Community of Believers (Part One)

By: Randal Myers

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Following the various stages of creation the statement is frequently recorded, ìand it was good. î Genesis 1:31 says, God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.

As noted in wedding ceremonies all over the world, God noticed one thing that was not so good. Genesis 2:18 reads, "It is not good for the man to be alone..." So, with that statement began the concept of community.

In Rick Warren's Purpose Driven Life, we find the following passage. The Bible knows nothing of solitary saints or spiritual hermits isolated from other believers and deprived of fellowship. The Bible says that we are put together, joined together, built together, members together, heirs together, fitted together and held together and will be caught up together.

If you want to be under the Lord's "headship," that puts you in the body.

Virtually every biblical metaphor of discipleship regards something inherently plural. We are called a family, a body, an army, etc., with the express purpose of helping us to see that we each belong to the other. Finding our place is critical to the viability and survival of the whole.

Biblically there is no such thing as a Christian who doesn't belong to the church. Many feel their relationship with Jesus is personal and doesn't have to include the church. The Bible speaks of those deceiving themselves or who have been deceived by Satan. I'm convinced that one who so misunderstands the nature of Christianity as to believe they can be "in Christ" without being in his church are under such deception.

God's design is that the saved are ìcalled outî from the world. Those who are the "called out" are the church; that's the definition of the word ekklesia translated "church" in the Bible. The church is God's idea. Ephesians 1:22-23 points out that Jesus is the head of the body and the body is the church. If you want to be under the Lord's "headship," that puts you in the body; if you're in the body, you're in the church.

In today's divided state of Christendom, a reasonable question could be, "What church should I be a part of?" But no one should ask, "Should I be a member of a church?"

To ignore church membership is to ignore both our responsibilities and privileges as mapped out in the Word. Unfortunately, some spiritual loners have disassociated from the church because of disappointments, disillusionment or unresolved conflicts. Churches contain people and where there are people there will be problems. But even given the shortcomings, the church is still God's means of supplying the needs of his children; of serving outsiders, and of sharing the message of the saving blood of Jesus to those who are dying in their sins.

The truth is that those who have let their commitment to the local church wane most likely won't be reading this article. They are vulnerable and most are unaware. Maybe you could take a few minutes this week to encourage someone you know to put the church back in their priorities.

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