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ARE YOU DATING THE CHURCH? 

Putting in their hour or two on the weekend, many Christians take the rest of the week off, neglecting the church and her needs. It?s not a serious relationship. We are a generation of consumers, independent and critical. Some shop around, looking for a church that suits their lifestyle. It?s dating, with no assurances, no obligations. 

Best-selling author Joshua Harris calls Christians to stop playing the field and commit, just as Christ is committed to us, His bride. In this book, we are reminded that faith was never meant to be a solo pursuit. The church is the place God grows us, encourages us, and uses us best. Harris explores the ramifications of Ephesians 5:25?32, which proclaims the intensity and the breadth of Jesus Christ?s love for His church. God has designed us to build our lives around a local church; we cannot be indifferent or uninvolved. Rather, we must be in love with and committed to God?s plan and purpose through the church.

We cannot be apathetic. It is time to fall in love with the family of God. 

 Are you dating the church, or are you committed?

Excerpted from the book: 

"Jack and Grace met through a mutual friend. From day one they seemed to be the perfect match. Grace was everything Jack had always wanted. She was beautiful, outgoing, and caring?always there when Jack needed her.

For the first five months they were inseparable. Jack could hardly think of anything but Grace. He didn't need to look further, he told friends. "She's the one."

Now almost three years have passed. Jack still enjoys the comfort and familiarity of being with Grace, but the spark is gone. Grace's flaws seem more obvious. He's not sure he finds her as attractive as he once did. And he's beginning to resent all the time she wants to spend with him.

One night, when she asks if they can define the nature of their relationship, Jack blows up. "We're together, aren't we?" he asks angrily. "Why isn't that enough for you?"

Obviously, Jack isn't ready for commitment. And it's unclear if he ever will be...

Have you ever been in a relationship like this? I'm writing this book because I believe God has something better for you. He wants you in a relationship defined by both passion and commitment. But before you can take hold of this wonderful plan, you need to know something about this couple. There are millions of Jacks walking around today. And Grace isn't a girl.

Grace is a church."

What others are saying about this book: 

"Sadly, many Christians have allowed a consumer-mindset to shape their opinions of the church. Instead of asking what they can give or how they can serve, too many church-goers are only interested in what they can get. In light of this frightening trend, Josh Harris passionately and effectively calls his readers to understand the church's fundamental importance. As part of God's perfect plan for His people, the church deserves far more than the half-hearted commitment or apathetic neglect it so often receives. In fact, as Harris astutely observes, the Christian life can never be lived to its fullest apart from a genuine passion for the church. It's time for believers to take the church seriously, which is why the message of this book is so essential."  

? Pastor John Macarthur

"Evangelical Christians have a good and appropriate emphasis on personal salvation. But that emphasis has not been balanced by the inherently corporate nature of the Christian life. Christians belong in churches ? the only places where we can thrive and grow spiritually. In this book, Joshua Harris makes this case with wisdom, clarity, and graciousness."

? Charles W. Colson

ISBN:1590523652
Hardback
Page Count: 144 pages

About the Author:

Joshua Harris lives outside Washington, D.C., in Gaithersburg, Maryland, where he is the senior pastor at Covenant Life Church. His greatest passion is preaching the gospel and calling his generation to wholehearted devotion to God. Joshua and his wife Shannon have two children, Emma Grace and Joshua Quinn