Body Building
In line with the new sermon series, The Church, Pastor Eugene recommends some resources to equip us to build up the body of Christ.
Last weekend, we embarked on a new, four-part sermon series entitled The Church: Gospel, Gather, Grow, Go. Over the next few weekends, we will be hearing from various passages in Ephesians that focus on key aspects of our identity, purpose and mission as God’s people.
In the first sermon, we heard from Ephesians 2:1-10 about how the church is a people created by the gospel, for the gospel. In the rest of the series, we will look at how the church is:
A people gathered by the gospel, displaying the beauty of the gospel through its unity and life together (Eph 2:11-22)
A people growing together in the gospel, towards Christ-like maturity (Eph 4:11-16)
A people going with the gospel to make disciples of the nations (Eph 6:10-20)
Why is it so important for us to learn about the church? It is because the church is the body of Christ, and we are fellow members of this local body. Unlike worldly notions of membership, biblical membership isn’t about our individual rights and benefits. Rather, to be a member means to be an indispensable body part, properly functioning for the good of the entire body. Biblical membership is not self-centred; it puts the interests of others first.
God’s people are not gifted in identical ways, but every believer is personally equipped with different spiritual gifts. By using our diverse spiritual gifts in love, we are to work together to build up the whole body. As it says in 1 Corinthians 12:7: “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
Therefore, church membership isn’t merely a status; it is a responsibility. So, how might we “strive to excel in building up the church” (1 Cor 14:12b)? I encourage us to read the March 2021 edition of the 9 Marks Journal, How to Build Up Your Church: A Guidebook for Members. It includes a number of helpful articles with biblical, practical pointers on how we can strengthen the church. I pray we will be equipped and encouraged to love and serve one another, as fellow members of Grace Baptist Church.
Besides this online resource, I also highly recommend these books to help us build one another up: