Does the Church Matter?

We often think of church as a building with walls, pews, and lights, but the truth is far more profound: we are the church. This message challenges us to reconsider what church truly means in a world that desperately needs answers. Drawing from Galatians 5, we're confronted with the reality of our human nature—the flesh that pulls us toward sexual immorality, jealousy, division, and self-indulgence. Yet against this dark backdrop shines the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. The contrast is stark and revealing. Without the Spirit-informed conscience that Christianity provides, we're left with nothing but nature's brutal law where might makes right. But the church offers something revolutionary—a message that every person bears God's image, that the powerful should serve the powerless, that forgiveness trumps revenge, and that sacrificial love transforms everything. In a culture increasingly divided and confused, we hold the most hope-filled story ever told: that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us, rose again, and offers eternal life to all who believe. The question isn't whether the church matters—it absolutely does. The question is whether we'll embrace our calling to be the conscience of our community, holding high the name of Jesus so that all who look upon Him might find healing.