I know a ton of people who believe church membership is not necessary in the Christian life. I want to go ahead and say it: That's completely wrong. Some of the excuses I have heard are: "I would rather stay home than go hang out with a bunch of hypocrites every week," or "I don't want to be asked a bunch of questions I don't have an answer for." To refute the first statement, I would say that God loves you despite your sin, and He calls you to love people like He does. As for the second statement, regular church attendance and personal Bible study equip you to answer the questions you don't know.
Jesus calls us to be a part of the body of believers. Some argue that this is referring to the universal church, but it actually means the local body. Most of the New Testament was written to local churches. God's primary vehicle for ministering to the nations is through the local church. After all, the local church is not a building, it is His people. This means you should serve the local church in whatever area God calls you. That involves encouraging others in their walk with Christ and being encouraged and held accountable by others. Consider this: When you wash your car, you cannot wash every part of the car at the same time. You must wash one portion of the car at a time. In the same way, you have to focus on a certain body of believers.
"Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another." (Romans 12:4-5)
You must also understand that church is a gift from God. We, thankfully, do not have to do this alone. There are brothers and sisters in Christ that we can battle temptation alongside of. People are there to encourage you and intercede for you in prayer when you feel defeated. When you or loved ones are ill, your church family will be there. This is called community. Jesus is all about community; just look at the Trinity, His immediate family. The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are in loving communion of one another. Even in His earthly ministry, Jesus kept a community in His 12 disciples.
I encourage you to be involved with local believers. There are people out there who may be encouraged by your story and churches everywhere are in need of Christian servanthood. Go, be blessed, and be a blessing.
“It must not be like that among you. On the contrary, whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life — a ransom for many.” (Matthew 20:26-28 HCSB)
