Membership or Relationship

Yeah...
Let's take a few moments
And talk about church membership
And an intimate relationship with God
Let's talk about the importance of it
Alright, let's talk about it then
Ay, what up Mini-Sheed
What's up baby, you alright?
I got a question for you
What's the question?
Ay yo, you go to church?

Yeah I go to church, I go to First Temple Memorial Second Street
New Jerusalem Holiness Ebenezer Heavenly
Gates Baptist Penticostal Apostolic Light and Life
African Methodist Episcopal Church of God in Christ
Sanctified Tabernacle of Faith Ministries
Wow! Well that's good, hold on, can I finish please?!
Go 'head, I gotta tell you who da Pastor, the Reverend
Bishop Dr. Alowicious Edgar Jasper the Second
MD, PhD, DDS, well, how do you treat Jesus? (What?)
Or do you weekly just go to church, but you ain't really a
Believer? See because what really makes Him trip
Is when we're church goin', but ain't got relationship
What you mean, I go to church, and I sing in the choir
Give an offering, and I be bringin' my tithes
The Pastor and every member'll know me
Yeah, but I'm askin' do you know the Lord personally
So what you sayin'? Man, what I'm sayin' is are you prayin'?
Day and night, and are you layin' at His feet and obeyin'?
Do you stay in His face, and on His Word do you stand?
Or are you playin' church, spiritually walkin' in quicksand?
Wow! Aw man, that's deep and I just gotta repent I know
'Cause afterall, Jesus is the only reason I go
Church is cool, but I need a whole lot more, and in fact
Relationship with God, nothing's more important than that...

Church membership or relationship with God
Church membership or relationship with God
Church membership or relationship with God
We need 'em both, yep we need
Church membership or relationship with God
Church membership or relationship with God
Church membership or relationship with God
We need 'em both, yep we need 'em

Yo, I don't need to go to church, I'll worship on my own
Alone, gone to church, I'll keep it simple at home
'Cause all I need is Jesus, plus the saints are phony
Tell me that them people and that preacher ain't bologna
Well they might be, might be?! I'd say quite likely
I won't waste my time, see, I can pray quite nicely
By me lonesome with no thoughts of the guy by me
Man, he ain't gone hurt you, I don't know, he just might bite me
So many homosexuals, he just might like me
And eye me, while I'm thinkin', "Jesus Christ, why me?"
I don't want to worry how my suit and tie might be
Or if this lady is tryin' to be my wifey
Well, I highly recommend you reconsider
Hebrews ten, twenty-five, go read the scripture
Now, I know you love God, so don't rebel the letter
Don't forsake the assembling of ourselves together
Look, I know you only worship at the crib, but why?
Yo, if you chopped off your finger, would it live or die
By itself? Probably die, ay yo, it's more than prob'ly
Definitely you will die if you're detached from the body
We are the church, we're the Body, and we fit like a glove
We need eachother, people you don't like, try to love
We encourage and strengthen, make withdrawals and deposits
We get stuff from corporate worship you can't get in the closet...

Church membership or relationship with God
Church membership or relationship with God
Church membership or relationship with God
We need 'em both, yep we need
Church membership or relationship with God
Church membership or relationship with God
Church membership or relationship with God
We need 'em both, yep we need 'em

Alright now, Mini-Sheed, now
What have we learned here? Let's review
Alright big brother, you have done such a wonderful job
Of enlightening me on the truth
That our intimate relationship with God
Is the most important thing (praise God!)
And at the same time, we don't want to minimize
The importance of our church membership
'Cause they both are important
Is that right, big brother? (ha ha!)
I couldn't have said it better myself, man
And I would like to express my most humble appreciation
Thank you, big brother
Aw naw, you ain't gotta thank me, man, thank God
Yeah, thank God, thank God
I was trippin' in my thinkin', thank You, Lord!
Yeah, yeah... amen!