Thanks to the decline in the quality of churches, there are a lot of people who have turned into lone wolf Christians. They try to follow Jesus, but don’t attend church, don’t fellowship with other Christians, and generally don’t live lives much different than unbelievers. As God said at creation, “… It is not good for the man to be alone…” (Genesis 2:18). We were made in the image of God and that includes the need for fellowship with likeminded individuals. In that moment of not wanting man to be alone, a woman, Eve, was created to be his complement and to form the new family unit. In addition to not being part of a local church, we also have people, including Christians, foregoing marriage because of the cultural problems that too often lead to divorce. Solomon, the wisest man in the world (at least at the time), pondered relationships and more in the book of *Ecclesiastes*. > Then I looked again at vanity under the sun. There was a certain man without a dependent, having neither a son nor a brother, yet there was no end to all his labor. Indeed, his eyes were not satisfied with riches and he never asked, “And for whom am I laboring and depriving myself of pleasure?” This too is vanity and it is a grievous task. (Ecclesiastes 4:7-8) What do we work for? If our work is solely for ourselves during our brief mortal lives, it doesn’t have much purpose. If we are working to take care of our families, if we are working to support our church, and if we are working to be able to support those in need and share the Gospel with them, then we are doing a good work. If we are just working for ourselves, it is worthless. > And if I give all my possessions to feed the poor, and if I surrender my body to be burned, but do not have love, it profits me nothing. (1 Corinthians 13:3) God created us to fellowship with others just as the three persons of the Trinity are in perfect fellowship with each other. One institution, created by God, is the family. The perfect fulfillment of the family is a married man and woman and their biological children. The church (the fellowship of believers, not the building or the formal organization) is another form of family. > Two are better than one because they have a good return for their labor. For if either of them falls, the one will lift up his companion. But woe to the one who falls when there is not another to lift him up. Furthermore, if two lie down together they keep warm, but how can one be warm alone? And if one can overpower him who is alone, two can resist him. A cord of three strands is not quickly torn apart. (Ecclesiastes 4:9-12) When I was in high school, I went on a boat ride down the St. Johns River to downtown Jacksonville for dinner with my parents and my Dad's cousin and aunt. My Dad's cousin was a married music pastor at a Baptist church. We only met face to face that one time, but we talked for hours. We were both Christians (my parents are not). You would say a married, middle-aged working man and a single high school girl would have nothing in common, but as fellow believers, it was like talking to a close family member. After the trip my Mom asked what in the world we had in common that would allow us to talk for so long together and I told her it was our faith. To this day, we still keep in touch. The traditional family is critically important, but the church family is also a big deal. When we are alone, we can be misled; we can be weak; we can get sick; and we can give up. When we have family and/or a church, we have others to assist us in our weakness and sickness. We have others to encourage us to be our best. We have others to correct us when we go astray. Whether it is our daily trials that every person on earth has or whether it is our spiritual growth, having others to encourage and correct us is very important for a fulfilling and godly life. > and let us consider how to **stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together**, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25) {emphasis mine} Gathering together with other believers isn’t just a useful thing to have, but is a command from God. He has commanded us to “*stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together*.” It is so easy to get frustrated because a church you visited taught unbiblical teachings or even just platitudes rather than God ordained truths. It is easy to get frustrated at unloving church members and infighting. It is easy to get frustrated when we do not easily find a good church (they are getting harder and harder to find) or when we are hurt by a church, but believers need Christians fellowship. We need it for our wellbeing and growth. We need it because God commanded it. We do need to find a church that teaches the truth of the Bible, shares the Gospel, and loves people. We don’t want to attend just any service that uses the word “church” because there are “churches” that don’t have much to do with God, Jesus, and the Bible. It may be hard to find a good church. It may even require you drive further or to move to another location to find a good church, but only you know your situation. Despite all of this, it is important and should be a priority in all Christian’s lives. It is quite likely that finding a good church is harder than finding a good job, so you might even have to pick your living location based on a church rather than a job. God is worth it. A good church is worth it. As important as it is to find a good, Bible believing, Gospel preaching church, I’d also advise against waiting for the perfect church. Churches (the organizations) are made up of imperfect people. There are no perfect churches because churches are made up of imperfect people. I’ve heard the saying, “If you find a perfect church, don’t join because you will mess it up.” Church is for encouraging each other to grow in faith and godliness; it isn’t a place for perfect people to show up and show off their perfectness. > Do not sharply rebuke an older man, but rather appeal to him as a father, to the younger men as brothers, the older women as mothers, and the younger women as sisters, in all purity. > > Honor widows who are widows indeed; but if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must first learn to practice piety in regard to their own family and to make some return to their parents; for this is acceptable in the sight of God. (1 Timothy 5:1-4) This passage is a great guideline for Christian relationships. We are trying to build up each other in the Lord. We want to encourage all believers to grow in faith, to become more Christ-like, and to share the Gospel with everyone they can. This encouragement, or exhortation, can include correction, given and received in love. We should long for fellowship with God and other believers. This passage from Paul is a great example of his longing to be with fellow believers for the other’s benefit and for his own. > For God, whom I serve in my spirit in the preaching of the gospel of His Son, is my witness as to how unceasingly I make mention of you, always in my prayers making request, if perhaps now at last by the will of God I may succeed in coming to you. For **I long to see you so that I may impart some spiritual gift to you**, that you may be established; that is, that **I may be encouraged together with you while among you, each of us by the other’s faith, both yours and mine.** I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that often I have planned to come to you (and have been prevented so far) so that I may obtain some fruit among you also, even as among the rest of the Gentiles. I am under obligation both to Greeks and to barbarians, both to the wise and to the foolish. So, for my part, I am eager to preach the gospel to you also who are in Rome. (Romans 1:9-15) {emphasis mine} Notice that Paul wants fellowship with other believers both for his own encouragement, but more so that he may aid them. Our church attendance shouldn’t just be sitting absorbing the pastor’s sermon. It should also be ministering to fellow believers. > Take care, brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil, unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God. But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “Today,” so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (Hebrews 3:12-13) When we regularly fellowship with other believers and have fellow believers who know what is going on in our lives, it helps prevent us from drifting away. Those who know and care for us will encourage us to read the Bible, pray, study, attend church, and share our faith. They will discourage us from staying home on Sunday, getting busy with unedifying entertainment to the harm of our faith, and becoming conformed to the culture rather than Jesus. > Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing. But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. We urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone. See that no one repays another with evil for evil, but always seek after that which is good for one another and for all people. Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. (1 Thessalonians 5:11-17) This passage above from 1 Thessalonians does such a good job of describing our relationship with our Christian leaders/pastors, fellow believers, and God, that it is hard to add much too it. At the same time, it is nearly impossible to obey if you aren’t involved in a local church. This is what God has called us to do and how God has called us to live. > You are witnesses, and so is God, how devoutly and uprightly and blamelessly we behaved toward you believers; just as you know how **we were exhorting[1](#footnote-1) and encouraging and imploring each one of you** as a father would his own children, so that you would **walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you** into His own kingdom and glory. (1 Thessalonians 2:10-12) {emphasis mine} We need to be exhorted, encouraged, and implored and we need to exhort, encourage, and implore our fellow believers. This is what it means to “*walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you*.” Trust Jesus.\ \ your sister in Christ