In a recent episode of "Home Improvement" the fifteen year old son of Tim "the Tool Man" Taylor decides he doesn't want to go to church anymore. This troubles Tim who thinks of going to church as sort of way to gain credit and favor with God. So Tim consults his contemporary club hopping minister who counsels him to not be so uptight about his son's attitude. He explains that since the boy is in many respects a good boy who likes to volunteer to help others, it really isn't all that necessary for him to be in church.

On a positive note I must say that this episode of "Home Improvement" quite accurately reflects the predominant view of our culture today which is that all roads lead to heaven and all religions are equally valid and a good life will get you as far with God as any religion will ever do. It isn't necessary to participate in organized religion at all. A private faith minus the church will do. Probably many of you who are listening to me right now share pretty much these same views. In any given community the number of people who say they believe in God and even in Jesus but who have little or nothing to do with the church probably equals or outnumbers the professing Christians who are actively involved with a church each week.

To be honest, however, I must inform you that whoever is interested in hearing what the Bible teaches about any of this will discover a message quite to the contrary. For the Bible clearly teaches that "there is no other name under heaven by which we must be saved than the name of Jesus Christ." (Acts 4:12) All religions are not equally valid. Jesus said, "Go preach the gospel to every creature. He that believes and is baptizes will be saved. He that does not believe will be condemned." (Acts 16:15-16)

Furthermore, the Bible teaches that none of us will ever be good enough to earn eternal life or justify ourselves before God. The apostle Paul says, "There is none righteous, no not one... For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace...God saved us, not because of the righteous things we have done, but by his mercy." No one can ever be good enough to deserve to go to heaven. Tim's son needs the savior just as much as I do. That is precisely why Jesus came, and you must secure his forgiveness the same as anyone else if you expect to gain eternal life.

Finally, the Bible also teaches the necessity of membership in the church and active participation in the church. Jesus is the savior of the body which is the church. (Eph. 5:23) Jesus is going to save the church and that's all he promises to save. Don't take my word for it. Open your Bibles and read it for yourself. So one must become a member of the church if he expects to be saved. There are simply no scriptural grounds for assuming that one is saved apart from membership in the church. And membership in the church brings responsibilities with it, one of which is that the church member is commanded to regularly assemble and meet with the church. "Let us not give up meeting together as some are in the habit of doing." (Hebrews 10:25) That was written to church members, and it was written to all professing Christians in our communities who refuse to have anything to do with the church.

So you have a choice. You can believe Tim Taylor's excuse for a preacher or you can believe the word of God. You can take your cue from the culture or you can take your cue from God. Tim Taylor's preacher doesn't speak for God nor does our culture. Tim needs a new preacher, and he needs to dust off his Bible and read IT. Which might not be a bad move for some of the rest of us.

On behalf of Jesus and His church, this is Stan Bryan posing to you one question: To whom are you listening? To the culture or to God?