Who Needs Church?

For some people, the word church brings back some of the best memories of their lives. It reminds them of people who believed in them, Sunday school teachers who invested in them, friendships that shaped them, and moments when they encountered God.

For others, the word carries some baggage.

Church hasn’t always been done well. People have been hurt. Leaders have failed. Christians have been judgmental. Churches have sometimes become more concerned with traditions, preferences, control, or appearances than with the mission Jesus gave them.

But when the church is being what Jesus intended it to be, it is something entirely different.

The early church wasn’t primarily a building, organization, denomination, or weekly event. It was a movement of people whose lives had been changed by Jesus. It was outward-facing, multicultural, multiplying, and filled with the power of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus said, “I will build my church.” The word He used was ekklesia—an assembly, a gathering of called-out people.

Church isn’t simply somewhere you go.

Church is a people you become part of.

When you find your Father, you also discover brothers and sisters. You’ve been drafted onto Team Jesus.

So, who needs church?

Church Is for People on the Mat

Mark 2 tells the story of a paralyzed man whose friends carried him to a house where Jesus was teaching.

We don’t know much about this man’s story. We just know that when he arrived, he was lying on a mat, unable to get himself to Jesus.

There are still mat sitters today.

They are people who are hurting. People with questions. People battling addiction, anxiety, depression, loneliness, financial pressure, grief, broken relationships, or circumstances they don’t know how to fix.

And sometimes those are the very people who feel like they don’t belong in church.

But Jesus said:

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick.” — Mark 2:17

The church was never intended to be a showroom for perfect people. It is a place where broken people can encounter the One who heals, restores, forgives, and makes things new.

It’s okay to come to church while you’re still on your mat.

Jesus will take you as you are.

Don't Become a Back Turner

When the four friends arrived at the house, they discovered a problem: the house was packed.

There were people everywhere, all listening to Jesus. Yet somehow, in a house filled with people interested in Jesus, nobody made room for the hurting man trying to reach Him.

Their backs were turned.

That can still happen.

It is easy to become so focused on what we want from church that we forget about the people who are still trying to find their way to Jesus.

We can become consumers instead of contributors.

We start asking:

Did I like the music?

Did I enjoy the message?

Did everything happen the way I prefer?

But church does not exist simply to serve us.

We are the church, and we exist to serve others.

Church is at its worst when everyone prioritizes personal comfort over Kingdom purpose.

Church is at its best when we remember why Jesus is in the house. We see Him—and then we start seeing the people around us.

Become a Roof Ripper

Thankfully, the paralyzed man had four friends who refused to give up.

When they couldn't get through the door, they climbed onto the roof, made an opening, and lowered their friend directly in front of Jesus.

These guys were roof rippers.

Roof rippers carry you when you can't carry yourself.

Roof rippers make a way when you can't find one.

Roof rippers refuse to let obstacles keep someone from Jesus.

Everybody needs people like that.

But here's the challenge: God has also called us to become that kind of person for somebody else.

The four friends went beyond what was convenient. They put someone else's weight on their shoulders because they believed getting their friend to Jesus was worth the effort.

And Scripture says something incredible:

“When Jesus saw their faith…” — Mark 2:5

Their faith was visible.

Faith wasn't merely something they believed internally. Their belief became action.

Every time you serve, give, welcome someone, forgive, love, pray, encourage, or help carry somebody toward Jesus, your faith becomes visible too.

You may think you're simply meeting a need.

But you might actually be helping bring someone into the presence of the One who can change their eternity.

Don't Let the Head Shakers Stop You

Not everyone celebrated what was happening.

Some teachers of the law immediately began criticizing Jesus.

They were the head shakers.

There will always be people who can find something wrong.

The roof shouldn't have been damaged.

Those people shouldn't have been invited.

Church shouldn't be done that way.

The head shakers were more interested in maintaining religion than seeing someone's life transformed.

But Jesus didn't stop for the critics.

He looked at the paralyzed man and said:

“Get up, take your mat and go home.”

And the man stood up.

The thing that had carried him into the room was now something he could carry out.

That's what Jesus does.

You don't have to remain defined by what once held you.

Take up your mat.

Lay down the addiction.

Let go of the grudge.

Leave the shame behind.

Walk out differently than you walked—or were carried—in.

Become a Mat Carrier

By the end of the story, the man isn't lying on his mat anymore.

He's carrying it.

That's the final kind of person we find in the church: mat carriers.

These are people who can say:

I used to be hurt, but Jesus healed me.

I used to be bitter, but I found forgiveness.

I used to be alone, but God gave me people.

I used to be consumed with myself, but God gave me a heart for others.

I used to be bound, but Jesus set me free.

Mat carriers are living evidence that Jesus still changes lives.

And when the man walked out of that house, everyone was amazed and praised God, saying:

“We have never seen anything like this!” — Mark 2:12

That's church at its best.

Not boring.

Not lifeless.

Not consumed with itself.

But a community where broken people are carried in, Jesus changes their lives, and they walk out carrying the very thing that once carried them.

So, Who Needs Church?

Anybody who will come.

Church is for people who need healing and people who have found healing.

It's for people searching for answers and people helping others find them.

It's for the hurting and the hopeful.

The seekers and the servers.

The mat sitters and the mat carriers.

It's for you.

It's for me.

It's for anyone who wants to be on Team Jesus.