Chapter Two

24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. 

25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. 

Hebrews 10:24-25

I believe and support that it’s important to be connected to a local church body.

LONE GUNS ARE USUALLY FOUND SHOT DEAD AND LYING FACE DOWN IN DRY GULCH VALLEY

That is quite the statement, isn’t it? But what does it mean? Let’s explore it together.

I have watched a lot of western movies, and they have always fascinated me. What life must have been like in the Wild West. Living life by your wits alone. Six shooters and bows and arrows, wild horses, cattle ranchers, prospectors looking for gold. Home settlers looking to start a better life. And always the hero of the story, the wily veteran armed with a gun. It was either a masked man like the Lone Ranger, a local secret security agent like James West, an outlaw like Josey Wales, or any other good guy with a bad attitude. These are the men of western legend.

One thing they all had in common was sheer determination and grit. They were impossible to knock them down for long. They would always get back up to continue fighting for their cause. These types of individuals exist today. I call these outsiders, Lone Guns.

Lone Guns are individuals who do not see the need for joining a local church body. They figure that they have made it this far, either with or without God. They are renegades.

Whether it was in the movie or on TV, in scene after scene the hero was almost indestructible. But in real life, those were only actors who portrayed those hard as nails personas. Our society looks highly on the individual who accomplished great things by themselves. The truth is however, that no one does anything in a vacuum. Everyone needs somebody else to survive. No man is an island. Life is better with someone else. God has created us to be social beings.

Isolation leads to the death of a ministry or a dream. It takes others to help carry a dream or ministry to fruition. Jesus had his twelve disciples, The Apostle Paul had Silas, John Mark and even Timothy to help him. We all need each other to finish strong. Pastors depend on their leadership teams, and the leadership teams need volunteers to carry out their community outreach.

In short, we need and should depend on each other. I know that can be difficult, especially if you have been hurt or burned by someone in the past. Oftentimes that is why people begin to isolate themselves. The further you isolate yourself, the more suspicious you will become. That is the devil at play. Isolation is exactly where he wants you. That is where his voice is the strongest and loudest, drowning everything else out. Soon, you become an island and its much harder to acclimate yourself into a team mindset.

Without others in the local body we will eventually fall flat on our faces and end up in dry places, places without the power and presence of God. I am not saying that one person cannot make a difference. Revivals can begin when one person prays. However, those prayers typically lead to that person finding a local body to help stir up the flames of revival in an entire region. For me, God touched me in a Baptist church and filled me right where I was. He then led me to a new congregation to learn more about moving in the spirit and discipleship. Up until that time, I did not know how to walk with God and others. Had I not been obedient to his leading, I would not be where I am today. I had to go through that experience and many others in order to be willing to grow up. Spiritual maturity is the place He wants for all of us.

The writer of the book of Hebrews says we should desire meat and not be drinking milk like babies (my rough paraphrase of Hebrews 5:12-13). Babies require a lot of care and cannot take care of themselves. As young Christians we are like babies who need milk to survive, but over time and with experience we need to mature in our faith. I needed to mature, and it took time and care from others who were close to me. I could not mature on my own. I needed and benefitted from their guidance.

While I attended that church, I submitted to the leadership of two special men who took care of me and walked with me every step of the way. They stood by me through my rebellious times and lack of patience, just like parents deal with an unruly child or teenager. I learned through my many mistakes and my successes. I attended discipleship and Bible classes, learning more and more about God and His word. I also read my Bible like I never had before, like a starving man devours a meal, reading it intently in less than a year. I took great notes of the pastors' message every time we got together as a congregation and reread them every chance I got. I was on several ministries, the Altar Prayer team, and the Children’s Teaching Ministry to mention a few. In the children’s ministry, I met the two people who were the leadership team there and ended up being my spiritual mentors. They helped me in my toughest times and today we are still friends. Most of my foundational training in my personal life came out of their tutelage and I am extremely grateful for their help.

I encourage you to find out how the Lord can bless your life by joining a biblically sound teaching ministry in a local church. Your life will never be the same again.