Written and Media by Kristyn Ewing
It’s a new school year and time to return to classes. During New Student Orientation, a list of churches in Greenville was handed out to new students. The students have the choice to attend or not. The college informs its students on the opportunities available but does not force anyone to go to church. If you are unsure of where to attend or aren’t sure if you want to go, pray about it. Prayer can plant a desire in your spirit and can help you find a church that will help you grow.
With busy schedules, it’s easy to get worn out during the week and want to sleep in on the weekends. Getting up for church on Sunday morning might not be the first thing on your mind, but it’s important to recharge for the upcoming week. Church is essential in staying connected with the body of Christ. It’s important to walk with other Christians and ground yourself in the word. Seek healing and community with other believers. God’s grace is never-ending.
Once the heart is in the right place, realize being a part of the body of Christ is being a part of something bigger than ourselves. It’s putting God first, others second, and ourselves last. Not only do we fellowship with other believers who lift us up, but we should want to in return invest in them, point them toward Christ, and help them in their walk with God. Many great pastors and thriving churches around us are eagerly waiting for our arrival—to build community. The body of Christ needs our individually unique spiritual talents.
Romans 12:4-5 says: “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”
Don’t seek out perfection when looking for a church because there is no ‘perfect church’. Romans 3:23 says: “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Growing up, changing churches of different denominations, none were found perfect. As I’ve gotten older, I’ve been able to find what the church is to me:
“The church is not a building made up of material things. In my eyes, the people within the building make up the church. It’s about the heart of the people—broken people coming from many different backgrounds. They are all seeking God’s guidance, desiring His unconditional love, and longing to know that the impossible is possible.” Matthew 19:26 says: “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.” People are searching and all answers can be found in Christ.”
The question comes down to: Why are you a part of the church? What is the church for you? Will you be a part of the church?
Francis Chan once said in his book Forgotten God: “The church become irrelevant when it becomes purely a human creation. We are not all we were made to be when everything in our lives and churches can be explained apart from the work and presence of the Spirit of God.”
Pray about being a part of the church. Engage in the healing process that will involve being comfortable with being uncomfortable. Want to be a part of the church where ‘something bigger than ourselves’ is put into action. Trust that God has some awesome plans in mind for you—plans that will change the course of your life and the world around you. Jeremiah 29:11 says: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
