Ephesians 2:19-22;
Colossians 3:17, 23-24
We received 3 new families into our fellowship today. I thank God for leading them to our church. Because of these new members, our fellowship will be fuller and warmer. Because of them, we can serve more in our community and beyond. Because of them, we can support more mission projects and we can have better programs. Because of them, we are stronger than last week. So, I thank you, new members, and I thank God for your presence, your support, and your membership.
As a church, we welcome them to our family. That’s right. We are family. I researched all the Bible verses that contain the word, “family.” There are so many references in the Bible regarding the church as family. For example, I Timothy 3:14-15 reads, “I am writing this so you will know how to live in the family of God. That family is the church.” Yes, the church is a family. It is not a building. It is not an organization. It is not a club. Church is not a place you go to. Church is a family that you belong to. God has a purpose for you to get involved with His/Her family. The question we want to think about this morning is: How are we to relate to God’s family?
I think the first level is what we call – MEMBERSHIP. It is when you choose to belong to a local body of believers as a part of God’s family. You find a church family and you choose to get connected to that family. Ephesians 2:19 says, “You are members of God’s very own family and you belong in God’s household with every other Christian.” It means that the Christian life is not just a matter of believing. It is a matter of belonging. You have to choose to belong to God’s family.
Your relationship to God is personal, but God never intended it to be private. It makes no sense for a true Christian not to want to belong to a church and be involved in a church life. That would be like saying, “I want to be a guitar player, but I don’t want to play with other musicians.” As you know I play guitar. I also play the bass. It is fun when I play with other musicians. But, when I practice the bass all by myself, it could be a boring instrument. Think about it. The Bass player usually plays just one note while a leading guitar or piano player plays a dozens of notes.
But I love to play bass because 1) I like to learn something new and 2) I really like the fact that I – even I – can make music with other musicians. Bass players lay foundation or make space for other people to jump in and play. It’s cool to help other people shine. It’s fun to provide a space for others to come and enjoy. However, if you have to play bass all by yourself, all day long, I tell you, it’s not that fun.
We need more bass players in our church. I mean, we need more members who are willing to provide various ministry opportunities so that others can join and enjoy together. In my parish ministry experience, I have never met a growing, glowing Christian who did not get linked to a church, who did not join a church and not just get his/her name on a church roll, but get actively involved in the life of the church.
The Christian life is more than just commitment to Christ. It is commitment to our brothers and sisters in Christ as well. One of the important meanings of baptism is to proclaim publicly that I will dedicate my life not only to Christ but also to this particular community of faith. By baptism, we declare that we belong together in the body of Christ. I Corinthians 12:13 says, “This is what we proclaimed in word and action when we were baptized. Each of us is now a part of His resurrection Body.” When you are baptized, it is your way of saying publicly, “I am a part of this group of believers and I am excited to belong to the family of God. And I will do everything to support its ministry.”
As we welcome new members and as you join our church today, let us listen once more to the Apostle Paul and take these verses with you as you continue your faith journey: “Whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus…. Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving.” (Colossians 3:17, 23-24). And may all God’s people say, Amen!
