17 A Place To Belong

 

 

 

PURPOSE # 2

 

 

You Were Formed For God's Family

 

 

 I am the vine, and you are the branches.

John 15:5

 

Christ makes us one body...

Connected to each other.

Romans 12:5

 

 

17 A Place to Belong

 

 

You are members of Gpod'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.

Even in the perfect,

sinless environment of Eden, God saide,

"It is not good for man to be alone."

Genesis 2:18

We are created for community,

 fasioned for fellowship, and formed for a family,

and none of us can fulfill God's purposes by ourselves.

 

The Bible says we are put together, joined together,

built together, members together, heirs together, fitted together,

and held together and will caugh up together.

1 Corinthians 12:12; Ephesians 2:21, 22; 3:6; 4:16

Colossians 2:19; 1 Thesalonians 4:17

 

"In Christ we who are many form one body,

and each member belongs to all the others."

Romans 12:5

Following Christ includes, belonging, not just believing.

We are members of his Body—the church.

 

To Paul, being a "member" of the church meant

being a vital organ of a living body, an indispensable,

interconnected part of the Body of Christ.

Romans 12:4-5;

1 Corinthians 6:15; 12:12-27

The church is a body, not a building;

an organism, not an organization.

 

We discover our role in life

through our relationships with others.

"Each part gets its meaning

 from the body as a whole,

not the other way around.

The body we're talking about is

Christ's body of chosen people.

Each of us finds our meaning

and function as a part of his body.

but as a chopped-off finger or cut-off toe

we wouldn't amount to much, would we?"

Romans 12:4-5

 

If an organ is somehow severed from its body,

it will shrivel and die.

It cannot exist on its own, and neither can you.

Disconnected and cut off from the lifeblood of a local body,

your spiritual life will wither and eventually cease to exist.

Ephesians 4:16

 

The church is God's agenda for the world.

"I will build my church,

and all the powers of hell will not conquer it."

Matthew 16:18

The church will outlive this universe,

and so will your role in it.

"Christ loved the church

and gave his life for it."

Ephesians 5:25

 

The Bible calls the church "the bride of Christ"

and "the body of Christ."

2 Corinthians 11:2;

Ephesians 5:27; Revelation 19:7

God commands us to love the church as much as Jesus does.

"Love your spiritual family."

1 Peter 2:17b

 

 

Your Local Fellowship

 

 

Except for a few important instances

referring to all believers throughout history,

almost every time the word church is used in the Bible

it refers to a local visible congregation.

The New Testament assumes membership in a local congregation.

The only Christians not members of a local fellowship were

those under church discipline

who had been removed from the fellowship

because of gross public sin.

1 Corinthians 5:1-13;

Galatians 6:1-5

 

"You belong in God's household

with every other Christian."

Ephesians 2:19b

 

 

Why You Need A Church Family

 

 

A church family identifies you as a genuine believer.

"Your love for one another

will prove to the world

that you are my disciples."

John 13;35

When we come together in love as a church family

from different backgrounds, race, and social status,

it is a powerful witness to the world.

Galatians 3:28

see also John 17:21

Together, not separated, we are his Body.

1 Corinthians 12:27

 

A church family moves you out of self-centered isolation.

As a participation member

you learn to care about others and share the experiences of others:

"If one part of the body suffers,

all the other parts suffer with it.

Or if one part of our body is honored,

all the other parts share its honor."

1 Corinthians 12:26

 

Only in regular contact with ordinary, imperfect believers can

we learn real fellowship and experience

the New Testament truth of being connected

and dependent on each other.

Ephesians 4:16; Romans 12:4-5;

Colossians 2:19; 1 Corinthians 12:25

 

"Jesus Christ laid down his life for us.

And we ought to lay down

our loves for our brothers."

1 John 3:16

 

A church family helps you develop spiritual muscle.

"As each part does its own special work,

it helps the other parts grow,

so that the whole body is healthy

and growing and full of love."

Ephesians 4;16b

 

Over fifty times in the New Testament the phrase

one another" or "each other" is used.

We are commanded to love each other, pray for each other,

encourage each other, admonish each other, greet each other,

serve each other, teach each other, accpt each other,

honor each other, bear each other's burdens, forgive each other,

submit to each other, be devoted to each other, and many other mutual tasks.

We need more than the Bible in order to grow;

we need other believers.

 

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:

"A spiritual gift is given to each of us

as a means of helping the entire church."

1 Corinthians 12:7

Jesus has not promised to build your ministry;

he has promised to build his church.

 

You will share in Christ's mission in the world.

When Jessu walked the earth,

God worked through the phsical body of Christ;

today he used his spiritual body.

The church is God's instrument on earth.

"He creates each of us

by Christ Jesust to join him in the work he does,

the good work he has gotten ready for us to do,

work we had better be doing."

Ephesians 2:10

 

A church family will help keep you from backsliding.

None of us are immune to temptation.

Given the right situation, you and I are capable of any sin.

1 Corinthians 10:12;

Jeremiah 17:9; 1 Timothy 1:19

"Encourage one another daily...

so that none of you may be hardened

by sin's deceitfulness."

Hebrews 3:13

"Mind your own business" is not a Christian phrase.

 

"If you know people

who have wandered off from God's truth,

don't write them off.

Go after them.

Get them back."

James 5:19

God gives shepherd leaders the responsibility to guard,

protect, defend, and care for the spiritual welfare of his flock.

Acts 20:28-29; 1 Peter 5:1-4;

Hebrews 13:7, 17

"Their work is to watch over your souls,

and they know they are accountable to God."

Hebrews 3:13

 

 

It's All In The Church

 

 

God created the church to meet your five deepest needs:

a purpose to live for, people to live with,

principles to live by, a profession to live out,

and power to love on.

God's purposes for his church are identical to

his fellowship helps you face life's problems;

discipleship helps fortify your faith;

ministry helps find your talents;

evangelism helps fulfill your mission.

 

 

Your Choice

 

 

"They committed themselves

to the teaching of the apostles,

the life together, the common meal,

and the prayers."

Acts 2:42

"First they gave themselves to the Lord;

and then, by God's will,

they gave themselves to us as well."

2 Corinthians 8:5

 

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

DAY SEVENTEEN

Thinking About My Purpose

 

 

 Point to Ponder: I am called to belong, not just believe.

 

Verse to Remember: "In Christ we who are many form one body,

and each member belongs to all the others."

Romans 12:5

 

Question to Consider: Does my level of involvement in my local church

demonstrate that I love and am committed to God's family?

 

 

 

p 130~137

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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