God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body. . . .

— Ephesians 1:22-23

Maybe you have heard someone say, “I don’t need to go to church to be a Christian.” This is true. Many Christians have been jailed for their faith and have been prevented from going to or attending church worship services.

But the church is not a place where we “go.” The church is the body of Christ. Wherever God’s people meet for worship and fellowship, the church is present. The church is found not only in buildings that we call churches but also in prisons, on college campuses, on remote mission fields, in homes within countries that have outlawed Christianity, and more.

The Bible likens the church to a human body and says that we are each a part of the body (1 Corinthians 12). Being a Christian and being part of the church are synonymous. Every part of the body is important, and every part contributes to the overall well-being of the entire body.

While it may be true that we don’t need to “go to church” to be a Christian, the parts of the body can die if they are disconnected from the whole. A foot, finger, eye, or kidney, for example, cannot live if it is not connected to the body. Only when we minister to others, and are ministered to, can we grow in our faith and flourish!

Lord, thank you for the church, your body, in its many different shapes and forms throughout the world. Thank you for joining me to the church. Help me to serve and to be served as a part of it! Amen.