Why Do I Need the Church When I Have Faith?

This powerful message from Rev. Patsy Sorrell challenges us to consider a question many of us quietly ask: Why do we really need the church?

Drawing from Hebrews 10:19-25, we discover that while faith is deeply personal, it was never meant to be private. The passage presents a series of 'let us' statements that reveal a profound truth: drawing near to God, holding fast to hope, and spurring one another toward love and good deeds are all communal activities.

Rev. Sorrell reminded of the image of coals in a fireplace—left alone, they grow cold and dim, but when stirred together, they burst back into flame. This is precisely what happens when we gather as the body of Christ.

The early church understood that gathering wasn't optional because the days were urgent, and our times are no less critical. John Wesley's conviction that there is nothing more unchristian than a solitary Christian echoes through the centuries to us today. We learn that we cannot bear one another's burdens from a distance, cannot encourage those we never see, and cannot fulfill the dozens of 'one another' commands in Scripture while living in isolation.

The church isn't about validating our faith, instead it's where our faith gets tested, strengthened, and put into meaningful action alongside others who are on the same journey.