Your Relationship with the Church of God

Introduction

We come now come to the third key relationship that you must cultivate if you are to experience real spiritual growth.

We have discussed your relationship with the Word of God and with the Spirit of God and now we come to your relationship with the Church of God.

Your relationship with the church is of utmost importance if you have a sincere desire for real spiritual growth.

The first thing we must do is to dispel the notion that church is not all that important. You will find the scripture says quite the opposite.

- Christ gave himself for it/- the gates of hell will not prevail against it/- it is the pillar and ground of truth

If the church is not important we may as well dispense with the entire book of Acts because it is all based upon the church.

I know from personal experience that a relationship with a good local church makes all the difference.

Your relationship with the local church should be marked by:

Devotion

The church plays a vital role in the spiritual growth of the believer. We see this from the earliest days of the book of Acts as the New Testament church is being organized.

Thousands were saved on the day of Pentecost and many more would place their trust in Christ in the days following. These believers were then baptized and added to the church.

We find this pattern over and over again throughout the book of Acts as men and women are saved they immediately gathered together to form a local New Testament church. It was as if they understood immediately that they could not live the Christian life alone.

There are many benefits to being a part of a local New Testament Church, but the only way that we will receive the full benefits of this relationship is if we will be devoted fully to the church that God has led us to.

You should not be more faithful to your employer than you are to your church.

So many have

This means we ought to find the church that God has led us to and then join its membership and devote ourselves fully to the relationship.

How many believers miss out on the many wonderful benefits of being a part of a church because they only come when it is convenient?

How many believers will never find the wonderful joy of truly being a part of a New Testament Church because they bounce from one church to the next never developing a real relationship with the church?

How many

Are you more faithful to your workplace than you are to your church? Are you more faithful to your favorite restaurant than you are to your church?

You should not be more faithful to your employer than you are to your church.

If you are to reap the full rewards of being a part of a local New Testament Church then you must to devote yourself to faithfully attending and faithfully serving there!

Preparation (Vs. 12a)

Perfecting- equipping/preparation/training that fully qualifies

The church is meant to be the the training center where we gain the theological and practical knowledge to carry out the work that God has called us to do.

The church is also the place where you will have the opportunity to develop the spiritual gifts that God has given to you

It would be unwise to take a brand new believer and insert them into some area of ministry in the local church. Why? Because they must first be adequately prepared to be a part of the ministry.

The church is the equipping ground for the saints preparing us for the work of the ministry that God would have us to do.

It is through your attention to the preaching and teaching you receive in the church that you will gain a greater understanding of the doctrines and principles of the Word of God.

The church is the equipping ground for the saints preparing us for the work of the ministry that God would have us to do.

It is through the preaching and teaching of the Word of God in the church that you will be convicted of the sin that would hinder you from being a usable vessel in service to the Lord.

- vessel prepared to be used by the master

The church’s primary goal is to reach our community with the gospel, but if we are to be effective we must continue to train and equip the members of the church to carry out the work of the ministry.

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Ultimately it is the instruction we receive in the church coupled with our own personal study that will help us to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ. ()

Basic Training- The church is meant to be a kind of basic training for the believer in preparation for carrying out the work that God has called each of us to do.

Contribution (Vs. 12b)

Once we have been thoroughly prepared for the work it is time to make a contribution to the work of the ministry of the local New Testament Church

There should come a point in every believer’s relationship with the local church when they are no longer mere recipients but have become a contributor.

The church is the conduit for our service to the Lord. The work of the ministry is primarily carried out through the local church.

The ministry of the local church is dependent upon its members. Imagine how little would be accomplished if only the pastor of the church contributed to the work of the ministry.

The natural progression of spiritual growth for the believer should culminate in a desire to find some area of the ministry of the local church where you can make a personal contribution.

There are many who gladly receive the blessings and joy of being a part of the local church but never intend to make any contribution to the work of the ministry themselves.

Basic Training/Deployment- imagine a soldier who has been trained and equipped to fulfill a role in combat who then refuses to enter the combat zone.

Every believer who has been led to the High Plains Baptist Church has a contribution to make to the work of the ministry here.

Maybe it is time that you become a member of High Plains Baptist Church and through devotion and preparation you can then make a contribution to what God desires for us to do right here in Clovis, NM.

Conclusion

Conclusion

All of this adds up to the edification(building up) of the body of Christ. If every believer would seek the Lord’s will and devote themselves to the church that He leads them to, allow the preaching and teaching to prepare and equip them for service, and then would get busy serving the Lord in whatever capacity He leads, every church would be a growing church.

God has promised that He will build His church but this is not going to happen in spite of us. God’s desire is that each of us would devote ourselves to the church that we might be prepared to be a vessel God can use. Once we have been adequately equipped, then we must determine to make a contribution to the work of the ministry that the church may increase ()