There's Nothing Like It

By Greg Laurie, Op-ed contributor Tuesday, April 07, 2015

So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
— Romans 12:5

When someone loses a loved one, perhaps a grandparent, a parent, a spouse, or even a child, where does that person usually turn? Many people will turn to the church. Even if they aren't a part of the church, they often will come to the church looking for help. And they find help and solace there.

Greg Laurie, senior pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, California and Harvest Orange County in Irvine, California, shares the Gospel with a sold-out crowd of 19,000 for Harvest America at the American Airlines Center and Victory Park in Dallas, Texas, Oct. 5, 2014. | (Photo: rever Hoehne for Harvest Ministries)

Think of the ways that God has met your needs through the church over the years. When you needed direction in life, where did you find it? You found it at church. Maybe you were having problems with your kids, so you went to church, where the youth pastor intervened and helped you out.

And where did you find Christ? Chances are that you found the Lord in the church.

Maybe it was in the church where you discovered that you have musical ability. I am amazed at how many professional vocalists today have said they got their start by singing at church.

I met my wife at church. She was there with her two sisters, and I invited them all out for coffee afterward. The church is the best place to meet someone who loves the Lord.

Not only that, but the church is good for you physically. Scientific studies have shown that the blood pressure of people who attend church is lower than those who don't.

These are not the reasons we should go to church, of course. We should go to church because it's a place where we can draw closer to God. It's a place where we can grow spiritually. It's a place where we can give. And it's a place where we can receive.

I know the church has its flaws. I know it has its shortcomings. But there is nothing out there like the church. It stands apart.

Copyright © 2015 by Harvest Ministries. All rights reserved. Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved. Bible text from the New King James Version is not to be reproduced in copies or otherwise by any means except as permitted in writing by Thomas Nelson, Inc., Attn: Bible Rights and Permissions, P.O. Box 141000, Nashville, TN 37214-1000 Used with Permission