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THE GARAGE AND THE CHURCH
Psalm 132:1-9
Hebrews 10:19-25
September 28, 2008

     There is a famous quote which says, “Sitting in church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car.”   The point of the quote is that it’s not church attendance, but rather our relationship with Jesus, that makes us Christians.  Public appearances at church don’t make us ‘more’ Christian.  In fact, Jesus himself advised those who wanted a closer relationship with God through prayer to go into their rooms and pray privately, not in public like the hypocrites (Matthew 6:5-7). 

     For this reason the average person might ask themselves, “Why would I ever want to join a church?”  Is it so we can hang out with the right people, and let the rest of the world know we’re one of the right people too?  No.  Henry Ward Beecher once said, “The church is not a gallery for the exhibition of eminent Christians, but a school for the education of imperfect ones, and a hospital for the healing of those needing diligent care.”   The church isn’t filled with the right people; it’s filled with all of the wrong people – who know how wrong they are.  But, that still doesn’t answer the question, “Why join a church?” 

     The author of Hebrews is unknown, but traditionally the Apostle Paul has been seen as the most likely candidate.   Paul says there are three good reasons to join and participate in the life of the local church.  The idea of varying Christian denominations (Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian) was beyond the scope of Paul’s imagination.  His entire emphasis is on the local church, the one that’s closest to you, the one where you know the other believers and are ministered to.  His first reason to join is because the church is where we get baptized (Hebrews 10:22). 

     Paul never believed that baptism was a requirement for salvation.  We are saved solely on the basis of our faith in Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8-9).  Baptism is significant because it is a public statement of our belief and our faith.  Baptism is like a wedding ring.  You are married whether you wear the ring or not.  It’s the vows and the commitment which create the marriage, not the ring.  The ring is important because it tells the rest of the world how committed we are to those vows.  A wedding ring is an outward sign of an inward commitment.

     Baptism functions in exactly the same way.  Baptism tells the rest of the world that we are serious about our decision to place our entire confidence in Jesus.  But, the world will not know that if there are no witnesses.  Baptism must be public.  The church building, and the people, are dedicated exclusively to God, and are therefore, by definition, holy (1 Peter 1:15).  Paul’s first reason to join the church is because this is the most appropriate place to be baptized. 

     Paul’s second reason to join the church is because we all need a little help (Hebrews 10:23).  No one gets through life completely clean, at some point trials and tribulations find each of us.  Having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is the paramount purpose of our lives.  But, it isn’t a golden ticket to avoid hardship.  Christians are not immune from the pain of life.  Our parents still die and leave us alone, our children still become addicted to drugs, our businesses still go bankrupt, we still get sued, and our marriages still fail.  When that happens, who is going to be there for us?

     Paul says when you join a church you make a commitment to be there for the other members, and every one of the other members makes a commitment to be there for you.   Who else is going to rally around you when your life comes apart at the seams?  When our house burned down the other members of this church rallied around us until we could move beyond the shock and find normality again.  It is the other members of the church who help you stand up, dust yourself off, and begin moving forward once more.  And, they do that without judgment or condemnation. 

          Specialists wondered why Canadian geese always fly in a V formation, so                       engineers did a study on the subject.  They discovered that the flapping of                  each goose’s wings provided an upward lift for the goose that followed.                      When all the geese were flying in perfect formation, the whole flock had a                        71 percent greater flying range than if each bird flew alone.  Each was                         dependent on the others to reach its destination.  Likewise, with the church,                         it’s at least 71 percent easier to live the Christian life by ‘flying with the                      flock’ than it is to fly alone.

     Paul’s third reason to join the church is because Christians have a responsibility to each other (Hebrews 10:24-25).  Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.  By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:34-35).” 

     Love is a community activity.   You cannot practice love in isolation.  You can practice faith by yourself.  You can practice hope by yourself.  You can seek a closer relationship with the Lord by yourself.  But, practicing love requires you to move out into the community.  When it comes to love, actions speak louder than words.   Don’t tell me how much you love, show me.  Attending worship and joining in community with the other believers is an action of love.  It’s putting your money where your mouth is. 

     When you become a Christian you are given spiritual gifts and talents (Romans 11:29).  You can recognize gifts and talents because they directly benefit someone besides you yourself.  It is your obligation and your requirement to use those gifts and talents.  It is your obligation to minister to those around you.   We are not given these gifts to use sometimes, occasionally, or when it’s convenient.  Christianity is not a feeling, it’s a life choice.   If we are going to love our neighbor, and use our gifts for his benefit, we must get out of the house and participate in the faith community.  Paul says you cannot stop going to church, you cannot stop being a part of the believers. 

     This is why we join the Church.  Can you be a Christian without joining?  Yes, you can.  But, it will be an incomplete imitation of all that your journey could be. 

          Someone once said, “Can I be a Christian without joining other Christians in              the church?  Yes, it is something like: being a soldier without an army, a                           seaman without a ship, a business man without a business, a tuba player                       without an orchestra, a football player without a team or a bee without a                            hive.”