Because the Church is of vital importance for every Christian.

Mention the church to a group of Christians and you will most likely get a mixed answer. Some of them might say that while they love Jesus, they don't love the church. Others might reply: "Of course we love the church." God ordained the church, a company of the spoiled, to carry out his purpose and will in the world. When we consider the biblical teaching on the church, we realize that the church is vital to growing in Christ. Like a branch that grows unaffected by its connection to the tree, we thrive when we stay in touch with the church.

To explore this issue, it is necessary to consider what the Bible says about the church. Before we can look at what the New Testament (NT) teaches about the church, we must first see what the Old Testament (OT) says about life and worship. God commanded Moses to build a tabernacle, a portable tent that represented the presence of God who dwelt right among his people. 

The tabernacle and later the temple were the places where God ordered the sacrifices to be performed and the feasts to be celebrated. The tabernacle and temple served as a central place of instruction and teaching about God and his will for the city of Israel. From the tabernacle and the temple, Israel issued loud and joyful psalms of praise and worship to God. The instructions for building the tabernacle required it to be in the center of Israel's camps. 

Later, Jerusalem, the temple site, was seen as representing the center of the land of Israel. The tabernacle and temple were not to be seen only as the geographic center of Israel; they were also to be the spiritual center of Israel. Like the spokes of a wheel flapping off the hub, what happened in these centers of worship would affect every aspect of Israelite life.