We have been looking at living our life on purpose – choosing goals that are pleasing to God and then striving to live by them. So far, we have covered the purposes of Worship and Discipleship.
Today, we consider the exciting fact that we are not the only disciple of Christ. Rather, we are a part of a body of believers – the body of Christ. It is God’s desire that we remain connected to the body of Christ in order to be more effective and to better fulfill the 2nd Commandment: love others. This purpose can be called Fellowship.
Hebrews 10:25 gives great counsel to the family of God: “Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching.” Unfortunately, sometimes the church body fails at this. In a survey of people who have stopped attending church, 75% said they gave up meeting together because they didn’t feel like people cared if they were at church or not. They failed to get encouragement from the body of Christ. This should not be! As disciples of Christ we have a responsibility to each other – to encourage, to listen, to greet, to show concern, to value the other members of God’s family. The church is no place for cliques or loneliness. And each one of us can be part of the solution.
Take a minute today to read Acts 2 (particularly verses 36-47). Look for what the early church was doing together. How were they creating a powerful body of believers that were on fire for God’s truth and a love for one another? What will you do today and throughout the week to strengthen your bonds with God’s family? They need you – and you just might find out you are better off with them, too.
A Part of His Body,
Marcia Railton
SeekGrowLove.com 