Church - Who needs it?

Can you be a Christian and not attend a local church? Certainly, attending church does not make anyone a Christian, but a true Christian will, most certainly, desire and enjoy the fellowship of other believers. To say you know and love God and not to obey Him goes contrary to the truth. In addition, to say you know and love Him and disdain or disregard fellow brothers and sisters in the faith goes contrary to true Christianity (1 John 5:1-2).

A local church, as established by God, is a group of believers that purpose to regularly and consistently gather at specific times and in a specific place to help each other in their mutual faith through preaching, teaching, praying, singing, etc. (Acts 2:47; Acts 20:7; 2 Timothy 4:2; 1 Corinthians 16:2; Ephesians 4:11-16)

The church is compared to the temple of the Old Testament where God took up residence. Thus, God, in a real and special sense, meets with His people when they come together as a church in a particular location (Ephesians 2:21-22). God is pleased with the collective praise rendered unto Him by the assembled church (Ephesians 5:19-20). Let each of us purposefully set aside the necessary times that have been decided upon by the church for the development of each believer. The commitment level must rise for vitality in our Christian walk to rise proportionately. Others of the body need you just as much as you need them. The part you play in the functioning of the church is significant, just as the part others play in your life is helpful. It only bears out that significance when each and every part of the body is coming together at each and every opportunity. Otherwise, the body will become disjointed and malnourished (1 Corinthians 12:12-27).

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 ye see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25