#2 Who Can I Count On?
 

The Lone Ranger Should Join a Church
 

. . .united in love, so that they may have the full riches of complete understanding.
(Colossians 2:2)
 

    There is a very real sense in which we cannot grow spiritually in isolation. You can study, have devotions, and grow to a certain extent on your own - and you should - but there are many, many things you need to do corporately if you are to "have the full riches of complete understanding.@
  If you operate all on your own with the Lord Jesus, then you are limited in your understanding. If, on the other hand, you relate to the Lord Jesus in the fellowship of others, the discoveries they have made can benefit you, and your discoveries can enrich them. You'll begin to knock the rough edges off each other and encourage each other.
    One of my favorite times of the week is Monday morning. I know that most pastors take Mondays off, but we don't. We gather early in the morning as a staff to study the Scriptures and discuss theology.
    You know why it's one of my favorite times? It's because I know that the more I know, the more I know that I don't know. I'm so grateful for the gifted, godly men and women that God has gathered around me.
    We knock the corners off each other. We make great theological pronouncements, and the others fall off their chairs laughing. What an encouragement this can be.
    We are united in love in order that we might come to a full understanding.
    How does this work for you? You need a spiritual environment in which you relate to others.
    There is so much of God to know. There is so much in me to be changed. There is so much in the world to do. If I'm satisfied with knowing God minimally, allowing minimal change in my life, and making minimal impact on my world, then I am a living testimonial to my own shallowness.
    But if I begin to think in terms of being united in love with others to have a fuller understanding of things, then I will make it a priority to be involved in the church.
    Do you want to grow spiritually? Do you want to become more and more like Christ? Do you want the strength of character, depth of understanding, and gladness of spirit that only come with maturing faith?
    Then make sure you're in a church environment where you are growing in unity with others.
    God isn't looking for Lone Ranger Christians. The ones who try it look more like Lonely Ranger Christians to me. You don't need that, and neither do I.
    So let's get involved! I need you, and you need me. That's what the church is all about.
    Are you involved in a church or a small group where you are able to grow in your knowledge of God through your interaction and friendship with others?
 

Father, please help me to notice when I am beginning to become shallow in my relationship with you, and to take action to grow deeper in my understanding of you, Amen
 

~Stuart Briscoe~