Membership
1 Corinthians
12 and 14, talk quite a bit about the body of Christ that we call the church.
These chapters deal with the fact the body of Christ is many parts and each
part has a responsibility to the other parts of the body to make a whole body
function properly. These chapters give us the picture of church membership
without stating that each person should be a member of the church. Church membership
today is under fire as something that is old school. But there are 5 important
reasons that the Bible gives us for the purpose and importance of church
membership and making a covenant with a group of believers that gather in a particular
place as a faith family.
The
first reason that church membership is vital to the Christian life is the fact
it identifies one as a true genuine believer in Jesus Christ (Romans 12:5,
Ephesians 2:19). For a person to become a member of a good Evangelical church
their testimony or faith in Christ will be asked to be shared and the reasons
for their love for Jesus will become evident as they align themselves with a
particular body of Christ.
The
second reason for church membership to a group of particular believers is that
it provides for one spiritual family to support and encourage with (Hebrews
10:24-25). No Christian can walk the hard persecuted life of loving Jesus alone
and to be joined in covenant with a faith family will give strength in numbers
and support.
The
third important point for church membership to one body of Christ is the opportunity
it allows in one place to discover and use the gifts of the spirit in service
and worship of Jesus the King (1 Cor. 12:4-27, 1 Peter 4:10-11). Every believer
in Jesus is given a gift from Him so that the gift can be used in service for
Him in the place that is designed to worship Him the most, His church.
The
fourth point and defense of church membership is that it connects believers to
the place and puts them under the protection of Godly leaders (Acts 20:28-29,
Hebrews 13:17). God has give some to be leaders in His church and given them
responsibility as “little” shepherds under Jesus to protect the flock from the
lion of Satan (1 Peter 5:8) and other wolves that are wondering about. To covenant
with a church family is to fall under the protection designed by God.
The
fifth reason that church membership is a must in the life of the lover of Jesus
is that it gives one the accountability needed for spiritual growth (Gal.
6:1-2). No one person has the full knowledge of the Bible or the full wisdom on
how to live the Christian life. The church is a place of mutual growth and
where the believer can be fed the Word of God and find wisdom from others in
the Christian journey.
As
a church member, I find and agree with the 6 covenant statements found in “I Am
a Church Member” by Thom Rainer. These 6 covenant statements should be shouted
and taken to heart yearly if not weekly by every person that confesses a love
for Jesus. Because, we cannot love Jesus and not love Jesus’ church, we must
love both or we do not love either.
I
will be a Functioning Church member
I
will be a unifying church member
I
will not let my church be about my preferences and desires
I
will pray for my church leaders
I
will lead my family to be healthy church members
I
will treasure church membership as a gift
No comments:
Post a Comment