THE POWER OF BELONGING

John 1:12; Matthew 18:20

To more people that we would dare admit, attending church is a lot like watching a show. The better the entertainment, the more they enjoy coming. But the less they like what they see and hear, the more they grumble and complain. This ‘entertainment syndrome’ is so prevalent that it has produced ‘church shoppers and hoppers.’
All of this is true, of course, until you get serious about this business of “the church.” Things change when you do. You feel more like investing your time, your treasure…..your very life.
God is involved in only two worldwide construction projects. The first is called evangelism, where He stretches His big arms around the world to reach and to win the lost to Himself. The second worldwide program God is involved in is the Church.
Since the beginning of the Church, our Lord has been reaching down into the ranks of humanity, selecting, choosing, calling out, drawing people to Himself. These people are men, women, boys, girls, teenagers, older folks, all different sizes with all different personalities, from all different nations and tribes. He continues to call them out from the full spectrum of humanity, from busy urban centers to distant jungles. And He places them……where? He places each one of them in His Body, the Church.
Let’s learn a little history together.
The Church in the first century – in its perfect condition – was the object of God’s attention and affection. It was purified by persecution, which caused its influence to spread like a wildfire. Its contagious momentum impacted every corner of the known world. People all across the Roman Empire, much to the embarrassment of its emperor, began to buy into it. And before long there were pockets of believers in villages, towns, and cities, none of them with beautiful cathedrals, but all of them with a heart for God. Their leaders walked with Jesus and taught His truth. Most of them ran the race until martyrdom. Many of their followers were handed the responsibility and became the new leaders of the Church. They, too, were martyred.
This fervent, often bloody chapter of history continued into the second third, and fourth centuries. But during the latter part of that era, something strange happened in the Body. Church became a formal thing. Christianity ultimately became an “official religion.” It took upon itself the marks of an organization. Its leaders increased their roles of authority. Their authority finally shifted to unquestioned power, and soon there emerged the voice of the Church. Worshipers, kept ignorant of the Word of God, became increasingly more manipulated and intimidated.
Predictably, the Church lost its way as its divine power was replaced with human authority. Zeal and excitement drained away. The shadow of the Dark Ages edged across the religious landscape. The Church’s authoritative guide – the Bible – was chained to the pulpit, with its message now hidden in the secret language of the clergy. The common people remained in the dark – ignorant of the Scripture. It is hard to imagine the darkness of those decades. There were exceptions, but for the most part, God’s truth was silenced.
By the fourteenth, fifteenth, and into the sixteenth century, a growing band of straight-thinking, tough-minded men emerged from obscurity (anonymity). These “reformers” courageously stood against the uncontested power bloc of the official Church and had the boldness to bring back the authority of Holy Scripture. As they broke with tradition, they spoke for God. Vital doctrines were rethought, restated, and reintroduced to the common people so that they could understand them and apply them to their lives. As you would expect, many of those reformers became martyrs….but their vision lived on. The movement had gained too much momentum to be stopped. A spiritual revival flamed across Europe and into England, igniting the Great Awakening that ultimately crossed the Atlantic to America.
God’s Body-building program was again on the move. No power was strong enough to shut it down.
The Church is larger today than it was yesterday. It will be larger tomorrow than it is today, because God is forever reaching people with the good news of Christ and bringing them into His Body.
What is a church? What are the requirements to constitute a church?

THE CHURCH IS NOT A BUILDING; IT IS NOT A DENOMINATION NOR AN ORGANIZATION; BUT A COMMUNITY OF BELIEVERS IN CHRIST, THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH.
It comes from the Greek word ekklesia meaning “called-out ones”
In the New Testament the word ‘church’ may be applied to a group of believers at any level, ranging from a very small group meeting in a private home all the way to the group of all true believers in the universal Church.
According to Jesus Christ in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three gather together in my name, I am there among them.”
That is the minimum requirement to constitute a church. You don’t need to have a building, to belong to a denomination; you don’t even need to have a pastor, a church board or a name before you can be called a church.
How can one be a member of God’s family? Is there a test? A membership fee? Initiation rites?

I. THE MEMBERS OF GOD’S FAMILY
When we place our faith in Christ, God becomes our Father, we become His children, other believers become our brothers and sisters, and the Church becomes our spiritual family. The family of God includes all believers in the past, the present, and the future.
You become a part of the human family by your first birth, but you become a member of God’s family by your second birth, that is, your spiritual birth which happens the moment you put your trust in Christ for your salvation. Your first birth was not your choice. But your second birth is your choice. It is an individual decision. Jesus says, “Unless you are born again you can never see the kingdom of God (or you can never be a member of God’s family)” John 3:3.
“But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God” John 1:12.

II. THE BENEFITS OF THE MEMBERS OF GOD’S FAMILY
Your spiritual family is even more important than your physical family because it will last forever. Our families on earth are wonderful gifts from God, but they are temporary and fragile, often broken by divorce, distance, growing old, and inevitably death. On the other hand, our spiritual family – our relationship to other believers – will continue throughout eternity.
The New Testament gives great emphasis to our rich inheritance.
Here on earth we receive His grace, kindness, patience, glory, wisdom, power and mercy. But in eternity we will inherit more.

a. We will be with God forever.
b. We will be completely changed to be like Christ
c. We will be freed from all pain, suffering, and death
d. We will be rewarded and reassigned positions of service
e. We will get to share in God’s family

“God has reserved a priceless inheritance for his children. It is kept in heaven for you, pure and undefiled, beyond the reach of change and decay” 1 Peter 1:4.
This means that your eternal inheritance in Christ is priceless, pure, permanent, and protected. No one can take it from you.

III. THE IDENTIFICATION OF THE MEMBERS OF GOD’S FAMILY
Fraternities have tattoos. They also have final initiation rites. For Christians, we have water baptism. Baptism is not optional, to be delayed or postponed. It signifies your inclusion in God’s family. It publicly announces to the world, “I am not ashamed to be a part of God’s family.”
Jesus commands, “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit” Matthew 28:18-20.
Your first baptism was not your choice. It was a transaction between your parents and God. But your water baptism is your own choice.
Your baptism declares your faith, shares Christ’s burial and resurrection, symbolizes your death to your old life, and announces your new life in Christ. It is also a celebration of your inclusion in God’s family.
If you haven’t been baptized as an expression of your faith in Christ, do so as soon as possible, as Jesus commanded.

Jesus says, “...upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it” MATTHEW 16:18.
The Church is not the work of some pastor or body of elders or some other governing hierarchy. It is Jesus who builds it. The Church is solely his. The Church is not owned by some denomination or group of clergymen or some official religious organization.
Christ is our Boss, our final authority. Christ is our Lord and we are his servants. The Church was and is his...he originated it. He alone is its Master.

“...all the powers of hell will not conquer it.”
In other words, if all the wicked forces were unleashed from the open gates of Hell itself, the Church would not be hindered in its growth. Nothing could ever destroy the Church. It’s a permanent building process that will never be crippled by some outside force, never be rendered obsolete, and never be stopped by any power, person, or plan.
I urge you to ask yourself several hard questions:
• Where do I really stand regarding the work of a local church?
• Is my participation halfhearted or wholehearted?
• Does my giving reflect generosity?
• Have I prayed for the church’s mission and ministry?
• Do I support it in active service, not simply in passive presence?