(Disclaimer: This transcript is auto-generated and may contain mistakes.)

Hello, everybody. It's Minister1223 back in the video. In this video, I'm going to be talking about the importance of church. You know, why do we go to church? What is its purpose? I don't think God outlined a system for assemblies in the Bible for no reason. Churches have several reasons for their existence, one of them being to provide fellowship, but also to provide teaching and edification to believers and to give a place to glorify and worship God and to organize good works for the Lord. So in this video, I'll be going through verses which explain that we as Bible, saved Bible-believing Christians, are called by God to attend a good church. First of all, I want to talk about fellowship. It says in Hebrews chapter 10 verse 24 to 25, "...and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works, not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching." So first we're called to not forsake one another in assemblies. And that's exactly what a church is. The word church simply means an assembly or a congregation. It's the gathering together of people, specifically saved Bible-believing Christians. It doesn't matter what building you meet and whether it's a cathedral or a school gym. I remember I saw a church one time that met in a school gym, but it doesn't matter where you're meeting as long as you're one, an assembly of believers, and two, you have the proper authority structure, which is outlined in scriptures such as 1st Timothy 3, which includes overseers and deacons. If you follow those two criteria, that is a church. It doesn't matter where you are. It's not an organization. It's not a building. That's what makes something a church. It's an assembly. And here in this passage, Hebrews chapter 10 verse 24 to 25, it gives us a few reasons why we shouldn't forsake such. First, it says in verse 24, to revoke unto love and good works. Secondly, it says that we should exhort one another, and the word exhort means to encourage or build up. So it's our goal to help our fellow believers, to help fellow Christians, to encourage them, to build them up. Because, you know, fellow Christians are not just, you know, they're not just other people that we don't even know, that aren't even related to us. They don't matter or anything like that. They're not just members of the same religion. They're actually brethren. The Bible says you're all children of God by faith in Christ Jesus in Galatians 3. And then John 1 says, to as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God. The Bible also says in 1st Thessalonians chapter 5 verse 11, Wherefore comfort yourselves together and edify one another, even as also ye do. In Ecclesiastes chapter 4 verse 9 to 10, two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow, but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, for he hath not one another to help him up. So we have fellow believers to lift us up. But if we never meet with each other, and we never have fellowship with these people, how can we be encouraged? How can we be exhorted? Not only that, but fellowship with our brethren also entails fellowship with, and a personal relationship with God. The Bible says in 1st John chapter 1 verse 3, that which we have seen and heard declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us. And truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his son Jesus Christ. And it says in Matthew chapter 18 verse 20, for where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. So we see that one of the main reasons why we go to church is in order to have fellowship with God, and to be encouraged by fellow believers. However, another reason is to learn and to be built up in our faith. So that would be teaching and edification. It says in Ephesians chapter 4 verse 11 to 16, And he gave some apostles, and some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, that we henceforth be no more children tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the slight of men and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive, but speaking the truth and love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ, for whom the whole body fitly joined together, and compacted by that which every joint supplyeth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. So here the Bible is saying that there are different roles which have been given, and one of these roles includes pastors and teachers. That would be the overseers of the church. The word pastor is related to the word pastoral. You may have heard of that or, you know, pastor. It's talking about, about herders in a sense. Jesus Christ, He is the shepherd of all believers, but there exists some who were meant to shepherd and lead Christians through ministry in specific churches, in specific regions. So it tells us in verse 12 of this passage that the purpose of all these positions is for the perfecting of the saints, the work of the ministry, and the edifying of the body of Christ. Jesus Christ called us to be perfect in Matthew chapter 5 48. We should strive to grow in our faith as much as possible. A church is something which speeds and aids up this process. This verse also mentions the work of the ministry, which is applied to pastors and teachers, in the sense that it is their job to preach the gospel among the church as well. Maybe there's somebody there who isn't saved, but who just is attending there. Maybe they can get them saved, and as the overseer of a church, they send out evangelists and organize matters of preaching the word of God and preaching the gospel. It's also for the edifying of the body of Christ. So to edify means to teach, and it's related to the word edifice, which is a structure, a building. That's another word for, for a building. So, another way to say edify would be to build up, just like exhort. It's, it's to build them up in their faith, to teach them. Just as it says in 1st Thessalonians chapter 5, in which Paul tells us to edify one another. So, the passage in Ephesians 4 also shows us that this edification is a necessary process to help us mature spiritually, but also to avoid false teachings. Because unfortunately, there are a lot of false prophets out there who teach a lot of false things and false doctrines and lead people astray, but thankfully it says that God has given us these positions, apostles, prophets, pastors, and teachers, and evangelists, to make sure that we don't, that we aren't carried away by every wind of doctrine, and so we aren't deceived. And this is taught elsewhere in the Bible. It says in 2nd Timothy chapter 4 verse 2 to 5, So, the preaching of God's Word is necessary to make Christians endure sound doctrine. And the sad matter is that not every Christian is going to read their Bible. They're not all going to, to learn what the Bible says. And for those who do, there still may be some who'd receive it, especially if they are babes in Christ, and if they're just, you know, they don't know the Word of God that well. It's the church's goal to make sure that Christians don't get to this point where they turn to fables and they heap to false teachers. Now it is true that it says in 1st John 2 27 that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things, but this is through God's Word. The Holy Spirit teaches us through the reading of God's Word. If everybody read the Bible the exact same number of times and paid attention to the exact same passages and had the same things on their mind and the same things growing through their life, we'd all come to the same conclusion with pretty much everything and every doctrine, but the fact of the matter is that everybody isn't like that. Some people are better communicators, some people have memorized large portions of Scripture, some people have been saved for decades and have read the Bible from cover to cover dozens of times, and so they know a lot more about the Bible and they know and they've matured much more in their faith. Those are they which should be the teachers that are mentioned in this passage. They should be the teachers of a church. As it says in 1st Timothy 3, overseers should be apt to teach, so those are the pastors. They should be able to teach. Now kind of tying in with the concept of teaching, there's also this verse, Colossians chapter 3 verse 16, which also discusses the worship of God and it says, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. This is another thing which happens at the church. We sing hymns and psalms and spiritual songs to God. And this verse here tells us that in doing so, we are also teaching and admonishing one another. So compare that with the previously mentioned passages about building each other up. Now it says in 1st Corinthians chapter 14 verse 26, How is it then, brethren? When you come together, every one of you hath a psalm, hath a doctrine, hath a tongue, hath a revelation, hath an interpretation. Let all things be done unto edifying. So this passage also shows us that everybody in a church is different. That is again why we need an assembly and why we shouldn't just rely on ourselves and just read the Bible on our own and just never go to church. We shouldn't just rely on ourselves to grow as a Christian. There's everybody who has their own psalm or interpretation or doctrine. This ties into what I mentioned earlier about how we're all taught in different ways and we all come from different backgrounds. We all know different things. So worshiping and singing hymns and psalms is also edifying. And finally, I think there's another really important passage about this topic which kind of ties in all of this and just sums up all of these teachings. It's pretty long but just bear with me. I'm going to read all of it and then talk about it a little bit. It's 1st Corinthians chapter 12 from verse 8 to 28. It says, For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another diverse kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. For as the body is one and hath many members, and all the members of that one body being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free, and have been all made to drink into one Spirit. For the body is not one member but many. If the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body, is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling? But now hath God set the members, every one of them, in the body, as it hath pleased them. And if they were all one member, where were the body? But now are they many members, yet but one body? And the eye cannot say into the hand, I have no need of thee, nor again the head to the feet, I have no need of you. Nay, much more those members of the body which seem to be more feeble are necessary, and those members of the body which we think to be less honourable, upon these we bestow more abundant honour, and our uncommonly parts have more abundant comeliness. For our commonly parts have no need, but God hath tempered the body together, having given more abundant honour to that part which lacked. That there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another, and whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it, or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it. Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular, and God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers. After that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. So first of all it says in verses, it talks about in verses 8 to 10 rather, or those verses 8 to 10 where it's talking about how everyone has their own gifts, and how everyone has a discerning spirit or prophecy, that's comparable to what it said in 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 26 which I read earlier, which says in that verse that everyone has a psalm, or a doctrine, or a tongue, etc. So here in verses 8 to 10 it says that 2.1 is given the working of miracles to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, and so on. So again the different members of the body each have their own roles. Paul then proceeds to go on into an explanation of why this is important to know. In verses 12 to 14 he says, For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body being many are one body, so also is Christ. So we're all part of the same body, or in other words the same church, but we being different members of the body fulfill different roles which are equally important, based on the gifts and callings which have been given us by God. In verse 21 Paul says, And the eye cannot say unto the hand, I have no need of thee, nor again the head to the feet I have no need of you. And this again is a metaphor to the church. Just like we need certain parts of the body to complete our bodily functions, we need a collection and assembly of different believers in order to fulfill God's will. This was part of edifying one another. This passage concludes in verse 27 by the Bible saying, Ye are the body of Christ. So it's identifying the church as the body. And then in verse 28 it says basically what Ephesians 4-11 was saying, That God has given apostles, and prophets, and teachers, and those who do miracles and healing, and those who are helpers, and those of governments, and those who speak different tongues, etc. God gives all these different positions in a church in order to complete the church, in order to work with each other and build each other up. So in conclusion, church is very important. Don't think that we can just have a good relationship with God if you just skip out on attending a good church. We need to build each other up, to edify, and teach one another, and to have encouraging fellowship. And when we do this, not only are we able to work together as a team to fulfill God's will, but we can mature spiritually ourselves and have fellowship ourselves with Christ. And if you're in a church which doesn't do these things, which isn't really edifying, which is just kind of bland and doesn't do great works for God and everything like that, I suggest finding a better place, especially one which is doctrinally sound. If the leadership does not teach the core doctrines of our faith, such as salvation by grace through faith alone, eternal security, and that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, if they don't teach those things, if they don't actually give you sermons and don't actually say anything that actually you can apply to your life and actually mean anything, you should probably find a better church. You should probably avoid that church and just look in your area for something that's better. So yeah, church is important and that's all I have to say for now. So thank you everybody for watching and goodbye.