The Church - Still Valuable

I want to think today about not only who Jesus is, but His relationship to His body, His Church. Colossians 1 offers us a wonderful passage about the preeminence of the risen Lord:
17 And He is before all things, and in Him all things consist.
18 And He is the head of the body, the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in all things He may have the preeminence.
19 For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell,
20 and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself, by Him, whether things on earth or things in heaven, having made peace through the blood of His cross.

Jesus is the head of His Church, and we are members of that Church - not our individual church bodies and buildings, although our fellowship with other believers and participation in worship in the local church are important, but we are also part of God's bigger purpose...bringing His body together to make an impact on this world, to share the gospel message, to reflect the love of Christ.  As we come together in unity, we can become a powerful and relevant force in this world, testifying to the truth of the Almighty God.

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In Matthew 16, we read where Jesus asked His disciples not only what others said about Him, but Who they believed Him to be:
16 Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God."
17 Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.
18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.

There's a new LifeWay Research survey out that is an indicator of survey respondents' views toward church.  It shows that among Americans, 88 percent believe that church attendance is "acceptable," and 65% say it is "admirable."  Only 11 percent think it is useless.

Even non-religious people see some value in going to church: Eighty percent believe church attendance is acceptable, and 43 percent label it admirable. Just 29 percent call it useless.

Yet, even though they have a favorable view of church attendance, overall, 55 percent of Americans surveyed believe that the church is "declining" and 51 percent refer to it as "stable."  Unfortunately, 42 percent believe the church is dying, which is greater that the responses to the words "growing," at 36% and "thriving" at 38%.

A mixed message, perhaps?  People finding value in an institution that they feel may have seen better days? The report on the study says this:

Their attitudes reflect the mixed trends of the past 50 years. While many mainline denominations have lost membership, some have grown. And while more people are Christian today than in 1970, Christians make up a smaller share of the burgeoning population, according to a study from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary.

The report also states that while 54 percent of those over age 65 see going to church as an assumption, that viewpoint is in the minority for every other age group.

A Barna Group survey from last year reflects attitudes toward church attendance, as well.  The report on the study says:

Although church involvement was once a cornerstone of American life, U.S. adults today are evenly divided on the importance of attending church. While half (49%) say it is "somewhat" or "very" important, the other 51% say it is "not too" or "not at all" important. The divide between the religiously active and those resistant to churchgoing impacts American culture, morality, politics and religion.

Tens of millions of Americans attend church each weekend, but the practice has declined in recent years, according to the Barna Group's 2014 tracking data. Overall church attendance has dipped from 43% in 2004 to 36% today. Also, the percentage of people who have not attended a church function at all in the past six months has surged over the last decade from one-third to nearly two-fifths of all Americans. Not surprisingly, more than half of Millennials and Gen Xers say they have not been to church in the last six months.

So, what can we conclude and apply?  Well, for one thing, and this is good - there is a significant number of people that recognize the validity of the church.  And, Scripture teaches that the Church is the expression of the presence of Christ through His people.  He told Peter that "on this rock I will build My church."  He had commended Peter that flesh and blood had not revealed to him that Jesus was the Son of God.

And, that continues to be the core belief of true believers - that we adhere to a set of principles, consistent with the Scriptures, centered around the divinity of Christ.  Take out His divine nature, of which 2nd Peter says we have been made partakers, and the church becomes a place to merely have meetings designed to inspire or challenge, or another social club, rather than a place where believers in Christ gather to connect with Him, to fellowship together and to worship and grow in our Christian life.

But, the Church meets more than just Sundays or Wednesdays - you belong, and therefore because you are in Christ, the head of the body, you have an identity as a member of the Church, the greater body of Christ, and we are joined together with Him and with one another.  As you move, you reflect the identity of your Savior and your actions are representative of Him and His Church! You are an ambassador - for your Lord and for His Church, as well as your individual church body.

People's attitudes toward church may have waned, but the power and potential for the Church to impact our culture has not.  The Church, an institution established by God Himself, has been placed in this world to be a living expression of our living Lord!