Meet My Needs

This is not going to make much sense to some of you, but your church is probably doing a better job meeting your spiritual needs than you might think, at least at first.

How often have people left a church because they did not think their spiritual needs were being met?  You hear things like: "I just didn't feel the Spirit there." or "I couldn't connect with anyone." or "It wasn't very uplifting."

People get their spiritual needs confused with their psychological, emotional, and social needs.  We think that we need to feel, or connect, or experience, when the truth is much more simple, much more concrete.

Jesus tells His Apostles what to do in order to meet the spiritual needs of those who will believe in their message: Baptize and teach them (Matthew 28), proclaim repentance and forgiveness (Luke 24), and forgive their sins (John 20).
 
You see, your real spiritual needs are to be called to repentance, forgiven, baptized, and taught the Word of God.  You need the Word of God given in preaching, teaching, songs, hymns, water, and bread and wine.  Only the Word can connect you with Jesus, rid you of your sins, make you righteous, and give you life everlasting.

You may not feel like your needs are being met, but ask yourself if this is really true.  Are your spiritual needs not being met, or were you just looking at the wrong kinds of needs?

Are psychological, emotional, social, or mental needs important?  Sure.  And the church does a better or worse job at meeting those in various places, but that is not why the church is there.

The church is there to give you what Jesus says you need: the forgiveness of your sins through the blood of Jesus.  


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