"To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him" (Ephesians 3:8-12 ESV).
The cross of Christ was no accident. From the beginning of human history, from the point when sin became the problem of the rebellious human species and the created realm was subjected to a curse because of this, God was planning the climax of history to be realized in the death of the Son. In the same way, the church of God is no afterthought or mere byproduct of the death of Christ. Jesus came to create the new Israel, the people of God called from among all nations to the obedience of faith. According to the passage quoted above, the church was long the secret plan of God, the means by which He would convey His message to the world and show the "rulers and authorities" that He is the true Lord.
For me to be counted a friend of Jesus, I have to be with and love His other friends. For me to walk with Christ, I have to join with other pilgrims on the journey. If I deny them, I deny Him. If I reject them, I have separated myself from the very way of discipleship. This is no light matter.
There should be no solitary Christians.
For a short time in college I delivered pharmaceuticals to homes for a drug store. Most of the customers were elderly, and some were quite lonely. I'd spend several minutes or more with most of them, hearing about distant grandchildren or discussing their last trip to the doctor. A handful told me about having been members of this or that church in town, but they hadn't been visited by anyone from the church for years, since falling ill.
One kind woman had a debilitated husband who had been mostly bed-ridden for twenty years. As we chatted I learned she and her husband had been founding members of the local Christian Church. They had been very active, prior to her husband's illness. People visited for a while, but after a few years and a few different ministers, they were forgotten. She hadn't be to church at all for around two decades. Is that acceptable? Is it okay that her faith-family let her and her husband slip through the cracks? Should she have had to kept calling and insisting to get people to care? She didn't, and she was left alone.
It isn't right to try to be a solitary Christian, and it isn't acceptable for churches lose track of "shut-ins" and members on the margins. We are called to be God's family on earth. We are the means by which the manifold wisdom of God is to be made known. We are the plan.
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