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
http://www.purposedrivenlife.com
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