Do you love the church? This question is one of the most important questions you will ever answer. An answer in the affirmative is binding. It is similar in importance to the affirmative answer given in a wedding ceremony. The pastor asks the question, “Will you take this woman to be your wife?” If the answer is “Yes,” at least two important things happen. The first is that you make your new wife happy. The second binds you to a committed relationship of service and sacrifice to your wife for the rest of your life.
Surely, the question of loving the church is not that important, is it? Granted, most people, even most Christians, would not think so. But, in fact, it is just as important, if not more so. In I Peter 2:17, the Holy Spirit commands that you are to love the brotherhood. In Ephesians 4:11-16, we read that your spiritual growth is directly tied to the investment that you make in the body of Christ. If you want to be a good husband, wife or parent (by God’s perspective) you cannot do this without the church. Your church commitment should be to a church that is biblical and is in full agreement with the historic essentials of Christian faith. But having taken that step, your sacrificial love to the church must be one that is unwavering. Your spouse and your children will only be harmed if you are unfaithful to God’s command to love the church. Shepherd Press has just released a new title that addresses this very question.
John Crotts has written a practical and accessible study on the importance of the church. As Crotts indicates, loving the church is not merely an option, but it is a command. Christians are to love each other corporately and individually. Much modern day teaching has emphasized the individual aspect of Christian love. But there is little that demonstrates how important it is to also love each other corporately.
If you have ever had questions about why church membership is important this book has the answer. If you have been at a loss about how to explain the importance of regular church attendance this book will help you find your way. Perhaps you have friends or children who have been disaffected by church; Loving the Church can help. Loving the Church is not stuffy but refreshing. It takes common everyday questions about the church and gives practical answers that will stick with you. John Crotts successfully uses the casual setting of a coffee shop to make God’s instruction about his church easily understandable.
There is much dissatisfaction with the evangelical church at large. Loving the Church shows that there is no reason for dissatisfaction for God’s plan for the church. This book is clear and biblically based. This is a book to discuss with your friends who may have questions about the necessity of “doing church”. This book can be a blessing to you. Loving the Church also can be an excellent evangelistic tool to show how a biblical church should function. It is a great way to dispel misconceptions that many have about how churches should function.
As you read through it you will find yourself loving the church.
As a bonus, if you purchase this book you will be entitled to a free ebook!