Should Christians Go To Church? (EP 95) - The Bryce Crawford Podcast

Detailed Summary of "Should Christians Go To Church?" (EP 95) – The Bryce Crawford Podcast

Podcast Information:

Title: The Bryce Crawford Podcast
Host: Bryce Crawford
Episode: Should Christians Go To Church? (EP 95)
Release Date: May 12, 2025
Description: Bryce Crawford's Christian podcast where he discusses Christ and major topics concerning Christianity and the world.

1. Introduction to the Topic

Bryce Crawford begins the episode by addressing a significant personal conviction regarding the importance of the local church. He shares his initial skepticism about the necessity of attending church, believing that a personal relationship with God sufficed. However, a pivotal moment during a bachelor trip sparked a transformation in his perspective on the local church's role in a Christian's life.

Bryce Crawford [02:35]: "I was one of those people that was always like, oh, no, it's just me and my relationship with God. I don't really need the local church."

2. Defining the Church

Bryce distinguishes between two primary definitions of the church:

Universal Church: The collective body of all believers worldwide united under Christianity.
Local Church: A physical congregation where believers gather regularly for worship, learning, and community.

Bryce Crawford [05:10]: "The universal church would be the body of Christ... the local church is four walls and a rooftop, gathering to worship the Lord and learn about scripture."

3. Importance of the Local Church

Transitioning from definitions, Bryce emphasizes the indispensable role of the local church. He recounts his transformation from undervaluing the local church to recognizing its significance through discussions with Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christians who highly regard the early church's practices.

Bryce Crawford [07:45]: "Should you be going to church, local church? Absolutely, you should."

4. Biblical Foundations: Acts 2 to Acts 5

Bryce delves into the Book of Acts, focusing on chapters 2 to 5, to illustrate the birth and early struggles of the Christian church.

Acts Chapter 2: The Holy Spirit descends on the apostles during Pentecost, leading Peter to preach to 3,000 people who respond by being baptized and receiving the Holy Spirit.

Bryce Crawford [10:20]: "Peter preaches the gospel to 3,000 people. They get born again, they get baptized, and they pray for boldness."
Acts Chapter 5: Highlights the incident of Ananias and Sapphira, who deceitfully kept back part of their proceeds from selling property, resulting in their deaths. This event underscores the necessity for purity and accountability within the church.

Bryce Crawford [20:15]: "God killed Ananias and Sapphira to purify the church. It’s about maintaining justice and holiness within the congregation."

5. Addressing Common Criticisms of the Church

Bryce acknowledges the prevalent criticisms and negative experiences individuals may have with the church, such as abuse of power, financial manipulation, and personal hurt. However, he counters these by highlighting the overarching goodness and purpose of the church, aligning with Jesus' teachings against such corruptions.

Bryce Crawford [15:40]: "Jesus was in total opposition to people manipulating his name or God's name for money, fame, status, sexual desires."

6. The Role of Community in the Church

A significant portion of the discussion centers on the community aspect of the local church. Bryce articulates how being part of a church community provides support, accountability, and collective worship, which are crucial for sustaining one's faith.

Bryce Crawford [25:50]: "When you go through crap, there is a community and fellowship of believers around you that will pray for you, serve you, and love you unconditionally."

He shares personal experiences of how his local churches in different cities have supported him through challenges by providing prayer, fellowship, and practical assistance.

7. Lessons from Apostle Paul and Early Church Formation

Bryce references Apostle Paul's missionary journeys and his role in establishing churches across various cities like Antioch, Corinth, Ephesus, and Philippi. He illustrates how Paul’s imprisonment led to the writing of significant New Testament texts, which were addressed to these very churches, emphasizing their foundational role in early Christianity.

Bryce Crawford [18:30]: "Paul founded these churches so that people could have community. Community is so important."

8. The Necessity of Active Participation

Bryce stresses that attending church should not be merely for personal gain but as an act of worship and service to God. He encourages believers to prioritize their commitment to in-person fellowship over the convenience of online services.

Bryce Crawford [32:10]: "We can never be too tired for the presence of God. We don't go to church to get... We go to church to give to God."

9. Practical Application: Serving the Church

Emphasizing the importance of serving within the church, Bryce advocates for active involvement in church activities, from administrative tasks like stacking chairs to participating in prayer teams. He believes that serving fosters a deeper connection with the community and with God.

Bryce Crawford [35:45]: "Serve at your local church, stack chairs, mop the floors. Serve in your local communities and churches the way that Brother Lawrence served."

10. Inspirational Conclusion and Prayer

Wrapping up the episode, Bryce shares inspiring insights from Brother Lawrence, a 17th-century Christian monk renowned for his dedication to serving God through humble tasks. He concludes with a heartfelt prayer, urging listeners to renew their commitment to the local church and to serve selflessly.

Bryce Crawford [40:25]: "God, we thank you for who you are. We thank you for the cross. We love you, God."

Key Takeaways:

Definition and Distinction: Understanding the difference between the universal and local church is crucial for appreciating the unique role of local congregations.
Biblical Basis: The Book of Acts provides foundational insights into the establishment and early challenges of the church, reinforcing its importance.
Community Support: A local church offers essential support, accountability, and a sense of belonging that individual faith practices alone may lack.
Addressing Flaws: While recognizing the church's imperfections, it's vital to focus on its overarching positive impact and purpose.
Active Participation: Engaging actively in church activities and serving the community enhances personal faith and strengthens the church as a whole.
Personal Commitment: Attending church should be viewed as an act of worship and service rather than a mere obligation or convenience.

Notable Quotes:

Bryce Crawford [05:10]: "The universal church would be the body of Christ... the local church is four walls and a rooftop, gathering to worship the Lord and learn about scripture."
Bryce Crawford [15:40]: "Jesus was in total opposition to people manipulating his name or God's name for money, fame, status, sexual desires."
Bryce Crawford [25:50]: "When you go through crap, there is a community and fellowship of believers around you that will pray for you, serve you, and love you unconditionally."
Bryce Crawford [32:10]: "We can never be too tired for the presence of God. We don't go to church to get... We go to church to give to God."

This episode serves as a compelling argument for the importance of attending and actively participating in a local church, grounded in biblical teachings and personal testimonies. Bryce Crawford eloquently navigates through theological insights, practical applications, and heartfelt encouragement to inspire believers to value and engage with their local congregations.

Transcript

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I have a huge announcement before you guys continue to watch this episode of the podcast. Guys. May 18th, we are doing our second live podcast show in my home state, Atlanta, Georgia. We're going to be at the Cobb Energy Center May 18 for worship and a powerful word. Guys, I am so excited to be back in the same city that God took me from death to life. If you guys want to come out to the Hometown live podcast show May 18, go to Ticketmaster and search up Bryce Crawford and get your tickets today. Guys, I'm looking forward to see you guys on May 18th. Go to Ticketmaster. Search Bryce Crawford. Get your tickets to the live podcast show May 18th. Love you guys. Now enjoy the episode. What's going on, guys? Welcome back to another episode of the Bryce Crawford Podcast. I'm Bryce, and in today's episode, we're going to be talking about, should Christians go to church? What is the church? Should you be going to church? The reason I want to talk about this is because this is something I've been getting convicted on since about December of 2024 about the local church, the importance of it. Is it important? I was one of those people that was always like, oh, no, it's just me and my relationship with God. I don't really need the local church. The local church isn't important. This, that and the other. Then I went on a bachelor trip for my buddy's wedding and we were all talking about the local church and the early church and how important it is. And so should you go to church as a Christian? We're going to be answering that today. And, and before we get in down into the scriptures, we're going to be in the book of Acts today, bouncing around. We're going to be hyper fixating on Acts 2 and Acts chapter 5. And then I'm to highlight some key scriptures after that that are important. One of my favorite things about my Greek Orthodox brothers and sisters and my Roman Catholic brothers and sisters is the importance of the church and the weight that they hold to the church. I love how they look to the early church and go, how did the early church. How did these dudes that were around right after Jesus, death and resurrection, the disciples and the disciples of the disciples, how did these guys accept things and treat the early church? Was it important? And what is it in today's society? And you know, should you be going to church, local church? Absolutely, you should. We're going to be diving into why the local church is important. What is the church? Well, there's two definitions for the church. Okay. You have the universal church and then you have the local church. The local church would be a physical church building with four walls and a roof where people gather regularly to worship God and love people and learn about the Lord and dive into Scripture. Now, the universal church would be the body of Christ. Okay? The church is the body of Christ Christians all around the globe. So as a born again believer, you are a part of what is called the universal church, which is believers all around the globe united under one truth, worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ. And then you have the local church, four walls and a rooftop, gathering to worship the Lord and learn about scripture. So the local church is important. And I'm not just talking about the universal church here. I'm talking about the importance of the local church, should you be attending. And I used to be one of those people that says, no, you don't really need the local church. It's all about just you and your relationship with God and then you'll be set in stone. I'm going to be completely honest, that mindset that I used to have was a mindset that wasn't grateful and that was overlooking the importance and weight at the local church. And so we're going to be in Acts chapter two today talking about where this whole thing started. Where did the early church started? Now I want you guys to read Acts chapter two. Um, I'm not going to read the entire thing right now, but let me just give you an idea of what happened. Pentecost happens. The Holy Spirit comes, falls tongues of fire, this, that and the other. Then Peter the apostle gets up and points his bony finger at a crowd of 3,000 people. And this is what he says. He says, you killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. So he begins to release one of the most powerful gospel presentations, I believe, ever recorded in history. And this is the response of the 3,000 people. The 3,000 people, they go, holy smokes. We need to put our faith and trust in this guy. What do we do? And so when you read Acts chapter two, what happens is Peter preaches the gospel to 3,000 people. They get born again, they get baptized, they receive the Holy Spirit and they pray for bonus. So when you read Acts chapter two up to Acts chapter five, you're going to see the birth of the early church. You're going to see the birth of the first Christians. This is super important. God trusted Peter with the church, the local church, the physical church. He trusted Peter with it. Now, you know what I think is so crazy is a man the man that denied Jesus Christ three times and claimed, oh, I'll do anything for you. I'll. Peter was like, jesus, I'm your ride or die. Nothing's ever going to happen between me or you. Oh, I'm never going to leave you. This, that, and the other. And then he denies Jesus three times before the rooster crows in the morning, oh, wait, Peter, aren't you that guy with Jesus Christ? No, that's not me. No, that's not me. No, that's not me. And if you read the Gospels, after Jesus raises from the dead, there's this thing that happens. I believe it's recorded in the Gospel of John, where Jesus has breakfast with Peter on the beach, essentially. And this is super intense. But he tells Peter how he's gonna die. Now imagine you knowing when. Sorry, not knowing when. Imagine you knowing how you're gonna die. You would be anxious, probably all the time anticipating it. And so when I read that passage of after Peter had denied Jesus three times, and Peter repents to Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ begins to tell Peter how he's gonna die, I thought, man, that's pretty cruel. Why would Jesus tell Peter how he's gonna die? The reason Jesus told Peter how he was gonna die is because he wanted to show Peter that he would endure till the end. If you guys don't know, Peter gets crucified, but he gets crucified upside down because he believed that he wasn't worthy enough to be crucified the way that the Messiah was crucified. But he shows Peter, hey, bro, I recognize that you screwed up. Thank you for your repentance. But let me just tell you something, Peter. You're going to endure till the end. And not only, but you're going to be the rock that I found this church on. So Peter starts a church by preaching this gospel message to 3,000 people. They get born again baptized, and they pray for boldness. Now, this is how the early church is born. Acts, chapter two. And then you get up to Acts, chapter five. And I believe Acts chapter five addresses something that is important with the church that I think a lot of people say. A lot of people go, well, well, Bryce, I don't want to go to church because the church is wicked or I hate the church, I've been hurt by the church. Or people get molested in the church, or people abuse people for money in the church, or people manipulate people for selfish gain and ambition in the church. Okay, I'm not saying that those things don't happen, that things do those things do happen. Okay. But you also have to look at the net positive of the church. You have to look at the overall benefits and the positive of the church. Although there are people that manipulate a church congregation for money, although there are people that manipulate the church for selfish game and fame, although there are people in the church that abuse their power for sexual desires and things like that. We obviously see in the Gospels that Jesus heart is in total contradiction to the behavior that people manipulate the church for. I mean, Jesus goes into the synagogue and the one time that we witness Jesus being righteously angry is when he's flipping the money tables in the church. Why was he flipping the money tables in the church? Jesus was flipping the money tables in the church because he saw that the synagogue was taking advantage of new believers by trying to make a quick buck off of them. The synagogue was going, oh, shoot, all these new converts, this, that and the other. Let me make a quick buck off of them. And Jesus says, listen, you don't get, you don't get to use my name to make a quick buck off of people. You're manipulating people. Jesus's character was in total opposition to people manipulating his name or God's name for, for money, fame, status, sexual desires. He's actually in total opposition for it. And Acts chapter five is a prime example for it. So we see in the book of acts, these 3,000. They sell all their belongings. They become sold out for. For Christ. Now when you read Acts chapter five, you have these people named Ananias and Sapphira. They didn't. They sold everything, but they didn't. They weren't honest. They lied. They only gave away some of the money and then they kept some of the money secretly. Now when you read this part, this is the importance of it. Although there is wickedness and human beings are sinful and they abuse their power, they abuse their status, they abuse their position in the church. Sometimes, sometimes people do that for their own glory. There is still purity and a necessity for the local church. There is still goodness in the local church. There still is purity and an importance and a weight to it. If God didn't care about the early church, then he wouldn't have killed Ananias and Sapphira. In Acts chapter 5, the believers are told to sell everything and in sapphire they sell everything. But they don't. They're honest, they lie. They don't give away all the money that they sold. They kept some. And so God killed Ananias and Sapphira. Now some people say, oh my gosh, well, why Did God kill Ananias and Sapphira? He was catechizing the early church. He was purifying the early church. He was making sure that the beginnings of the early church were purified, just and holy. That's why he had to kill them off. We have to understand that any decision that God makes, He is a just God. And we have to trust that his judgment is just and righteous. So In Acts chapter 5, God doesn't care about the wickedness of the church. Yes, he absolutely does. And if God doesn't do something about it in the moment, on the day of judgment, every knee will bow and everyone will be held accountable for every action, thought, emotion, and manipulative. Manipulative thing that they've done in their life. And God will do something. The Bible tells us that vengeance is the Lord's. God cares about the local church. And there is a weight placed on pastors and teachers that they will be judged more harshly, not only for their words, but for their actions. So, man, the only thing I can think of is pray for our local leaders and pastors. Instead of watering seeds of condemnation on the church, why don't we pray for our leaders and pastors? That God continue to burn on their heart, that they. That the fire on their heart may be burned and. And that they may burn for the Lord Jesus Christ. And then they continue to seek after him, seek holiness, and seek righteousness. Now, when you continue to read the Book of Acts, let me just tell you the importance of this stuff. You have a guy named Paul, right? Okay. Paul In Acts chapter 13 and 14 visits Antioch, the churches of Galatia in Acts 13 and 14, that's where the churches of Galatia are formed. Then In Acts chapter 16, the Church of Philippi is formed. Then In Acts chapter 18, the Church of Corinth is formed. And then In Acts chapter 19, the Church of Ephesus is formed. Why is this important? Then in Acts chapter 2021, we find out that Paul is arrested. And when Paul's arrested, what does he do? He writes most of the New Testament in prison. We see he's in prison in Acts, chapter 21. Who does he write these letters to? The church of Corinth. The church of Ephesus. The church of Galatia. The church of Philippi. The Book of Joy. Written suffering in prison. Most of the New Testament was written in prison to these churches that were founded before Paul ever made it to prison. And Paul founded these churches so that people could have community. Why is it important for community, man? Look, the reason that the One of the main reasons that the local church is important is because when you go through junk, when you go through crap, there is a community and fellowship of believers around you that will come around you, pray for you, serve you, and love you unconditionally. Because they are reflecting Christ. They are his body, they are his bride. They are going to be a reflection of Christ. One of the greatest things I've ever done is submit myself to a local church or pastor. Greatest things I've ever done. Because not only is someone being placed and trusted with the authority to shepherd my soul, but I have a community of believers to come around me. I mean, you guys don't know. We have our live podcast show on May 18, and my local church from my hometown is supporting our event by giving us volunteers for a prayer team that is powerful. The help. When I've been going through junk, I'm able to call my pastor, go get breakfast with my pastor. When I'm in Los Angeles, my home church in Los Angeles, the church that I'm submitted to in Los Angeles, I'm able to contact my pastor. I'm able to fellowship. I'm able to have community people come around me and pray for me. It's a beautiful thing. And when I reflect on my life from when I was 17, I became a Christian when I was 17, and I'm 21 now, there are people that I met when I was 17 years old that were claiming to love Jesus, that were preaching about Jesus. And I met a bunch of Christians when I was 17, and now that I'm 21, half of them don't even fall follow the Lord anymore. And I'm not saying that this is the only reason that they don't follow the Lord. But I think one of the main reasons is because they had a weak perspective of the local church. They did not have an importance and a weight and a gravity of how important the local church was. They weren't submitted. They didn't care about the local church. And I think that is one of the main reasons why people deconstruct and leave the faith is because they don't have a community of believers to actually work through problems and talk about these things, too. I mean, the Bible is very clear. The Book of Acts is all about the birth of the early church. And not only that, when you're trying to tackle theological issues, yes, we need to look into Scripture, but we also need to look at the early church. We need to look at how they accepted things. We need to look at how they treated sacraments we need to look at how they treated Jesus Christ. I mean, you have to understand, the early church was so important that God killed Ananias and Sapphira to purify the church. If God didn't think that the local church was important then it would have gone extinct. Now the unfortunate and sad reality is, is that there are some churches and some pastors out there that do things for selfish gain, like we said earlier, that do things for money gain, that do things for sexual desires, that manipulate their power and things like that. And that ultimately breaks my heart. And you think that doesn't break God's heart? The manipulation of the local church that people use for their own selfish gain, their sexual desires and their money actually breaks God's heart to death. It breaks his heart. Jesus Christ didn't die for people to use his name for sexual desires in their church authoritative position or Jesus Christ didn't die for the fact that the church was going to use it for a money game or a money grab. Jesus Christ died so that people could become more like him, could be united with him, so he could pay the debt of sin and that people could know the weight of and the glory and love of Jesus Christ and God the Father. That's the importance of it. And without the local church, we wouldn't be able to know more about scripture, know more about community, know more about fellowship. I mean, community is so important. That's why Paul visited Corinth, Ephesus, Antioch, Philippi, all these places and founded the early church because he recognized that in order for people to sustain their faith, they not only need the spirit of God, they not only need the word of God, but they need the local church. We need community. It's so important and I'm going to be honest, like you know, praise God for live stream to church. But man, let me tell you something. If your only reason for watching a live stream church is because you don't feel like getting up in the morning and go to church. Let me ask you. I pray that the conviction of the Lord may hit your heart and that just because you wake up and go, I don't feel like going to church, man, I pray that the Lord put some faith to your feet and you start moving towards the church door. Because I used to be that same guy that would blow off the local church because oh, I'm too tired. But man, we can never be too tired for the presence of God. And the second we convince ourselves we're too tired for church is the second we think that church is about us. We don't go to church to get. We go to church to give to God. We go to church to worship God. We go to church to learn more about the Father. Because when we learn about the Father, we give more glory to Him. We're not going to church just to, just to gain, gain, gain, gain, gain. We're going to give something to Christ. We're going to give it all to Him. We're going to serve him and worship Him. Learning about Christ motivates my heart to worship Him. Thank you Jesus for the early church. Thank you God that we have amazing pastors and leaders in today's society that steward us and lead us into your throne room, God. Thank you Jesus for the local church. We need it, man. You know, I don't want to totally turn on online church because, you know, it is a beautiful thing when I'm on the road and when I'm traveling, sometimes I fly on Sundays. I'm able to actually stay consistent in the church with my hometown church by watching online and things like that. Or if I'm sick, I can watch online. So I don't get my brothers and sisters in my local church physically sick either. And things like that. But if our only excuse if our excuses for watching online churches, oh, well, it's convenient or oh, I don't really feel like going in person. Let me tell you something. There's something so powerful with being in a physical community in person, worshiping the Lord with like minded people. It's so powerful. Community is important. I'm so grateful that we got to talk about this because, man, guys, the church is important. Your local church and plug in and serve. The church isn't just about us getting. We need to give, we don't. We not only need to give our worship to God, we need to give our finances. We also need to give our actions. We need to serve. We need to come around each other, man. Serve at your local church, stack chairs, mop the floors. One of my favorite people, to close this episode out, one of my favorite people ever in the Christian faith was a guy named Brother Lawrence. He has a book called Practicing the Presence of God. Brother Lawrence was a Christian monk in the 1600s. He lived in a monastery off the mainland in the middle of the ocean. And listen, Brother Lawrence was so respected by world leaders around the globe that world leaders would hit up Brother Lawrence back in the 1600s. You know, whatever they did send a pigeon to Brother Lawrence and they would say, hey, Brother Lawrence, we respect you. We need your help making world Altering decisions. Brother Lawrence said this. He said, listen guys, I want to help you, but I can't leave this monastery because I promise work before the Lord. So if you want help, you can come to me and I'll help you navigate through your world altering decisions while I'm doing my work before the Lord. So world leaders, very important people back in the 1600s would travel all across the globe to come meet brother Lawrence at the monastery. Because he, he told these people, man, my work before the Lord is so important that if you come to me, I'll be able to help you. They come here. The work before the Lord that brother Lawrence did was just mop the floors of this monastery. It was important to him to serve his brothers at the monastery and to serve the Lord by just simply mopping and cleaning the house of God. And so my prayer for us today is two things. Number one, God, we need to pray that God would give us a fresh conviction and a fresh heart, a fresh weight for the local church. But number two, God, would you give us a desire to serve the way brother Lawrence served his local brothers and sisters? God, Jesus, we thank you so much for today. God, we thank you for the church. God, we thank you that community is real and accessible and that we can gather with like minded believers, brothers and sisters in Christ to worship you, challenge us and work through problems in life. God, we ask firstly for a fresh conviction and wait for the local church. Would you give us a desire to show up in person, submit ourselves to leadership in the church, submit ourselves to church authority, submit ourselves to the teachings of a shepherd God to help steward our soul. And secondly, God, would you give us a desire to serve in our local communities and churches the way that Brother Lawrence did? God, we thank you for who you are. We thank you for the cross. We love you, God. In Jesus name we pray. Amen. Guys, thank you so much for watching and tuning into these episodes. Guys. If you love watching and listening to these episodes, aside from following us along on Instagram, tik tok, Spotify, YouTube, I want to ask you guys, would you guys consider partnering with our ministry financially? Your guys radical generosity is actually what continues to fuel and produce these podcast episodes and our evangelism videos. So if you guys feel a burden to support this ministry, reach lost souls with the gospel through digital and in person ministry. Go to jesusinthestreet.org pray and ask God, how should I partner with Bryce and their ministry and Jesus in the street ministry? Should I partner with them in prayer? Should I partner with them in finances? Should I partner with them in support, whatever it may be? Pray and ask God. How should I support Jesus in the street ministry? Love you guys. See you guys next week. For the next episode.