On Being a Good Church Member

As most of you, my readers know, I was a pastor for 30 years. I enjoyed being a pastor and never thought I would be anything else until the Lord engineered a change of plans for my life. After retiring from pulpit ministry, I have found myself on the other side of the pulpit. My wife and I applied for, and were received into membership in our new church this past week. As I got to thinking about church membership I was faced with the challenge of viewing church life from a totally different perspective. Which leads me to this new series of posts.

For thirty years I encouraged thousands of people to give their lives to Jesus and to follow him with total obedience. I challenged them to testify to their lives of commitment with actions and attitudes that communicated to the unbelieving world that their lives had changed as a result of making the decision to let Jesus be the Lord of their lives. It's my turn now, to practice what I've preached, and I am looking forward this new phase of life.

One of the things I believe is important for believers is to attend church services regularly for the purposes of corporate worship and fellowship. The book of Hebrews reminds us that we are not to "forsake the assembling of ourselves together, especially as you see the day approaching." Church attendance is important. While there are some who would suggest that worship can be done on a golf course, on a placid beach or in the comfort of ones living room, corporate worship has a different purpose in the life of the believer.

The Christian life was never meant to be lived in solitary fashion. Believers are to assemble together in order to pool their resources and gifts for the purpose of fulfilling the Great Commission. There is strength in numbers and God wants us to work together. But the second part of the Christian calling is just as important. We are to love our neighbors as ourselves. You can't love your neighbor if you don't have regular contact with them. The romantic notion of loving people without interacting with them fails the test. True loves expresses itself when we learn to love others, warts and all. If we find it difficult to love the members of the fellowship to which we belong, how can we love those we don't know, especially those who are completely different from us in race, color, creed, economic, educational and even religious makeup.

Church attendance is a great workshop and laboratory for learning to practice the principles of the kingdom. Grace and I are looking forward to getting to know our new brothers and sisters in Christ by worshiping and fellowshipping with them as often as possible. We are looking for ways to be of benefit to them and to receive from them what God wants us to have in order to grow in our relationship with Him.

I want to be the kind of church member I preached about. A believer engaged in the life of the Body of Christ. It's what the Bible teaches and I want to be obedient to its teaching.