"No Thanks! I'm not
joining any church!" exclaimed Cal. "I haven't got time to think about
it--committees, extra meetings, more responsibility. I've already got
too much." Surprised by her husband's outburst, Jan quietly backed off.
They'd been attending a
nearby Free Methodist church for several months and felt at home there.
Lauren and Jennifer, their twin daughters, couldn't wait for Christian
Life Club each week, and after baby Alex was born, the church mothers'
club had gone all out to help them through the first difficult weeks.
But when church membership came up, Cal just wasn't having any. He'd go
and give, but that was it.
A year later, Cal was
injured in a serious accident that changed his life. Unable to work for
several months, he had time to think. God was dealing with him, too.
While listening to a tape of the church worship service in a hospital
room, Cal realized that while he claimed to be a Christian, Christ was
not Lord of his life. That day he took a new step of faith and
surrendered himself fully to God's hands.
From then on, things
looked different. He recognized that church people had been the
family's support system. They were the ones who'd been there when
trouble hit. They'd visited, prayed, brought meals, mowed the grass,
cared for his family, and stood by to help when the going was rough.
Cal began reading his New
Testament, the book of Acts, and found it fascinating. This was how the
Christian church started! The Holy Spirit had come upon a group of 120
believers and changed them from weak, fearful followers, into bold
Christians. They'd moved out into the streets to tell the Good News of
Jesus Christ. On one day 3,000 people were saved, baptized, and joined
the fellowship (Acts 2).
Call talked several times
with the pastor who pointed him to other scriptures. As he read and
thought, Cal began to realize the church isn't an organization but an
organism with Christ as the head. ("...Christ is the head of the
Church..." Ephesians 5:23.) It's not a building, but a gathering of
God's people. He realized, too, that the church isn't a group of
perfect people, but a family of believers who help one another become
what God created them to be.
The day Cal went home from
the hospital, the pastor brought him an envelope with this letter
enclosed:
Dear Cal,
I'm thankful for your honest, searching heart, and glad you want to
follow Christ as a true disciple. You've asked my opinion, so I've
written out some of my thoughts about church membership.
I believe we need to be members of the church for these reasons:
- To be a true
disciple. Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 teach that each
person who is a new creation in Christ is to become a member of the
body. All the members belong not only to God, but to one another. When
one member hurts, all hurt. When one members rejoices, all the body
rejoices.
- To grow and
mature. The Apostle Paul teaches that to grow, one must
function as a member in the body of Christ-- the church. Fulfillment in
the Christian life comes through such accountability and responsibility
to the body.
- To receive
and give. Jesus said that pure love would be the outward
sign of a Christian. "By this all men will know that you are my
disciples, if you love one another" (John 13:35). This love is marked
by a willingness to give, and giving is vital to the joyous adventure
of following Jesus.
- To be
obedient. We are called to a commitment. "Whoever has my
commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me..." (John 14:21).
Becoming a member of a local church is an act of obedience to the
Lordship of Christ.
- To become
full participants in the fellowship of faith and family of
God. Something is missing, incomplete, without membership in the church.
There is no biblical basis for spectatorship; Christians are called to
full involvement.
- To be
identified with Christ. When we become members we tell the
world, "I have decided to follow Jesus."
I hope, Cal, that you and Jan will choose to join a church. Selfishly,
I hope it will be this Free Methodist church. But most of all, I pray
you will have the joy of belonging to a vital fellowhip of Christians,
a fellowship that can bond total strangers as brothers and sisters in
Christ.
Sincerely in Christ,
Your Pastor
The next spring, on Easter
Sunday, Jan and Cal made their public commitment and were received
into the church as members.
