.089 At its best, the church is a place where the lonely are welcomed, the grieving are comforted, the struggling are supported, and the forgotten are remembered. 00:06:23.730 --> 00:06:28.769 It is a place where someone notices when your usual seat is empty. 00:06:29.170 --> 00:06:33.009 It is a place where someone calls because they have not seen you lately. 00:06:34.050 --> 00:06:39.810 It is a place where people pray for you when you do not have the strength to pray for yourself. 00:06:40.930 --> 00:06:44.449 The church also helps form and strengthen our faith. 00:06:44.850 --> 00:06:49.490 Acts 2 42 describes the life of the early church. 00:06:51.089 --> 00:07:00.290 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread and in prayers. 00:07:00.689 --> 00:07:06.209 The early Christians gathered for teaching, fellowship, communion, and prayer. 00:07:07.089 --> 00:07:10.930 They needed those things, and so do we. 00:07:12.290 --> 00:07:15.810 Worship reminds us that God is greater than our problems. 00:07:16.370 --> 00:07:22.530 Scripture corrects us when we adrift and encourages us when we become discouraged. 00:07:23.009 --> 00:07:27.490 Fellowship reminds us that we are not walking alone. 00:07:30.370 --> 00:07:33.250 There are times when our faith feels strong. 00:07:33.569 --> 00:07:37.649 There are other times when our faith barely seems to be holding together. 00:07:38.370 --> 00:07:43.009 During those difficult seasons, the faith of other believers can help carry us. 00:07:43.490 --> 00:07:49.649 Someone else may remember the promises of God when we have temporarily temporarily forgotten them. 00:07:50.209 --> 00:07:54.610 Faith is personal, but it was never meant to be isolated. 00:07:55.569 --> 00:08:11.170 Hebrews ten, twenty four and twenty-five says, and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, but exhorting one another. 00:08:12.209 --> 00:08:16.689 We do not simply gather to occupy a few for an hour. 00:08:17.089 --> 00:08:21.170 We gather to encourage one another toward love and good works. 00:08:23.009 --> 00:08:26.290 The church matters because life can become heavy. 00:08:26.610 --> 00:08:34.370 Galatians 6 2 tells us, bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 00:08:36.289 --> 00:08:41.969 Sometimes bearing another person's burden involved involves doing something practical. 00:08:42.529 --> 00:08:51.729 It may mean preparing a meal, providing transportation, helping with a bill, or sitting with someone at the hospital. 00:08:53.329 --> 00:08:57.409 At other times it simply means being present. 00:08:59.489 --> 00:09:02.369 We do not always need the perfect words. 00:09:02.609 --> 00:09:05.089 Sometimes there are no perfect words. 00:09:05.329 --> 00:09:11.729 Sometimes the most Christ-like thing we can do is sit beside someone and assure them that they are not alone. 00:09:13.649 --> 00:09:20.609 The church should be a place where we can admit that we are hurting without being told that our pain means we lack faith. 00:09:21.729 --> 00:09:27.409 It should be a place where we can ask difficult questions without being treated like a problem. 00:09:28.529 --> 00:09:33.089 It should be a place where people do not have to pretend that everything is fine. 00:09:35.969 --> 00:09:40.129 The church also matters because it has a mission beyond its own wall. 00:09:40.929 --> 00:09:53.569 Jesus said in Matthew 5 16, Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven. 00:09:56.609 --> 00:10:01.089 The church does not exist only to care for people who are already inside it. 00:10:01.250 --> 00:10:04.289 It is called to serve the surrounding community. 00:10:05.169 --> 00:10:20.609 The church should feed the hungry, visit the lonely, care for children, support families, welcome strangers, comfort the grieving, and stand beside those whom society has forgotten. 00:10:21.569 --> 00:10:24.129 We are the hands and feet of Christ. 00:10:24.849 --> 00:10:31.569 If our worship on Sunday never changes how we treat people on Monday, then we have missed something important. 00:10:33.569 --> 00:10:45.169 A healthy church turns worship into service, it turns faith into love, it carries the hope of the gospel beyond the sanctuary and into ordinary life. 00:10:48.849 --> 00:10:53.889 But we must also speak honestly about the time when churches fail. 00:10:54.449 --> 00:10:59.250 Churches have sometimes protected their reputation instead of protecting wounded people. 00:11:00.049 --> 00:11:03.409 Some have used fear or shame to control people. 00:11:04.849 --> 00:11:08.209 Some have confused political power with the gospel. 00:11:08.929 --> 00:11:12.449 Others have excluded people who desperately need grace. 00:11:13.969 --> 00:11:17.169 These failures should never be excused. 00:11:18.049 --> 00:11:22.449 We do not defend the church by pretending it has never done anything wrong. 00:11:22.769 --> 00:11:31.489 We honor Christ by telling the truth, seeking accountability, repenting when necessary, and working to make things right. 00:11:33.169 --> 00:11:36.929 If you have been hurt by a church, your pain is real. 00:11:37.889 --> 00:11:42.129 Taking time to heal does not mean you have abandoned God. 00:11:44.609 --> 00:11:49.250 Leaving an unhealthy congregation does not mean that you have left Jesus. 00:11:50.769 --> 00:11:58.689 But one unhealthy church does not represent every church, and the failures of human beings do not change the character of Christ. 00:12:03.009 --> 00:12:09.329 If you have been away from church and feel God drawing you back, you do not have to take every step at once. 00:12:09.569 --> 00:12:11.169 Begin with prayer. 00:12:11.569 --> 00:12:14.929 Ask God to lead you to a healthy congregation. 00:12:16.129 --> 00:12:19.809 Visit without feeling pressured to make an immediate commitment. 00:12:20.209 --> 00:12:22.769 Look for a church where Christ is central. 00:12:23.009 --> 00:12:32.929 Scripture is respected, grace is practiced, questions are welcomed, and people generally care for one another in their community. 00:12:33.729 --> 00:12:35.729 No church will be perfect. 00:12:35.969 --> 00:12:42.369 If you find a perfect church, the moment you or I join it, it will no longer be perfect. 00:12:43.009 --> 00:12:48.129 But there is a difference between an imperfect church and an unhealthy one. 00:12:48.929 --> 00:12:53.089 A healthy church can admit it admit its mistakes. 00:12:53.649 --> 00:12:55.729 It values accountability. 00:12:56.049 --> 00:13:02.769 Its leaders understand that authority is a responsibility to serve, not a privilege to control. 00:13:04.369 --> 00:13:10.369 And if you already belong to a church, do not ask only what am I receiving? 00:13:10.849 --> 00:13:13.649 Ask also how can God use me here? 00:13:14.769 --> 00:13:17.329 Perhaps someone needs your encouragement. 00:13:18.049 --> 00:13:20.369 Someone may need you to listen. 00:13:21.329 --> 00:13:29.729 Someone may need a ride, a meal, a telephone call, or a simple reminder that they have not been forgotten. 00:13:30.609 --> 00:13:34.769 You do not need a title to minister to someone. 00:13:37.250 --> 00:13:39.729 So why does the church still matter? 00:13:40.129 --> 00:13:43.250 The church matters because Christ still matters. 00:13:44.049 --> 00:13:47.089 It is where isolated people can become family. 00:13:47.889 --> 00:13:54.529 It is where burdens can be shared, faith can be strengthened, and grace can be experienced. 00:13:55.649 --> 00:13:57.729 The church is unfinished. 00:13:58.209 --> 00:14:00.129 It is sometimes messy. 00:14:00.369 --> 00:14:09.009 It is made up of people who are still learning, growing, stumbling, repenting, and beginning again. 00:14:09.489 --> 00:14:12.049 But Christ has not abandoned his church. 00:14:12.369 --> 00:14:22.769 He can continues to meet us there, he continues to shape us there, and he continues to send us from there into a world that desperately needs his love. 00:14:25.089 --> 00:14:26.529 Let us pray. 00:14:27.729 --> 00:14:35.489 Gracious God, thank you for calling us not only to yourself but to one another. 00:14:36.209 --> 00:14:40.529 Forgive the ways your church has failed to reflect the love of Christ. 00:14:40.929 --> 00:14:49.089 Heal those who have been wounded, humble those who lead, and teach all of us to bear one another's burdens. 00:14:50.849 --> 00:14:59.009 Help our churches become places of truth, grace, welcome, worship, and service. 00:15:00.049 --> 00:15:07.489 Show each of us how we can encourage someone, serve someone, and make your love visible in our communities. 00:15:09.489 --> 00:15:14.529 Use us as the hands and feet of Jesus in the world that desperately needs hope. 00:15:14.849 --> 00:15:16.689 In Jesus' name we pray. 00:15:17.009 --> 00:15:17.649 Amen. 00:15:22.769 --> 00:15:30.929 Before we close, I want to remind you that my books, The Apostles' Creed and the Lord's Prayer, are available on Amazon. 00:15:31.329 --> 00:15:40.609 Each book was written to help ordinary believers understand these foundational parts of our Christian faith and apply them to everyday life. 00:15:41.329 --> 00:15:46.689 You can find both books by searching Amazon for my name, Hoyt Barrett. 00:15:47.569 --> 00:15:52.129 If you have already purchased one of the books, thank you for your support. 00:15:55.009 --> 00:15:57.489 I want to thank you for joining me today. 00:15:57.729 --> 00:16:08.529 If you do not have a church home, we would love to have you worship with us at Spray United Methodist Church, located at 803 Morgan Road in Eton, North Carolina. 00:16:09.009 --> 00:16:13.729 We are a loving church where we love God and love people. 00:16:14.609 --> 00:16:15.569 All people. 00:16:16.449 --> 00:16:21.569 Until next time, may the grace of God rise before you and keep you safe. 00:16:22.129 --> 00:16:23.409 Goodbye.