A PLACE TO BELONG

Discuss and review the 5 Purposes and the topic last week
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 – Eph 2:19b LB
God’s family is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.
– 1 Tim 3:15b GWT
YOU ARE CALLED TO BELONG NOT JUST BELIEVE
 We are created for community, fashioned for fellowship and formed for a
family and none of us can fulfill God’s purposes by ourselves. This is true
even in the perfect and sinless environment of Eden. Gen 2:18
 The bible says we are put together, joined together, built together,
members together, heirs together, fitted together and held together and
will be caught up together.
 While our relationship to God is personal, God never intends it to be
private. We are connected to every other believer and we will belong to
each other for eternity. Rom 12:5 NIV
 Following Christ includes belonging and not just believing.
 The word membership is of Christian origin but the world has deviated
away from its original meaning. (i.e., store memberships)
 For Saint Paul, being a member meant being a vital organ of a living body,
an indispensable, interconnected part of the Body of Christ. Rom 12:4-5, 1
Cor 6:15, 12:12
 The church is a body, not a building; an organism and not an organization
and for these organs to fulfill their purpose, they must be connected in one
body.
 You will miss the second purpose of your life if you’re not attached to a
living church. Rom 12:4-5 MSG
 If an organ is severed from its body, it will die. It can’t exist on its own. If
you are disconnected from the lifeblood of the Church, your spiritual life
will wither and eventually cease to exist. Eph 4:16
 The first symptom of spiritual decline is usually inconsistent attendance at
gatherings or mass.
 Whenever we become careless, everything will begin to slide as well.
  The Church is God’s agenda for the world. Mat 16:18 NLT
 It is indestructible and will exist for eternity.
 You can’t say that you’re a Christian but you don’t have a religion or you
don’t want to belong to a church. Eph 5:6
WHY YOU NEED A CHURCH FAMILY
A Church Family Identifies You As Genuine Believer
 You can’t claim to be following Christ without being committed to the
Church. Jn 13-35 NLT
A Church Family Moves You Out Of Self-Centered Isolation
 The church is a room for learning on how to get along with God’s family.
 It’s a lab for practicing unselfish, sympathetic love.
 As a participating member, you learn to care about others and share the
experiences of others. 1 Cor 12:26
 Biblical fellowship is being committed to each other as we are to Jesus
Christ. God expects us to give our lives for each other. 1 Jn 3:16 NIV
 This is the kind of sacrificial love God expects us to show to each other.
A Church Family Helps You Develop Spiritual Muscle
 You will never grow in maturity by just being a passive spectator.
 Only participation will you be able to develop a spiritual muscle. Eph 4:16b
NLT
 There are a lot of times in the New Testament where the word each other
is mentioned.
- Love each other
- Pray for each other
- Encourage each other
- Admonish each other
- Greet each other
- Serve each other
- Teach each other
- Accept each other
- Honor each other
- Bear each other’s burdens
 - Forgive each other
- Submit to each other
- Be devoted to each other
 This is Biblical membership, these are our family responsibilities
 It may seem easier to be holy when no one else is around but it’s a false,
untested holiness.
 It’s easy to fool ourselves into thinking we are mature if there’s no one to
challenge us.
 We need more than just a Bible in order to grow, we need each other.
The Body Of Christ Needs You
 God has a unique role for you to play in His family. 1 Cor 12:7 NLT
 The church is the place that God designed for you to discover, develop and
use your gifts.
You will Share In Christ’s Mission In The World
 When Jesus walked the earth, God worked through the physical body of
Christ; today He uses His spiritual body.
 The Church is God’s instrument on earth and being part of this Church we
become agents of Jesus’ mission to the world, spreading love to one
another.
A Church Family Will Help Keep You From Backsliding
 All of us are vulnerable to temptation.
 We are all capable of committing sin. 1 Cor 10:12
 God allows this so he has assigned us individuals the responsibility of
keeping each other on track. Heb 3:13
 Mind your own business is not a Christian phrase.
 Satan loves detached believers, unplugged from the life of the Body,
isolated from God’s family and unaccountable to spiritual leaders, because
he knows that they are defenseless and powerless against his tactics.
YOUR CHOICE
 Whenever a child is born; he or she automatically becomes a part of the
universal family of human beings.
  But that child also needs to become a member of a specific family to
receive nurture and care and grow up healthy and strong.
 The same is true spiritually.
 When we were baptized, we automatically became part of God’s family but
we also need to become part of a local expression of God’s family.
 The difference between a church attender and a member is commitment.
You should not just be a spectator but you should be involved in the
ministry.
 Christian life is more than just commitment to Christ; it includes
commitment to other Christians.
 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 about salvation, the second brings fellowship.

HOW DO YOU GRADE YOUR PARTICIPATION IN OUR COMMUNITY FROM THE

SCALE OF 1-10