The Mentality of the Unchurched

The Powerlessness of the Assembly 

 Let this truth be settled upon every man's conscience without equivocation: The Church, that visible gathering of men, possesses no inherent power to save a single soul. Nay, the Church, in its simplest and purest definition, is merely the blessed assembly of those already saved by the effectual grace of God. By itself, the assembly is but a powerless vessel, a candle left unused and unlit. The awe-inspiring power to rescue a soul from eternal death was never, at any time, granted to the assemblies or hierarchies of men. That divine authority and efficacious might come solely and exclusively from the Holy Spirit, who moves to empower the one and only means of salvation that God Himself has eternally ordained: the Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is a blessed, unassailable truth that God alone saves through the Gospel alone. To God be all the glory, for He requires no human assistance in the mystery of redemption!

Let us bow our hearts before this wondrous truth: the Holy Spirit, Who alone empowers the Gospel, was graciously given to the Church through the perfect, obedient sacrifice of the Son. He is the promised Comforter, Who stands in constant fellowship with the beleaguered Christian to impart strength and to enable him for the impossible task of true witness, setting his face against a heedless, unbelieving world, and testifying of a Kingdom that no mortal man has ever yet gazed upon with his natural eye. Be it known that the Kingdom of God doth not advance by the devices of men, but solely through the effectual power of the Holy Spirit, equipping the very people who have been redeemed to be participants in this grand design. This, then, is the very purpose of Creation and the glorious mystery of Redemption: that these elect people, whose names were written in the Lamb’s Book of Life before the dawn of Genesis 1, should be called forth to come to God as His own, true children, born not of the will of the flesh, but of His sovereign will, that they might be ushered into the eternal presence to behold His unutterable glory for all ages to come. To Him be the praise of the whole earth!

This holy and blessed collection of people—though redeemed, yet still grievously imperfect, fundamentally weak, and sadly sin-stricken—is, by a mystery of infinite condescension, affectionately called by Christ Himself as His beloved Bride. She is, moreover, declared to be His very own mystical body, for which His precious, life-giving blood was poured out upon the accursed tree! It was indeed for her eternal life and preservation that the Son of God did willingly suffer and die. How immense and unsearchable is this love that binds the Savior to His redeemed!

And thus we are led to this unavoidable conclusion: the lone professing Christian—and I speak not of those whose circumstances deny them immediate access, nor of those who actively search for a spiritual home—but the one who deliberately and intentionally cuts himself or herself off from the Body of Christ, choosing to remain in solitude, is nothing less than a spiritual anomaly. Such a one must be counted a moral rebel and, indeed, a renegade believer. For in this willful isolation, he uplifts the First Great Commandment—professing loyalty to God—but utterly ignores, and seeks to undermine, the sanctity and obligation of the Second, which demands love and fellowship with the brethren. The Christian life is social, and the covenant is made in company!

It is a most lamentable and grievous truth that there are many situations within numerous professing and so-called churches, brought about by reckless and faithless overseers and leaders, that have indeed scarred the tender conscience of many a serious believer, leading some tragically into the very brink of unbelief. But let no soul use this bitter affliction as a justification for spiritual abandonment. No man may pronounce, in self-pity and rebellion, that he would rather stand alone, crying out, "I alone am left," as did Elijah in his moment of fear (1 Kings 19:10). The spiritual reality stands firm: One cannot be truly in Christ and yet remain estranged from His Body. Much less can one presume to serve the betterment of that very Body while standing apart from it. The branch cannot continue to draw life or sustenance on its own, apart from its vital attachment to the Living Vine (John 15:5). Moreover, no member can claim to be of the same mystical body which it despises and refuses to be a part of. The wound of the Church is grievous, but the love of the Savior demands our return to her fellowship.

The Creed of the Unchurched.

"I need not be reminded. I need not be warned. I know enough to avoid sinning and do good, and I understand everything happening in my life. I belong to Christ but not necessarily His body, so I am free from any obligation to do good to it. Neither do I need the fellowship of saints. I do need the use of Christ, but I need not concern myself to be used of Him. I simply refrain from doing harm to others, without any regard to do them good. I do not need admonition and exhortation, neither must I do the same. I want the love of God for myself. There are many ways of loving God, loving others is not one of them."

"I need no instruction from the wise. I know temptation when I see it. Though I am a sheep, I do not need a shepherd. I can feed myself, and find my own way back should I want to. I need only to trust my own heart and understanding. I am confident enough to spend the rest of my Christian life alone, assuming I do rightly by living morally. I may be just a hand, but I do not need a body to be joined to. I would rather be in the company of unbelieving friends and family than with the Lord's redeemed. Yes, I do look forward to be joined to the body of Christ, but only when I am in heaven. That is the only time I can be sure I am among true believers, because I am true. Those who do and keep the will of God I do not consider as spiritual family. I have no need of a spiritual family. My spirit is content to dwell with those who do not seek the glory of my God and live in rebellion against Him."

"I would rather trust what I know God to be, than humble myself to obey what He revealed Himself to be in His word."

Blessings for being with Brethren who Love the Lord and
the Pitfalls of being a Lone Christian.

"Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"
Psalms 133:1

"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." 
1 Corinthians 12:21

"And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection."
Luke 8:14 

You are gifted by God with light from His Word equipping you for service that honors His name, and are able to partake of this precious command of breaking bread with the saints. "They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer." Acts 2:42

You are in the fellowship of believers who love the Lord "..so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ." 1 John 1:3

You will be edified by fellow-believers. "Let all things be done for edification." 1 Corinthians 14:26

You have people to admonish you. "Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another.."  Colossians 3:16

You have godly companions who desire to do you good and they will be an encouragement to you for the troubles ahead. "I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them that keep thy precepts." Psalms 119:63

The absence of intimate fellowship will make you calloused, apathetic, and eventually self-righteous. "Therefore, confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." James 5:16

This command is for believers and followers. You cannot obey this alone, therefore you cannot obey this at all. "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another." John 13:34

You have no one to encourage you. Eventually the worries and troubles of this world will overtake you and being alone you will fall away (Luke 18:14)"and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near." Hebrews 10:24-25 
"Therefore encourage one another and build up one another, just as you also are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11
"That is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me." Romans 1:12

You cannot practice patience and forgiveness being alone, have no one to be united to, and are therefore fruitless. "with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:2-3

You are unable to serve the needs of fellow believers. This is the breeding ground for apathy. "contributing to the needs of the saints, practicing hospitality." Romans 12:13

You become dull on your own. "Iron sharpens iron; so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend." Proverbs 27:17

Your love remains stunted. You cannot say you love God without a love for His redeemed. "If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us." 1 John 4:12

You are directly opposed this command. "A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:34-35, John 15:17, Romans 12:10, 1 John 4:7

You bear your own burden, and you steal the blessings that fellow-believers may have in bearing yours. "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ." Galatians 6:2 

Another essential element of Christian fellowship is sharing sorrows and difficult times. We “rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep” Romans 12:15
 

Satan always hates Christian fellowship; it is his policy to keep Christians apart. Anything which can divide saints from one another he delights in. He attaches far more importance to godly intercourse than we do. Since union is strength, he does his best to promote separation.
~Charles Spurgeon