By Mike Austin
As I sit at my desk tonight putting together this article, I referenced back to an article Troy placed in the Fall 2018 Connect called, “The Habitual Life of the Believer.” In it, Troy told us that, “habits never truly disappear; they are just overpowered by other habits.” It also states that,” it takes an average of 66 days before a new habit takes root in our brain.” Tonight is day 74 since the Humphrey family left Berean for Oklahoma; it has given us enough time to create new habits. It seems now might be an appropriate time to revisit a book that we all studied together called, “I Am a Church Member” by Thom S. Rainer.
Two quotes from the praise section in the beginning of the book say:
“Nothing compares to a group of believers who love one another, pray for each other, and serve God together to reach their neighbors and the nation.” Chuck Lawless
“Following Jesus involves far more than believing; it involves belonging. Only as we belong to Christ’ body can we become what he intends us to be.” Rick Warren
During these past 74 days, one of the ongoing questions you should have been asking yourself and God in prayer is, “How can I best serve my church?” You should never ask yourself if you should be serving your church, if you are a member, you must be a functioning member. It’s really that simple!
We all have a responsibility as church members, it is a gift. It should not be taken for granted or considered lightly. Because it is a gift, we must always be thankful for it. We respond to gifts with gratitude, and one key way to express our gratitude is to serve like Jesus did and like He told us to. My guess is that Berean Christian Church would be a much healthier church if all its members decided to serve. Church membership is a gift, a joyous gift and we should all treat it as such. I pray that we never take our membership for granted, but we see it as an opportunity to serve others and to be part of something much greater.
The word servant appears 57 times in the New Testamament, the word serve occurs 58 times in the New Testament. Serving is important in the Bible. Jesus said we must be last of all and servants to all.
God did not give us churches to become country clubs where membership means we have privileges and perks. He placed us in churches to serve, to care for others, to pray, to learn, to teach and to give.
Many churches are weak because they have members who have turned the meaning of membership upside down. It is time to get it right. Its time to become a church member as God intended, and it starts with you!
I am a church member and I thank God that I am!