Many today are indifferent about regular church attendance, but our Success Scripture this week emphasizes the importance of regular participation in your local church.
Romans 12:4-5 (NKJV)
4 For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function,
5 So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.
There are 3 things we can glean from these verses:
First, the apostle Paul uses the human body as a picture of the church. Just as each part of the human body is connected and has a necessary function, so it is with the body of Christ. When a person becomes a Christian, they automatically become part of the body of Christ. Now they’re connected to Jesus individually, and they’re connected to the body of Jesus collectively.
Second, every believer is part of the body of Christ with a ministry to fulfill in the local church. Church isn’t a spectator sport. Church is a place where everyone has the opportunity to give. This starts with being faithful in your attendance and giving. Faithfulness in these two areas makes room for your gifts and abilities to be used to meet the needs of the church body. The result is a thriving, growing church. God intended the body of Christ to derive its meaning and purpose from the contribution of each member, and every member has a significant contribution to make.
Third, we’re mutually dependent on one another. God designed the body of Christ to function together, not separate. As born again Christians, we need each other in order to function in an optimal way. The intimation is that one can’t stay spiritually alive without the other. Expressing the divine nature by walking in love provides the oxygen that the body of Christ needs to maintain the health of the body.
The church belongs to Jesus, and because you’re part of His body, you’re His representative here on the earth. The purpose of the body of Christ is to express God’s will on the earth, and that happens whenever believers express the divine nature by walking in love. In the body of Christ, walking in love includes accepting responsibility for your spiritual family by being faithful in fellowship, praying for one another, and helping those in need. Church is important because faithfulness is important!