"Christ and the Church"

It is not uncommon today to hear people devaluate the church.  Some say in effect, “Christ, yes; the church, no.”  While some profess they love Jesus, desiring even to follow Him, they have little use for “the church.”

The Scriptures, however, are clear:  One cannot have the church without Christ, and one cannot have Christ without the church.

The church was God’s idea, God’s plan.  It is not man-made.  In fact, observe the close relationship between Christ and the church.  Christ is the head of the church (Ephesians 5:22-23a); He is the complete voice of authority.  Christ is the Founder of the church.  Christ said to Peter, “On this rock [the confession that Jesus Christ is the Son of God], I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).  Christ is the foundation of the church.  No building or institution can be stronger than the foundation on which it rests.  And for the church, “no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).  Christ is the Savior of the body, which is the church:  "For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body" (Ephesians 5:23). 
Indeed, as has often been noted by some in an attempt to minimize the church;

 “the church doesn’t save anyone.”  However, Christ saves the church! 

 In fact, the church is composed of the saved (Acts 2:47).  Christ loved the church and gave himself for it (Ephesians 5:25).  We usually judge the value of something by the price we pay for it.  For what price was the church purchased?  
Christ purchased the church with His own blood (Acts 20:28).

One cannot separate Christ from His church.

A low estimation of the church may be due to a lack of understanding of what the church truly is, as taught in the Bible.  There is also a misconception of what the church is all about.

One of the most simplistic, yet one of the most beautiful images of the church in Scripture is that of the family of God.  As such, the church is designed to be a place of loving encouragement (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:13) to those who are seeking to follow Christ.  Also, it is God’s desire for His family, the church, to grow and grow.  God wants His family to share the good news about Jesus Christ, as Jesus instructed His disciples:  "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.  Amen" (Matthew 28:19-20 NKJV).

How does one become a member of God’s family, the church?  

To those who were convicted of their sin and believed that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, Peter said, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit" (Acts 2:38).  "Then those who gladly received his word were baptized; and that day about three thousand souls were added to them" (Acts 2:41).  " And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47).

Only the Lord can add one to His church when one obeys the Gospel as Peter and the apostles presented it.