A Place to Belong ~ Part 4

"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

We have been talking about why we need a church family. A church family identifies us as a genuine believer; a church family moves us out of self – centered isolation; a church family helps us develop spiritual muscle; a church family will share with us Christ's mission in the world; and a church family will keep us from backsliding. Being a part of a healthy church is essential to having a healthy life. 

God created the church to meet our five deepest needs: a purpose for which to live; people to live with; principles to live by; a profession to live out; and power to live on. The church is the only place where we can find all five of these benefits in one place. God's purposes for the church are identical to His purposes for us. The church gives us fellowship, which helps us meet life's challenges; discipleship, which builds our faith, ministry, which helps us to find and strengthen our gifts, and evangelism which helps fulfill our mission.

We are all born to the family of human beings. That comes automatically when we are born into this world. It is our choice to receive God into our hearts. When we do receive God into our hearts, we are born again. God wants us to, not only attend church, but to be a committed church member. He wants us to get involved in the Ministry. He wants us to contribute to His church. He wants us to commit to our spiritual brothers and sisters. We can jump from church to church in search of the perfect church, however it does not exist. Churches are filled with  imperfect sinners, and God calls us to love them, just as he does. The Christian life is more than just a commitment to Christ, it is a commitment to other believers (2 Corinthians 8:5).

Point to Ponder:

I am called to belong, not just believe.

Verse two Remember:

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?