As A Member Of The Church


Now that you are a child of God-a Christian, a member of Christ’s church-you must have a great concern and interest over the church that Jesus built. The Bible says:

“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless.” (Ephesians 5:25-27)

As Christ follower, you love what He loved, and Christ loved the church so much that He died for it. The church is important to you because it meant so much to Jesus. You are a part of the church – a member:

“Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many for one body, and each member belongs to all the others” (Romans 12:4-5).

As a member of the church, you must be concerned with the church. This means that now you are a child of God, you want to know what the New Testament teaches about the church, the body of Christ. God “Placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” (Ephesians 1:22-23)

As a child of God, you need to understand that Christ has all power over the church, because He is its head. You need to know how and when the church started, and just what the church is, so that you can serve your Lord in the church. The church began in the city of Jerusalem, on the day of Pentecost in the very year that Jesus arose from the dead and went back to heaven. In Acts 2, we read how the apostles of Christ waited on Pentecost in Jerusalem, as Jesus had told them to do, until they received the power from on high (Luke 24:49). The power came on them as Jesus had promised (Acts 2:1-2) and the apostle Peter, along with the eleven, preached to the people. He told them of Jesus crucified, buried, and resurrected from the dead. Peter said:

“God has raised this Jesus to life, and we are all witnesses of the fact. Exalted to the right hand of God, he has received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit and has poured out what you now see and hear…Therefore, let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.” (Acts 2:32, 33, 36)

Some who heard Peter preach were convicted of sin and asked the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” (Acts 2:37). Peter replied, “Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). The Bible says:

“Those who accepted his message were baptized, and about three thousand were added to their number that day.” (Acts 2:41)

“Praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:47)

This is the beginning of the church of Christ in Jerusalem, on Pentecost Day following the resurrection of Christ from the dead.

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