A couple of months ago, I went to a church service where the message was all about "the church as a body," and since then, the message has stuck and truly resonated with me.
What does this mean?
The church is the body. The church is the founding of our relationship with Christ. Yes, you can do it on "your own," but not in the same context. The church is where we pray together, meet other creations of the Lord, and worship as a collective.
The church is where we have more than a couple of minutes to hear the message of the Lord. The body is given to us as a place to heal, find love, and seek a relationship we have been searching for.
How can you do it on your own? Sure, loving throughout the week, praying, and healing can all be done in the comfort of our homes—but truly staying invested and exploring the depths of our new relationship cannot be done without help...the body itself.
Here's how I look at it:
Long-distance relationships can be done, but they have to start somewhere. In a relationship, you have to find love, passion, comfort, trust, and several other factors until you are comfortable enough to see each other in flesh, but know you can stay apart and still have a healthy, loving, and helpful relationship.
God tells us in His Word to "not give up meeting together." (Hebrews 10:25)
I believe that God wants us to stand by each other. He wants us to continue the physical act of meeting him at the foot of the cross and pledge our love to him on Sunday where he can be devoted to and loved by all of our brothers and sisters.
Whether you like to admit it or not, there is no "perfect" Christian. We all have our trials and tribulations that we face with our relationship with God.
It can be easy to pick out certain parts of the Bible that you want to listen to, but at church, you will more than likely be told some things that you don't want to be told. You will more than likely be tested and more than likely will be forced to hear things that you might not be open to hearing, and that is the important aspect of being a Christian: listening to all parts and ideas of the Bible.
Going to mass is showing your discipleship. You are proving to God that you are invested in the relationship and you are invested in giving Him your heart and improving the relationship.
At the body of Christ, the church itself, you will be able to physically feel the love from others. There is something to be said about the empowerment that love can do, especially to someone in need. God wants us to grow these relationships and spread our love to people who are all wanting the same thing—a love with Jesus Christ himself.
Going to the body is a way to honor the Lord. The body has been here for more years than imagined and to disregard that is something that I hope we can all stray away from. This should be the foundation of our love and relationship with Him.
