Sunday, July 25, 2010

What does a committed church member look like?

I've been reading the little book "What Is A Healthy Church Member?" by Thabiti M. Anyabwile. One of the chapters is that a healthy church member is a committed member. Here are the responses do "What does a committed church member look like?"

* Attends regularly - Hebrews 10:24-25
* Seeks peace - Romans 14:19
* Edifies others - I Corinthians 12, 14
* Warns and admonishes others
* Pursues Reconciliation - II Corinthians 5:18-21; Matthew 5:23-24
* Bears with others - Galatians 6:2
* Prepares for the Ordinances
* Supports the work of the ministry

We live in a country where we may freely join a local church and we should keep this admonition from Dietrich Bonhoeffer in mind:
"It is by the grace of God that a congregation is permitted to gather visibly in this world to share God's Word and sacrament. Not all Christians receive this blessing. The imprisoned, the sick, the scattered lonely, the proclaimers of the Gospel in heathen lands stand alone. They know that visible fellowship is a blessing. They remember, as the Psalmist did, how they went 'with the multitude...to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holyday (Psalm 42:4)...' Therefore, let him who until now has had the privilege of living in common Christian life with other Christians praise God's grace from the bottom of his heart. Let him thank God on his knees and declare: It is grace, nothing but grace, that we are allowed to live in community with Christian brethren."

(Pages 68-71)

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