THE CHURCH & ME

For those of us who confess Jesus Christ as Lord and Saviour, the answer to the question, what is the Church? is of utmost importance. This is so because to understand the nature of the church is to understand who I am called to be in Christ (Romans. 8:1, 2; Cor. 5:17) and what it means to be incorporated into His body, the Church. To understand this question, is to define our own identity as Christians for our existence is directly linked to the church's nature and mission.

THE CHURCH'S NATURE

There are many images in the scriptures that give us a picture of the church's nature and therefore of our identity. Let us examine a few.
0 People of God
We are by nature the people of God, but more importantly we are a people who have been called by God, summoned by Him for a specific purpose (I Peter 2:9-1 0). The initiative belongs to God.
Within the New Testament the word used for church is the Greek Word "Ekkiesia" which means: -
The assembling of God's people for a specific purpose i.e. worship.(Acts 12:5; 1 Cor. 11:18; 1 Cor. 14:19 & 23). NB. The Corinthians passage Paul addresses specific problems, the word "Ekkiosia" is used in reference to 'the coming together of God's people'. The Church universal or catholic (I Cor. 10:32) and the local congregations (I Cor. 1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1). The word Ekkiesia is directly related to the Hebrew word "qahal" which moons the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. (Deut. 1 8:16) (I Kings. 8:14). As the church we are a people called by God to listen to and act for God. We assemble not because we choose to, but because God calls us to Himself. The Old Testament passage of Deuteronomy 7:6-8, is therefore equally applicable to the church.

As the people of God, chosen because of God's grace and sovereign will, we become a pilgrim community (Heb. I ]:IO; 1 3:1 3 & 14), directly engaged with God in His plan of salvation. We are a people working out the salvation of God in the present and working for the future salvation of God. As a community of the future, we therefore cannot be satisfied with the present, but are called to witness to the coming glory of God and criticize the present in the light of that future.

As God's people we have entered into a covenant which means a relationship with God and with each other. We become a fellowship of believers sharing in a common life. We are a distinctive community of faith whose actions not only affect the world, but also each other. As the people of God our fellowship with Him is directly related to our fellowship with each other.

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Body of Christ
This second image of the Church has many implications for life as a Christian,, for it implies that my existence as an individual and as a part of the Church universal is directly related to who Christ is. This image suggests:-
We, the Church, are subject unconditionally to the authority of Christ who is the head (Col. 1: 17 & 18). Through His Spirit, Christ gives energy to us, His body bringing unity to our diverse expressions (ICor. 12).
The Church is universal (catholic), given to all humanity. (Eph. 1:22 & 23, Gal. 3:28). Because of this catholic dimension of our witness we are privileged to be one with all believers in all periods of human history (Mob. 12:1 & 23), not only this, but the concerns of one must be the concerns of all.
By virtue of being the Body of Christ, we are also apostolic i.e. "The sent one". Our work is to the world (Mat. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15; Lk. 24:45-49; Jn. 17:18; 20:21; Acts 1:8; 2 Cor. 5-2).

Temple of The Holy Spirit
Paul reminds us in (I Cor. 6:15 & 1 9) that we are members of Christ in whom God lives through His Spirit. The same principle is seen in (Eph. 2: 14-22; 4:16).
Paul also reminds us that we are God's building (I C-or. 3:9) in which God's Spirit lives (I Cor. 3:1 6.) This building of which we are a part, collaborates with God in His mission (I Cor. 3:9-15; Eph. 4:1 6). Peter also reminds us that we all are living stones being built into a spiritual house (I Pet. 2:5). Consequently the church is the temple of God because Christ's Spirit indwelis her and because she also is His body.

What, then, are my responsibilities as a member of this community of faith?

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THE RESPONSIBILITIES OF A CHURCH MEMBER:

The basic duty of every Christian is to support the ministry of his/her congregation with all the available resources at his/her disposal. This is done when each Christian commits himself/herself to becoming a good steward and a conscientious clisciple of Christ.

We will examine basic principles of these aspects of the Christian faith.
STEWARDSHIP A steward is one who has been given responsibility to manage the property and affairs of another. We all like to enjoy the beauty and bounty of this earth, but we do not really own anything. The things of life we enjoy and accumulate are ours, but only for a season. We are stewards.

To be a good steward I must emphasize my understanding of life and who I am in relation to God, others, myself, and the rest of God's creation.

As stewards we have the freedom to manage God's resources, but it is a freedom with responsibility and one for which we must give an account. Individually and together we are accountable for the priorities we set, the choices we make, the energy we use and the faithfulness we exercise towards God's mission.

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Basic Principles
Stewardship is the affirmation of the sovereignty of God in creation and in our lives (Ps. 1 9:1 ; I Chr. 29:14; 1 Cor. A:7; I Pet. 4-1 0); it is given in trust.
We all are accountable to God (Lk. 1 2:48; Mat. 25:1 9).
The faithful steward serves God in response to God's bountiful grace (Rorn. 1 2:1 ).
Stewardship also involves the giving of our financial resources to the work of the church. Our giving should be :-
* Regular (I Cor. 16.-2a)
# Proportionate (I Cor. 16:2b;2 Cor. 8:1 2) * Joyful (2 Cor. 8:7-8;9:6-9)

The principle of tithing (giving I 0% of our earnings) should be used as the guide to determining how we give regularly; and joyfully. Tithing is directly related to our faith response to God. It precedes the law and goes as far back as Abraham, Father of the Faithful, Gen. 14:20. The encounter with Melchizedek and the deep symbolism related to this encounter underlines the direct relation between our faith response to God and the giving of the tithe. Grace demands the giving of our all. Tithing, God's initial principle of giving to His people requires the giving of I 0%. How then could we conceivably and honestly give less than this initial principle God gave to His people?
To tithe is to recognize that giving to God plays a significant part of my life.
To tithe is to say I am concerned about my church being able to meet the needs of the ministry and mission.
To tithe is to discipline myself in setting aside God's share before I spend anything on myself even if it means a re-examination of my values and lifestyle so that I ensure that the financial resources the work requires are supported by me.
Let us honour God in this way (Mal. 3:8-10).

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DISCIPLESHIP

Dietrich Bonhoeffer said: "when Christ calls a man He bids him come and die". This statement sums up the understanding of Christian discipleship, whatever the personal cost may be. It must be understood that not all who follow Christ are disciples, for discipleship is total sacrificial commitment to God and His mission whatever this may be, and complete, absolute obedience being the hallmark of this commitment (Lk. 9:23). Without obedience there is no faith and without faith there is no discipleship. The call to discipleship is God's initiative towards us (Jn. 15:16).

It is the submission of our desires and relationships to God's will; complete sacrifice (Lk. 14:26).

It is a call to a common discipleship where our lives are shared with Him and with others (Jn. 1 3:34-35).

It is to be understood that because we are privileged to be chosen, our attitude towards Hir-n should change and our desire to accomplish His work should increase (2 Cor. 2:17, 4:1; Rom. 1:1 & 7; 1 Thess; 1:4; 1 Cor. 6:1 9 FF).

To answer the call to discipleship is to make a life changing decision that can only benefit lives and the lives of those we touch (Lk. 9:57-62). It is commitment to service.

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