A few years ago, a young man chatted me up the night before a Sunday service. He needed to see me for counselling. After the service, I noticed he didn’t come to see me. When I checked up on him, he said the service had brought clear answers to the questions in his heart. He had received clarity via the local church.
Friend, you need the local church (Psalms 68:6). When God says He will give you a pastor after His own heart, He knows the importance of such a covenant joining (Jeremiah 3:15). Like other members of the five-fold ministry, the pastor is a gift to the body and the believer (Ephesians 4:8-15).
The kind of pastor God gives you reflects what God is doing with you and what He intends to do with you. There will be different kinds of pastors and churches for different kinds of people. No one will have an excuse for not joining a church or for going to hell. There will always be a pastor and church that fit you and suit your destiny.
Not all pastors are the same. If you have been disappointed by a pastor or church, that’s not an excuse to stay away from church. You need to prayerfully believe God for a new church. Don’t give up on pastors and churches. You cannot pastor yourself. You cannot do church at home (Hebrews 10:25).
Everyone needs a local church. You cannot say you belong to the universal body of Christ without associating with a local body of believers (Acts 13:1-2). Grace flows from Christ (the head) to the body (members, born-again people) via the local church (Psalms 133:1-3).
There are some things you cannot get on your own, no matter how prayerful or sound you are. They are only available at the local church (Psalms 133:1-3, Acts 13:1-2). When you locate the right church, settle there to be moulded for your destiny of greatness (Psalms 92:12-15). You need the local church.
‘Demola Awoyele
Lead Pastor,
Destiny Impact Church
Akure, Nigeria