CHURCH MEMBERSHIP (17)

Too tough? Not for Christ - therefore, not for you

Who is able to live like this? Jesus lives like this! He won for you the Holy Spirit so he could reproduce this life in you. Each Christian operates in the church and in the world by depending on Christ working in and through him by the Holy Spirit. There is nothing here about programmes or technology or religious ceremonies. It is all about quality of character- Christ’s character. THAT is the evidence that someone belongs to Christ’s church. Do you love this life described here? Are you are working intently towards it? Are you are supporting your brother and sister Christians to do the same? Membership of the church means you have needs that your brother and sister Christians can meet for you and you have grace that they need from you. Jesus works actively in his church managing and coordinating this sharing for the good of the whole body. Being a Christian, must start with a personal encounter with Christ, and new birth links us not only to Jesus, but to his Church. No genuine Christian can live outside the church - and the local church is the group in which we express that unity.