God’s Spirit through the author of Hebrews tells us that we need the local church more in dark days, not less: “all the more as we see the Day (of Christ’s return) drawing near” (Heb. 10:25). It may be that our local church fellowship may need to change, but our need for Christian community is heightened, not lessened, by the struggles with sin all around us. God expects all His people to be an active part of a local church. This basic reality is inescapable if we want to follow Christ.

I have met Christians that conclude that they don’t need the local church anymore. They might watch services online, listen to sermon podcasts, or read Christian books, and/or worship alone or as a family, but when it comes to being a part of local church life, they avoid it. You might be one of these.

There are various kinds of burnout that lead some to this conclusion. The church that they have been a part of might have been dominated by sharp contention. Strife over secondary issues wear people down. Professed believers in known sin may remain unconfronted by the leadership. The church where one has invested much time, energy, and resources has proved spiritually dead or has given in to cheap grace and worldliness. For these reasons and others, some may conclude that it is spiritually defeating to continue. Too many Christians have experienced this is two or more. They are weary from all of the struggles and unmet expectations.

In some cases, the believer who has left has done so because they were sinned against in a very painful way by another member. It is extremely difficult to worship and serve God alongside those who have really hurt you and broke your trust.

Too many have watched their spiritual leaders fall into sin and then even leave unrepentant. Greed, sexual sin, heavy-handed and abusive leadership, etc., are far too frequent even among those with solid credentials and sound doctrinal convictions. When a believer experiences this once in their Christian experience would be hard enough to process, but some have experienced it multiple times.

There is an intense struggle with sin and evil in these times.

These are dark days. It is grieving to learn through the news and social media of one Christian leader after another falling into serious sin. And we have not even begun to talk about the widespread apostasy (rejection of foundational truth about God), false doctrines, and heresies (deviations from sound doctrine and basic Christian living) rampant in at least a majority of professed Christian congregations. If we Christians focus on all these failures, it could easily lead to a spiritual depression or a dangerous cynicism that leads to a rejection of local church life altogether.

The fact that these evils have occurred, are occurring now, and will continue to occur, must not be allowed to justify or validate Christian living in isolation. I believe that God is not pleased with a rejection of the local church under any circumstances.

Truths that keep us engaged in local church life despite challenges

The local church is obviously God’s perfect plan for His people.

The whole New Testament communicates this. Upon baptism, every single believer becomes immediately attached to the local body of believers through whom he/she has come to Christ (Matt. 28:19-20).

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