Vital signs- Monday, November 1st, 2021

Don't Just Believe. Belong!

Even in the perfect, sinless environment of Eden, God said, "It is not good for man to be alone." (Genesis 2:18 NIV) We are created for community, fashioned for fellowship, and formed for a family, and none of us can fulfill God's purposes by ourselves. The Bible knows nothing of solitary saints or spiritual hermits. While your relationship to Christ is personal, God never intends it to be private. In God's family you are connected to every other believer. The Bible says, "In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others." (Romans 12:5 NIV) Following Christ includes belonging, not just believing. C. S. Lewis noted that the word "membership' is of Christian origin, but the world has emptied it of its original meaning. Stores offer discounts to "members,' and advertisers use "member names' to create mailing lists. In churches, membership is often reduced to simply adding your name to a roll, with no requirements or expectations. To Paul, being a "member' of the church meant being a vital organ of a living body, an indispensable, interconnected part of the Body of Christ. We need to recover and practice the biblical meaning of membership. The church is a body, not a building; an organism, not an organization. (Romans 12:4-5) There is nothing else on earth like the church!

“so that if I am delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is the church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth.”

‭‭1 Timothy‬ ‭3:15‬ ‭NLT‬‬