05/08/2026
I may not endorse everything said by everybody, but I can certainly get behind and support this. Too many little things keep us from coming together as the church. John 1 tells us definitively that Jesus is the written word, made flesh. When he speaks to us on any matter regarding redemption, Christianity, marriage, fatherhood, motherhood, childhood, evangelism, and ALL other matters concerning the church, we need to lean in and listen and follow him. Aside from a few things that may legitimately keep us from gathering, it should be our non-negotiable intent to not just be in a church, but fully assimilate with a body of believers where we can know and grow together in Christ with other believers - dare I say our spiritual family! How sad that we live in a culture where the growing trend is that lesser things are becoming greater than gathering, worshipping and growing as the church.
Consider what Christ said to Peter. I will build my church. What little kingdom are you building that has or is becoming a replacement for His church?
Yes, lives are messy, but God has always uniquely gifted his people to serve others in their mess. Part of of that is honestly assessing that we are often a mess and need of similar encouragement, edification, and exhortation that pushes us both closer to Christ. Are you all in? Why or why not?
Andy Stanley, founding pastor of North Point Ministries, reflects on a question from a young Chinese believer who must travel two hours just to attend church, asking why Americans—who have churches everywhere—often do not go. The question challenged him to rethink modern Christianity and why church attendance is declining in the U.S.
In a conversation with ChurchLeaders Podcast host Jason Day, Stanley explains his shift in how he communicates Scripture, choosing to emphasize “Jesus said” over “the Bible says” to better reach skeptical and de-churched audiences, while arguing that many barriers to faith are shaped more by perception than truth.
Photo Source: Andy Stanley/Youtube
