Accountability - Without it, We're Toast

As soon as an individual says "Yes" to Jesus Christ, he or she is placed in a family called the church of Jesus Christ.

Saying "Yes" to Jesus necessarily means saying "Yes" to the church.

The scriptures are clear - Jesus is the head of the church and the church of Jesus Christ is the body of Christ.

It is simply impossible to say "Yes" to Jesus apart from being ingrafted into the family of Christ.

There are no lone ranger Christians.

Don't take my word for it. Check the scriptures.

There's a reason why God places us in family.

It's in the context of the family of Christ, called the church, that we learn how to love, serve, give, forgive, and mature.

We learn how to be Christians first in the context of a family that understands where we have come from, who we used to be, and who we continue to struggle to be. It's a "safe" place for us to learn to be Christian. And as we get better at being Christian, we can then take our practice out to the world to share with others.

We are put into a family because everyone of us needs accountability. Because, given the right situation, everyone of us is capable of any sin. We need each other to hold us accountable.

When we are left to our selves, we are sitting ducks to temptation.

We need each other.

We need the church as much as we need Christ.

We need the church to be the church as God intends so that folks can grow and mature in their faith in an environment where it's okay to fail knowing that we will be encouraged to do better next time.

We need the church to be that church.