05/12/2026
“I like Jesus, but not the church.”
Most of us have heard that sentiment before. And, on some level, it’s understandable.
At times, the church has acted in ways that are contrary to the character of its Lord and King. When that happens, it leaves wounds. It damages trust. It stains the church’s witness before the world. And because of that, many people distance themselves—not only from unhealthy expressions of the church, but from the body of Christ altogether.
That reaction is understandable. But it is also deeply unwise.
There’s a reason the writer of Hebrews calls believers to not forsake assembling together. Not merely as a command about attendance, but as a call to shared life, mutual encouragement, worship, accountability, and participation in the family of God. Faith was never meant to be lived in isolation.
In Acts, it was the community of believers that bore witness to the world. It was the church that cared for the poor, shared meals, worshipped together, prayed together, and proclaimed the Gospel together. Christianity has always been communal at its core.
Yes, the church sometimes fails. And when it does, it should repent, seek forgiveness, and face the consequences for it's actions and abandoning the way of Christ. But the failures of the church do not erase God’s intention for His people.
We cannot follow Jesus faithfully while rejecting the body He died to redeem.
The world around us needs to understand this. And we need to remember it ourselves. Christianity is not “me and Jesus” detached from everyone else. It is “us together in Christ.”
So let us teach the Gospel. Love people well. Invite people in. Build communities marked by grace, truth, humility, and repentance. And let us reject the idea that faith can flourish disconnected from the people of God.
Christianity does not survive in isolation.
It thrives in community.
That was God’s intention from the beginning. And that is the example we have been given.