Why Church? To Gain Courage

One of the worst feelings in the world is to want to quit because we feel whatever we're doing is too difficult.  There's nothing more difficult than following Christ.  So it shouldn't be surprising that sometimes you want to give up!

Thankfully, God gave us a group to encourage us: the church!

Hebrews 3:13 calls us to "encourage each other daily."  The Greek word for "courage" means to call out to someone.  When you encourage someone, you call out to them in love, giving them hope and confidence.

Later, in Hebrews 10:25, the writer encouraged Christ followers to be faithful in meeting together, because their fellow Christ followers encouraged them to be faithful.

One of the reasons God gave us the church was to encourage us.  Our fellow church members cheer for us, giving us heart and hope.  

Acts 2:42-47 provides a snapshot of life in the early church.  It says Christ followers devoted themselves to various activities, among the most important of which was "the fellowship."  The word translated "fellowship" is koinonia, which refers to a holding in common.  

Their faith in Christ created deep bonds of love with each other.

God doesn't want us to be Lone Rangers, thrashing about alone in our attempt to follow Christ.  Instead, he wants us to belong to a church.  In a church, we gain courage to follow Christ as our fellow church members cheer for us and we cheer for them!