Dear Christian, You Are the Body of Christ
Being a Christian
In 1 Corinthians 12:27, ESV, Paul says, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.”
What a weighty, high calling we have upon us! Let me remind you here of the high cost of being a Christian and the high cost of gathering as a church to represent the Lord Jesus Christ, our Head.
Being a Christian, joined to Jesus Christ by faith, yielding your life to him costs you everything.
In Luke 14:25-33, Jesus commands us to “count the cost” of following Him:
- You no longer own your life, He does. You no longer own your leisure, He does.
- Your money is no longer yours, it is His. Your time is no longer your time, but His.
- Your future is no longer yours, it is His. Your desires are no longer yours, but His.
To be a Christian in the world means you have utterly forsaken your life and are fully committed to following, treasuring, and worshipping Christ.
He died to secure redemption and rose to grant everlasting life.
To claim to be a Christian is not like being an American, being a fan of baseball, or being part of a gym.
To be a Christian means that all that you do and all that you are is driven by the greatness of Christ crucified.
Belonging to a Church
Likewise, being a member of a local church is tremendously weighty.
What we do at our churches matters: what we sing, what is taught, what is organized. Everything we do in church echoes into eternity.
Paul says in Ephesians 3:10, ESV, “through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places.”
What we do in our churches tells the angels/demons what we think about God! And, it tells Christ what we think His body looks like or ought to look like.
This is why belonging to a local church is so weighty and yet, so precious and full of grace! God chose you to belong to His Son’s body. His Spirit equipped you to manifest Christ there.
Do you see how precious membership is? How precious singing is? How precious preaching, teaching, evangelism, giving, and gathering is?
May we gather each Sunday as if it were our last — because one day it will be!
