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"They committed themselves to... life together" (Acts 2:42)
Whenever a child is born, it must become a member of a specific family in order to receive nurture and care and grow up healthy and strong. The same is true with you! The difference between being a church attendee and a church member - is COMMITMENT. Attendees are consumers; members are contributors. Attendees want the benefits without any responsibility or accountability. They’re like couples who want to live together without committing to a lifetime of marriage. Joining a local church family proves you’re committed!
You see, God wants you to love real people, not ideal people. You could spend a lifetime searching for the perfect church but you’d never find it. Furthermore, if you joined it, it wouldn’t be perfect anymore. You are called to love imperfect people just as God loves you!
The Christians in Jerusalem "committed themselves to ...life together," and God expects that same commitment of you. The Christian life is more than just commitment to Christ, it involves commitment to other believers as well. The believers in Macedonia understood this. Listen: "First they gave themselves to the Lord; and then, by God’s will they gave themselves to us as well." (2 Corinthians 8:5). Joining a local church is a natural next step, once you’ve become a child of God.
You become Christians by committing yourself to Christ. You become a “member” by committing yourself to a specific group of believers. The first decision brings salvation, the second brings fellowship and fulfillment - and you need both!
Why belong to a local church?
"Because it gives us a purpose to live for, people to live with, principles to live by, a profession to live out, and a power to live on. There’s no place on earth where you can find all these benefits in one place."
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