1 Corinthians 12:12 NKJV
For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
Beloved,
The concept of church membership and attendance is one that requires thorough understanding. Church must be redefined for you if you want to gain the most from being a member of Christ’s body. The local church a believer attends gives them an identity. If you don’t belong to a local church, your gifting and talents cannot edify the body as they should. So, let’s redefine church.
- A church is a body of believers in Christ, who accepts God as the only true God, accepts that Jesus is the only way, truth, and life, and accepts the Bible as the final authority to live by its ordinances.
- The local church is a spiritual house whose formation must be exactly the same in nature and functionality with the universal body of Christ. The only thing that separates one church from another is the divinely communicated assignment. This is seen by the emphasis or focus on certain aspects of living such as holiness, deliverance, evangelism, excellence, etc.
- Church is a system of God for gathering His own. It is a space He uses to foster the well-being of believers, moving them from their problems to their purposes.
- In church, God not only meets an individual’s needs; he also equips them to accomplish divine mandate.
Beloved, there is a wide range of options when it comes to churches. However, the correct way to go about church membership is to ask the Lord to place you in the church He has ordained for you.
Never forget that it is almost impossible for anyone to live a good Christian life without being a good member of a church. So, understand what church is about and begin to live life from that understanding. One of the understandings you should live from is realizing and accepting your membership is a calling just as shepherding is a calling for a pastor. This knowledge will change your life.
I commend you to God and to the word of His grace.
I call you blessed. I call you NATIONS.
