Station 5 / 10
Belong to a church
Be known, cared for and taught in a local church.
You're probably here if
- you love Jesus but rarely go to church
- you attend, but nobody really knows you
- you've been hurt by a church and are holding back
- you watch services online and wonder if that's enough
What this is
When God saves you, He gives you a new family. The New Testament doesn't picture a Christian without a local church. We are told to keep meeting and spur one another on (Hebrews 10:24-25).
In church you hear God's word, pray and sing together, and share the Lord's Supper. In the bread and the cup Jesus meets His people, and you share in His body and blood given for you (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Churches differ on how Christ is present in it.
Sunday is a start, but you get known in smaller circles: a home group, a few friends who pray for you and ask how you really are (Galatians 6:2).
No church is perfect. Look for one that teaches the Bible faithfully, honours Jesus and cares for people. Then commit, and stay through the ordinary weeks.
Hold on to this
And let us consider how to spur one another on to love and good deeds. Let us not neglect meeting together, as some have made a habit, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Read slowly: One body, many parts1 Corinthians 12:12-27
12The body is a unit, though it is composed of many parts. And although its parts are many, they all form one body. So it is with Christ. 13For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free, and we were all given one Spirit to drink. 14For the body does not consist of one part, but of many. 15If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18But in fact, God has arranged the members of the body, every one of them, according to His design. 19If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20As it is, there are many parts, but one body. 21The eye cannot say to the hand, “I do not need you.” Nor can the head say to the feet, “I do not need you.” 22On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23and the parts we consider less honorable, we treat with greater honor. And our unpresentable parts are treated with special modesty, 24whereas our presentable parts have no such need. But God has composed the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, 25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its members should have mutual concern for one another. 26If one part suffers, every part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it. 27Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it.
They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. A sense of awe came over everyone, and the apostles performed many wonders and signs. All the believers were together and had everything in common. Selling their possessions and goods, they shared with anyone who was in need. With one accord they continued to meet daily in the temple courts and to break bread from house to house, sharing their meals with gladness and sincerity of heart, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.
For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night He was betrayed, took bread, and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way, after supper He took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of Me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and not all members have the same function, so in Christ we who are many are one body, and each member belongs to one another.
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into Christ Himself, who is the head. From Him the whole body, fitted and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love through the work of each individual part.
Carry one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.
Where to next
- Choose a church and stayIf you keep church-hopping, pick one that teaches the Bible this month and stay a year.
- Join a small groupAsk about home groups or Bible studies. Go three times before you decide.
- Prepare for communionBefore the next Lord's Supper, read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26, confess known sin and come thankful.Read 1 Corinthians 11:23-26
- Let one person know youInvite someone from church for a meal. Share one honest thing about how you are.
- Ask how you can helpAsk where help is needed on Sundays. Serving together is how people get to know each other.
Watch out: Church as a product
It's easy to treat church like a service you rate. You are part of the body, and others need you.
Pray
Lord, thank You for making me part of Your family. Lead me to a church where I can be known and grow. Help me love Your people when it's hard, the way You love me.
4 weeks at this station
A short step most days, about five minutes, with two open days a week. Read any day ahead; you tick it off on its day.