I am a Christian but I don’t Need the Church

By Evangelist Adekunbi Akin-Taylor

Many questions are posed to believers in the Body of Christ. Whenever we Evangelise, the very first question we ask anyone we share the Word with is usually “Are you a Christian”? Then we ask further, “Do you believe in Christ”? “Are you Born Again”? Even when we get an affirmative answer we ask further “What Church do you attend”? In the Evangelical world, when we go “out there”, our primary focus should be to win souls, as Jesus commanded in Matthew 28:18-20:
And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore[c] and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Jesus did say in Mark 1:8 that preaching was the purpose he came forth for. But He said to them, “Let us go into the next towns, that I may preach there also, because for this purpose I have come forth”. Every Christian should be able to do same and according to their ability. Preaching simply put, is sharing and talking about the Kingdom of God, about the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ and of course it is about our daily living and how this conforms with the commandments of God. Preaching is not just verbal, not just standing at the rostrum and showing off our biblical expertise, not trying to ruthlessly/fanatically coerce people into accepting the faith (for this mostly makes them do a runner); and not trying to impress on believers that they need to leave one church for another. Preaching and Evangelism includes living a life worthy of Christian emulation.

Many Pastors, Evangelists and Church Leaders ridicule other churches for they believe their own church is “it”, and focus on exposing things that are wrong with other churches. I personally have been asked questions (foolish I call them) e.g. “What are you doing amongst those white garment people”? “Why are you wasting your talent, come to our church”? “Why do you allow the Jehovah Witness in your home”? etc. I really find all these disturbing. Evangelism and preaching is really not about where one worships but explaining about Jesus, His death on the cross for our sins and the need to believe in Him so as to return to the Father. My Sunday School song explains it well:
Jesus is the way, The Truth and the Light, Whosoever cometh to Him, Shall never die. (John 14:6 )- Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.

The life and evangelical works of Jesus were simple and non restrictive. Preaching Christ is mostly practicing Christ. As an ordained man/woman of God your daily living should represent Jesus. Are you honest? Have Integrity? Show Kindness? Love all people + your enemies? A Good Samaritan? Abstain from immorality, occultism, and religious trickery? Accept people for who they are? Edify with your tongue? To really preach Christ you must have first taken a good look at yourself before attempting to “look” at others. Please read Matthew 5. Matthew 7:1-5 advises us:
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with what judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with the measure you use, it will be measured back to you. And why do you look at the speck in your brother’s eye, but do not consider the plank in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye’; and look, a plank is in your own eye? Hypocrite! First remove the plank from your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.

When we read with understanding the Ministrations of Jesus, we find that His was a simple unpretentious Ministry. Our Lord Jesus was firm, focussed, direct, genteel, tolerant and humble. He had no sin or guile in Him. He came for and to ALL, especially sinners and the lost. He chose his 12 disciples from all works of life (not for titles or accomplishment). He freely gave them powers to heal and set free from bondage. He taught them to live simply, give freely and never to use forceful conversion Matthew 10:14:
And whoever will not receive you nor hear your words, when you depart from that house or city, shake off the dust from your feet.
He warned them of the difficulties in Evangelising while assuring them that our heavenly Father will always be there for us – Matthew 10:28-31:
And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father’s will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered.1 Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows.

Jesus did not care about status. Actually those who claimed to be “better than all others”, who were snobbish, intolerant and fault finders were those that continually gave Jesus problems i.e the Scribes and the Pharisees. The three synopsis gospels have many references to Jesus denouncing them e.g. Matthew 15,16,23; Mark 7,12; & Luke 5,6,12,14 etc. For example Matthew 23:13-15:
“But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut up the kingdom of heaven against men; for you neither go in yourselves, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.[c] “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel land and sea to win one proselyte, and when he is won, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.

Jesus did not send us out to war against one another or cause confusion. When He sent out the 70 (Luke 10), it was because “The harvest truly is great, but the laborers are few; therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest” (v2). One of the few times that the bible mentioned that Jesus rejoiced in the spirit was when the 70 came back and gave good account of their discipleship/soul winning - Then the seventy[e] returned with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.” (v17) - In that hour Jesus rejoiced in the Spirit and said, “I thank You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and prudent and revealed them to babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in Your sight (v21)
(to be continued in part 2, please stay tuned).