Did you know Jesus is married? A lot of people don't realize this, but the Bible refers to the church as the bride of Christ (Ephesians 5:23-32; 2 Corinthians 11:2). This means that just like my wife and I go together, Jesus and His wife (the church, his followers) go together. You can't be committed to Christ and not be committed to His wife. If you're not involved in a local church, I think you have to question whether or not you're a Christian.
Because PCC has its first membership class coming up on June 22, I've been reading books and articles that talk about the importance of being a member of a local church. I'll just share a few that might make you think a little...
"The difference between being a church attender and a church member is commitment. Attenders are spectators from the sidelines; members get involved in the ministry. Attenders are consumers; members are contributors. Attenders want the benefits of a church without sharing the responsibility. They are like couples who want to live together without committing to a marriage." (from Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life, pp. 136-37)
"The plain fact is, when we resist passion and commitment in our relationship with the church, everyone gets cheated out of God's best: You cheat yourself. You cheat a church community. You cheat your world." (from Joshua Harris, Stop Dating the Church, p. 18)
"We need to give up trying to live the Christian life on our own. We need individually to covenant together with others to follow Christ. Christians must stop being selfish in their understanding of the Christian life. The Christian life is not just about you..." (from Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, p. 138)
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