Daily Devotions: Meaningful Membership

Romans 12: 4,5 Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

There’s a current trend in Western Christianity of people church-hopping and resisting joining a local congregation. They don’t want to make a commitment to a certain church or denomination because it doesn’t exactly fit their personal beliefs and theology. They move from congregation to congregation seeking to get something, but never really stopping long enough to give something back in return. They are spiritual locusts who feed on what they can get and then move on to another place.

I feel sad for them because they never really get to know the joys of membership, fellowship, and discipleship. To them, Christianity is something to be consumed. While it’s good to be nourished by the Spirit, it’s even better to share those blessings. After all, wasn’t it Jesus who said, “It is far better to give than to receive?”

Membership is originally a Christian invention. It comes to us directly from the writings of Paul. The local church is the Body of the Lord and we are each called to be different parts of Christ. And the different parts of that spiritual body are called ‘members.’

I hope that this trend to be independent and individual begins to diminish. I can’t think of a worse form of Christianity that requires no humility and is always motivated by self-interest. We are meant to be members in the Body of Christ, not individual parts that wander off to go and do their own thing. Christianity works best when people of faith are joined together and serve the Lord by being banded together in a common faith, church, and congregation.

So let’s rejoice and celebrate our church membership. Let’s take time to thank God for this wonderful innovation that was inspired by the Holy Spirit through the writings of Paul so long ago. And let’s also remember, before we criticize Paul for instituting church membership, that he was significantly and deliberately chosen by Christ Himself to do this.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, we thank You for church membership and how it is wonderfully celebrated and practiced throughout the world. We remember those Christians in China for whom church membership can bring imprisonment. We recall those Christian congregations in Iraq and Iran for whom membership can cost them their lives. And we remind ourselves that our own congregations are full of folk who are called to serve You together through the bonds of friendship, fellowship, and above all else, membership. In Your Holy Name, we pray. Amen.

John Stuart is pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.

Book about Encouraging Visitors to Become Members

4 Minute Daily Devotions: Spiritually Mobile

Psalm 21:6 Surely you have granted him eternal blessings and made him glad with the joy of your presence.

A new study from the Pew Research Council was released yesterday. It highlights the fact that many people move from one church to another several times throughout their lives. A large number of the adult worshiping population are no longer attending churches or denominations from their childhood. As they have matured and their children’s needs have grown, people have move from one worship center to another. As one commentator has stated, “We have become mobile and self-centered.”

Non-Christian religions, too, are showing the effects of a "salad bar approach" to faith, said Nathan Katz of Florida International University. He said many Americans shuttle between Zen centers, yoga classes and Kabbalah studies.

There seems to be a great spiritual restlessness affecting people today. It’s like a form of spiritual Attention Deficit Disorder, where people get too easily distracted and don’t give themselves enough time, focus, and familiarity with faith. Christianity is just another religious ware to be consumed instantly and discard easily if it doesn’t fit our expectations.

But faith was never meant to be an instant pill to cure all of our problems and make us feel better. True faith requires perseverance, commitment, and dedication for it to have any lasting effect over our lives. If we church hop from one place to another, we never really develop a faith community or worship family that we can depend upon when things go wrong in our lives. We become independent and isolated, cut off and alone from the power of the people of God.

I wish and pray that more people would get over their restless spiritual tendencies and stick with the program that Christ laid out. I personally and fully believe that Jesus has the answer to all of our questions about life, meaning, and purpose. I also personally know that He can be relied upon when things get tough and problematic in our lives. The eternal blessings that Christ has to offer us can become our greatest joy, but only if we truly, completely, and determinedly allow His presence into our hearts and minds, our days and lives.

Prayer:                        Lord Jesus, release us from spiritual restlessness and enable us to turn our lives over to You. Show us the value of faithfulness and help us to be more intentional about practicing, worshipping, and applying our faith. In Your Holy Name, we earnestly pray. Amen.

 

John Stuart is the pastor of Erin Presbyterian Church in Knoxville, Tennessee. If you would like to comment on today’s message, please send him an email to pastor@erinpresbyterian.org.