|
"Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together,
as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another,
and so much the more as you see the Day approaching."
(Hebrews 10:24)
Last week, I spoke on the phone with a lady who has been visiting our church for at least a year. We had a great conversation. She and her husband are not members, and the husband had asked his wife why it was important to actually belong to a church or to place one's membership in a local church. Good questions. Many are asking these questions more frequently in our day. Many question why church membership matters. I will share with you some of what I shared with her.
Perhaps you are reading this devotion today and asking these same questions about either going to church or why one should join a church. While the Bible does command us to go to church (see our biblical text for today, Hebrews 10:24), I do not read in the Bible where we are commanded to join a church, in the sense that we have church membership today. So, why join a church?
In our church, we have a three-week new member's class called "Discover Great Hills". My son, Leighton, teaches the class, and we as a church have worked really hard on the content so that those who are considering becoming members will have a thorough understanding of who we are, what they can expect from us, and what we, the leadership of the church, expect from them. While we do not charge dues or membership fees to join us, like most organizations, clubs, or societies do, we do ask that those interested in becoming a member attend the classes and understand the biblical principle of tithing.
As the pastor of the church, when I see someone express a desire to join and follow through with attending our classes, then I know that he or she is serious about becoming a part of our church. The other pastoral staff can look to these new members to offer them a place to serve and get involved using their spiritual gifts for the edification of our local church.
Another reason I think it is good to fully join a church is the testimony it gives to others. When you tell someone that you belong to or are a member of a local church, that is making a huge statement. You have found a place to belong and join others in helping reach your community for Christ.
You may protest and say, "I am not convinced." The older I get, the more I learn what little power I have to convict or convince anyone to do anything. That is not my job; that is the responsibility of the Holy Spirit, and He does a far greater job than anyone of convincing people to change their behavior.
I wonder if some choose not to join a church out of pride. They feel they really do not need the fellowship and accountability, or they do not feel the real necessity to join so that they can serve. If this is the case, then I would encourage that person to humble his or her life before the Lord, repent, and ask God to change his or her attitude. Another thing I have learned through the years is the perils of pride. Most Christians slip up because of one of two obstacles: one is pride, and the other is unbelief.
If you know the Lord Jesus, please do not let the enemy trip you up on this matter of attending a church and becoming a member. If you truly know the Lord, then you have been saved by God to glorify Him and use your spiritual gifts within the context of a local church. Most of the letters in the New Testament were written to local churches. I don't think they had membership like we do today. I think they had something far superior: a love for one another so fierce that they overlooked some of each other's faults so they could band together in the midst of horrible persecution. Who knows, that day may come to our nation where belonging to a church is much stronger than a preference but is a matter of life and death.
|
|
