CHURCH MEMBERSHIP (13)

The church Meets Locally

1 Corinthians 1.2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours.

The members of the body meet together in every place where they live. There are local churches everywhere and we all look up to Jesus Christ. No Christian can afford live in his or her locality without been linked up with other Christians in that place.

The church is centred in Homes not Special Buildings

1 Cor 16.19; Col 4.15; Philemon 1.2

Aquila and Prisca, together with the church in their house, send you hearty greetings in the Lord.

Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house.

Greet Apphia our sister and Archippus our fellow soldier, and the church in your house.

The church is centred on family homes – rather than special buildings. The church is not like the institutions of the world – so it should not try to copy them. Institutions have policies, budgets, building programmes, qualifications, hierarchies, rules, complicated technologies, promotions, advertising, and competition. The church has a totally different focus. We do not wage war as the world does. We have spiritual gifts as the tools of our work. The church is nimble and responsive – not weighed down by property and possessions. Where groups gather in the name of Jesus Christ – he is there among them. God deliberately chooses the simple approach so that all the power can be seen to come from his Son, Jesus Christ.