“I want God and spirituality, but not the church.”
More people say this today than ever. Spirituality is in; church is out. Why? For some, the painful memories of previous church experiences keep them away. For others, local church problems aren’t worth the hassle. For many, church just seems irrelevant or unhelpful to their own spirituality. Perhaps most would simply say, “I’m too busy for church.”
The Bible specifically addresses a churchless view of spirituality. To begin with, a person who wants God, but not the church, needs to come to grips with 1 John 3:14—“We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers.” A sacrificial love for Christian brothers and sisters is one of the first, best, and most reliable evidences of having passed from spiritual death into eternal life through Christ. Anyone who claims to possess this love for God’s people, but avoids their regular gatherings, needs to reexamine his relationship with the Father of this family.
Second, anyone who calls Jesus “Lord” must submit to the authority of His Word when it warns against “not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some” (Hebrews 10:25). The New Testament knows nothing of the individualized spirituality of today and nothing of a Christianity that exists apart from the local church.
Remember, too, that the church is Jesus’ idea, not man’s. More than that, the church is His body. The apostle Paul reminds us, “Christ is the head of the church; his body, and is himself its Savior” (Ephesians 5:23), and “we are members of his body” (5:30). Even though it may sometimes appear otherwise, the body of Christ has not been severed from its head. Why wouldn’t anyone want to actively participate in the only organization on Earth where Jesus Christ is the head? When one of His earliest promises was, “I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18), why wouldn’t anyone want a part in what Jesus Himself is building?
Look at Jesus’ own example. He wasn’t a spiritual loner. Twelve disciples always traveled with Him, often teaching and ministering on his behalf as well. Furthermore, Luke 4:16 reminds us that, “as was his custom, he went to the synagogue on the Sabbath day.” Why did Jesus make it His custom to go to the synagogue every Sabbath? Because He would hear the Word of God, worship God, and fellowship with God’s people there.
That’s how participation in congregational spirituality builds our individual spirituality. When we’re fed by the preaching and teaching of Scripture, receiving the Lord’s Supper, singing praises and praying with Christ’s people, and talking about the things of God together, the Spirit strengthens us in ways that do not occur when we’re alone.
So attend, join, worship in, learn in, give to, fellowship with, and spiritually thrive in a local body of Christ that’s faithful to God’s Word. Find teachers and models there who can help with simplifying your spiritual life. Consider starting some type of small group in the church to study a book on the subject.
Christian spirituality is not an isolationist, self-absorbed spirituality. That’s more descriptive of the world’s “spirituality” today. Biblical spirituality is relational—not only toward God, but also with the people of God. Proverbs 18:1 teaches, “Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment.” Don’t isolate yourself from the people of God. Take God, spirituality, and the church. That’s God’s plan. His ways are simpler and healthier for our souls than any we contrive on our own.erely self-effort, self-love, and empty. It is good to have a zeal for spirituality, but if it’s a zeal “not according to knowledge” (Romans 10:2)—that is, the knowledge God gives through His Word—it’s a spiritual mirage. It is good to desire a simpler spirituality, but a spirituality that’s simpler than that taught in the Bible is simply wrong. So away with any spirituality without God—the one, true God. Away with any spirituality without Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Embrace a Trinitarian spirituality.
