The famed British Christian apologist C.S. Lewis was once asked, “Is attendance at a place of worship or membership with a Christian community necessary to a Christian way of life?”
Past church life experience; the understanding of what a church is all about; host of opinions of family members, friends and foes; conscious or unconscious influence from public media --- may be leading or misleading your response to the question.
The answer from the Bible, however, is both encouraging and challenging, “Let us not forsake our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25).
“Come and see”, Jesus once said to John and Andrew (John 1:39).
“Come and see”, Philip once said to Nathaniel (John 1:46).
Slowly but gradually, people become next John, Andrew, Philip and Nathaniel by coming and seeing Jesus – in a local Christian church. We never stop grieving at our own imperfectness, but unlike Ophelia, who said in Shakespeare’s famous “Hamlet”, “We know what we are, but know not what we may be”, we know both who we are and what we may be --- “We shall be like Jesus” (1 John 3:2).
Come and see!