The Christian In the Closet

There are basically three types of Christians. First there are the committed church members who are not afraid to let the world know they are Christian. Then there are the committed church members who seldom let on to anyone they are Christians. The third group are the Christians who would not set foot inside a church unless they were forced to go.

When I started this blog a few weeks ago, I wrote anonymously as I. Barnabas, but I had severe reservations about using just a pseudonym. Then a friend pointed out that the web is filled with people with i.baranabas screen names. That forced me into some soul searching and some prayerful consideration of what I was actually trying to do here.

And that created a problem for me. Where is my accountability? If I put my name out there, I accept the responsibility for what I say here. I should be up front about who I am and accept the responsibility for what I live when I am not writing here. My life has to be an extension of what I say here and that cannot be done anonymously.

That is the problem faced by Christians who keep their beliefs to themselves - for whatever reason. They deny themselves accountability for what they believe. Christ says that if we confess Him before men, He will confess us before the Father. But he also says that if we don't confess Him before men, He will not admit to knowing us. What good is a confession, if it is anonymous?

That said, I can move on to the real point of this post. What to do with Christians who would rather be branded with hot irons than be part of a church? We all know them. They profess belief in Christ, and acknowledge Him, but they refuse to commit to any body of Christians around them. They are spiritual orphans.

We have all heard someone say, "I can be as close to God on the golf course as I can in a church." We have also heard people say they don't want to be tied to  particular church because they don't like the way churches act. Sometimes it is a matter of ruffled feathers. Sometimes I hear the complaint that all the churches want anyway is my money.

From God's point of view, not one of the reasons people give for avoiding church matters in the least. Really. Jesus calls the church "my church". When Peter caught Ananias and his wife lying about the amount of money they gave the church, he punished them, not for withholding their money, but for "lying to God". If we lie to the church, we lie to God.

If we follow that thinking further, if we avoid church membership, we also avoid belonging to God. We avoid being part of Christ's body. We become amputated limbs. Orphans by choice. Without intending it, Christians who avoid churches also leave themselves helpless, alone and powerless, and they don't even realize it. The devil loves disaffected Christians because they help weaken the church and have nothing to fall back on when adversity strikes.

The strength of a Christian who is part a church isn't in the doctrine of the larger organization. It isn't in the structure of a denomination. It is in the individual congregation - the body of believers that are gathered together. These are the people who will encourage each other to good works and love. This is why belonging to a church is important. It is the home base. The important thing is to be involved in the lives of the other members. That is more important that being involved in any program or ministry (though those are important, too).

I am always happy to see husbands and wives working together in the church. It strengthens the church and it strengthens the bond between them. I am sad whenever I encounter a man or a woman whose partner is not part of the church life. There is something missing in their own relationship - a vital commonality that will bond them together. I have been in that situation and I ache for them.

Churches can be messy at times. That is true of any large family. And that is what a church is - a large family. We are all brothers and sisters in the Lord. God's plan for us is to gather together in His name as a family. When someone decides to avoid that gathering, what he is saying is that his plan is better than God's. I can say without reservation, I am not that good a planner.

Do I sometimes get upset with the way things work in my church? Oh, yes. Are there some people in the church I would rather be around than others? Sure. Do I always agree with the way the elders choose to do things? No. But I would rather be part of the family than apart from it. I am stronger for the ties that I have and I am sure that the church is stronger for my being there, even though I might not realize it.

So, in the end it comes down to this. I have put my name on this blog because I cannot in good conscience remain anonymous. If I mean what I say, I have to have my name on it. And I am part of a body of believers because with them I am stronger than I would ever be without them. I firmly believe  that where the church is, Christ is also.

Belonging to a body of believers is not optional. Together, we are the bulwark against the world. That is what Christ intends His church to be and that is what He expects of all who bear His name.