Letters to the Church

by Francis Chan

The Bible tells us that every member of the body has a gift necessary to the functioning of the Church.

The Church has real issues, but Jesus still refers to the Church as His body, His Bride! We must love His Bride, not gripe about her or leave her.

it is commanded by God that we gather with other believers and stir them to action (Heb. 10:24–25).

The Scriptures tell me you are indispensable and the body cannot function perfectly without you.

Social media gives everyone a voice, so everyone chooses to raise theirs. Voices are plentiful; followers are not. Strong opinions are applauded; humility is not.

we believe we deserve certain rights as humans. Yet we give little thought to the rights God deserves as God.

Think back to the scene in 2 Chronicles 7. When the fire came down and God’s glory filled the temple, would you have considered taking a sledgehammer and striking the temple? Of course not! Then why are we so quick to gossip, slander leadership, and divide the Church?

Joy comes as we stand among those Jesus has redeemed and get lost in a sea of worship, becoming fully a part of something sacred.

Gathering with the Church should lead us to holy ground. You get to come and worship Someone else, with someone else. You get to pour out love to Him by serving those around you and considering them more important than yourself.

God wanted to show the heavenly beings His incomparable wisdom … so He created the Church! I believe we have a sacred responsibility to function as His Church in such a way that the rulers in heavenly places can marvel at God’s wisdom.

Either people will be awed by the sacred or they will not. If the sacred is not enough, then it is clear that the Spirit has not done a work in their lives. If the sheep don’t hear His voice, let them walk away. Don’t call out with your own voice.

By catering our worship to the worshippers and not to the Object of our worship, I fear we have created human-centered churches.

We pursue what we want; then we make sure there are no biblical commands we are violating. In essence, we want to know what God will tolerate rather than what He desires. Maybe we are afraid to ask what will bring Him the most pleasure. Ignorance feels better than disobedience.

In our impatient culture, we want to experience biblical awe without biblical devotion. At the core of our dysfunction is not necessarily style or structure but lack of devotion.

Should we meet in a large group or a small one? These are all the wrong questions. We should be asking why Christians are willing to give only ninety minutes a week (if that!) to the only thing that really matters in their lives!

“Devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture” (1 Tim. 4:13). Maybe if we did more of this, we could raise a new generation that is addicted to God’s Word and less fanatical about preachers.

If we really want to come before God with clean hands and pure hearts, we need to have a greater awe and longing for His Word alone.

If Communion feels like a curious add-on to our church services rather than the very core of everything we’re about, then we’re missing the point of the Church.

If prayer isn’t vital for your church, then your church isn’t vital.

our calling is to simply put Him on display and watch as He draws people to Himself.

what if the church itself—the people of God gathered in one place—is intended to be the attraction, regardless of who is teaching or singing that day? This is enough for our brothers and sisters around the world.”

Scripture is clear: there is a real connection between our unity and the believability of our message.

If we are serious about winning the lost, we must be serious about pursuing unity.

What I see today is many people choosing to opt out of the Church. Claiming a continued love for Jesus, they have decided that the Church only gets in their way. It’s a sad time when those who want to be close to Jesus have given up on the Church.

You can’t shape the life of your church around who might leave if things start to feel too much like the New Testament.

It’s no secret that most people who attend church services come as consumers rather than servants.

If you think that sitting back and letting the church staff feed you will bring you the most fulfillment, you are so wrong.

Imagine gathering with a group of people who were trying to outserve one another.

The church doesn’t have to remain a group of needy people complaining that they haven’t been fed well enough. It really can become a group of servants who thrive in serving.

Do our actions show that we expect supernatural contributions from every member of the body?

We have to stop viewing church leaders as people who minister to us. God clearly explained their role. It was not to coddle you but to equip you. Think personal trainer, not massage therapist.

If there’s no fruit, isn’t it time for change?

The Church’s purpose is not just to exist. It’s to produce. Are we producing mature disciples who imitate Christ by constantly serving others? Are we developing communities that are so deeply in love with one another that the world marvels (John 13:34–35)? If this is not being produced, why do we exist?

Don’t you see the weirdness in calling people CHRISTian when they aren’t servants?

Why don’t we treat selfishness as a sin that needs to be confronted?

The Church was supposed to be a breeding ground for pastors and elders. Every church should be equipping people and sending them out.

Only when we become servants will we experience the Holy Spirit as Jesus intended. Only then will the Church resemble the Christ they worship.

Many pastors expect their members to sit under their teachings till they die rather than training them to leave and shepherd others.

Raising thousands of consumers is not success.

We have a tendency to argue and divide over trivial matters when we forget hell exists.

Run from any teacher who promises wealth and prosperity in this life.

The call to follow Christ is the call to joyfully endure suffering in this life for the promise of eternal blessing in the next.

A warped view of Christianity can result only in a warped church.

Jesus loved so deeply that He was willing to suffer a lifetime of rejection, even rejection from His Father on the cross.

Our commitment to the Kingdom must take precedence over culture.

We need to return to a God-centered theology rather than a human-centered theology, and we need to be willing to flip some tables and suffer for it along the way.

When we gather as the Church, we are supposed to “stir up one another to love and good works” (Heb. 10:24).

What if they saw an army of people with inexpressible joy, peace that surpasses comprehension, and immeasurable greatness of power?

“The theology that matters is not the theology we profess but the theology we practice.”

Let’s face it: without deadlines, not much gets done.