Sovereign Grace Baptist Church Meets weekly at 907 Hillsboro Boulevard, Manchester, TN, 37355. Currently, our church is without a pastor/elder and the members meet weekly for praise and worship in hymn, prayer, reading of Scripture, study of the word, and fellowship.
There’s no doubt about it, we live in a ruggedly individualistic society. After all, isn’t it so that in the “real” world you’re on your own? “Every man for himself” isn’t just the philosophy of those who are playing the “Survivor” game on TV, it’s the way of life for most who are “playing” the game of life. All alliances are to serve our own selfish ends and no true solidarity with others is possible. Is it any wonder that when we are invited to church, many respond and say: “Who needs it?”
Despite popular belief, the church isn’t the building but the fellowship and communion of those who gather, each week in those buildings we call “churches.” This is the main reason our church is named, Sovereign Grace Baptist Fellowship. The Bible has a lot to say about the church. Often, the church is at fault for not reflecting the ideals of the Savior it worships. This is all too common. Despite its shortcomings, the church is still the place to be. We need each other, and most of all, we need Jesus. The message of hope, redemption, peace, and satisfaction in life has been given to the disciples of Jesus Christ. In other words, the church has been entrusted with a stewardship of dispensing the truth of how to have a relationship with Jesus Christ, and how to glorify God, the very thing we were all created to do. All who find forgiveness of sins by faith in Christ, become a part of the true spiritual church, which is made up of those of all those who have trusted Christ. Our local fellowships are just small, sometimes obscure, reflections of the real thing, but they are all we have.
Jesus told his disciples once, “You can do nothing without me,” (John 15:4,5). Our natural instincts at independence can be sinful rebellion to the spiritual need we have to be in fellowship with God and in fellowship with others. Too often people say, “Its my body, its my life, I can do whatever I want.” If you think this way here’s a story for you. There once was a little watch. It was beautiful. It kept excellent time and was very useful to its owner. One day as things were functioning well as usual, one little wheel came up with an idea. The wheel thought to itself, “I’m as good and necessary as any part in this watch. I’m tired of getting kicked in the teeth. If I can’t be a big wheel, then I’m going independent. I’ll show them. I’ll come out from among them and be separate.” Well, the little wheel was not just full of words. He did what he said. The little wheel detached itself and became independent. Guess what happened? Very quickly and very surely, the wheel came to a screeching halt. The wheel gained independence – but at the very high price of uselessness. Don’t forget, the watch no longer worked either! This little story shows us we all need each other, and we all especially need the Lord. After all, someone has to wind up the watch.
Don’t think that you don’t need others – you do. Don’t think that you can make it all on your own – you can’t. Don’t think that you don’t need any rules or advice – you do! Come to Jesus Christ in faith and be yoked to Him (Matthew 11:29). Jesus promises to lift our burdens. Also, in the church of Jesus Christ, we find others who care and love us as we are. We encounter fellow worshipers who will help us on our way. Why not make the effort this Sunday? Get up a little earlier than usual and find a place of worship that faithfully preaches God’s Word. You may still be asking about church, “who needs it?” If you listen hard enough, there’s a little wheel speaking softly in your heart. It says, “We all do.” See you Sunday!
Theodore and Luke Zachariades My son helped me on this one when it was originally penned. I do not have documentation on the original writer of the wheel story.
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