Guiding Light!
A place to belong!
You are members of God's very own family, citizens of God's country, and you belong in God's household with every other Christian. Ephesians 2:19b
God's family is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
1 Timothy 3:15b
You are called to belong not just believe. We are created for community, fashioned for fellowship, and formed for a family, and none of us can fulfill God's purposes by ourselves. The Bible tells us we are, put together, joined together, built together, members together, heirs together, fitted together, and held together and will be caught up together. We are not on our own anymore.
In God's family we are connected to every other believer and we will belong to each other for eternity. The Bible says, "In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." Romans 12:5 Following Christ includes belongs, not just believing, we are members of His body. The church is a body, not a building, an organism and not an organization. If you are disconnected from the lifeblood of a local body, your spiritual life will wither and eventually cease to exist. This is why the first symptom of spiritual decline is usually inconsistent attendance at worship services and other gatherings of believers.
The Bible calls the church "the bride of Christ" and "the body of Christ." I can't imagine saying to Christ, "I love you, but I dislike your bride." Or "I accept you, but I reject your body." But we do this whenever we dismiss or complain about the church. Sadly many people use the church but don't love it. The Bible says a Christian without a church home is like an organ without a body, a sheep without a flock, or a child without a family. The Bible says, "You belong in God's household with every other Christian."
The body of Christ needs you. God has a unique role for you to play in His family. This is called your ministry, and God has gifted you for this assignment, the Bible tells us, "A spiritual gift is given to each of us as a means of helping the entire church. Your local fellowship is the place God designed for you to discover, develop and use your gifts. Jesus has not promised to build your ministry, He has promised to build His church.
The difference between being a church attender and a church member is commitment. Attenders are spectators from the sidelines, members get involved in the ministry. Attenders are consumers, members are contributors. Attenders want the benefits of a church without sharing the responsibility. Why is it important to join a local church? Because it proves you are committed to your spiritual brothers and sisters in reality, not just in theory. God wants you to love real people, not ideal people.
You become a Christian by committing yourself to Christ, but you become a church member by committing yourself to a specific group of believers. The first decision brings salvation, the second brings fellowship. Think on this: I am called to belong, not just believe. Does my level of involvement in my local church demonstrate that I love and am committed to God's family?
In Christ's Service,
Kenny Millhouse
kenny@guidinglightministry.com
Guiding Light Ministry - an evangelistic outreach!
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