My four year old daughter declared she was ready to ride her bike on two wheels. I took the nuts off the bolts to remove her training wheels, got her into position, and ran with her as she peddled down the driveway. One small nut held her training wheels on. A seemingly insignificant piece of metal, but it was her lifeline until now.
That nut is like every member of the church. No, not insignificant, rather, an integral part of the whole. In order to use her bike she needed that nut in place. She needed it to function so that she could ride. As those who love and follow Christ, we are reminded that our participation in our local body of believers is essential for our own spiritual growth and for our local church to fulfill it's purpose in bringing God's kingdom into the world.
Here's a resource that helps equip you for this.
Love Your Church | Book Review
Content
Content
Purpose of the Book
In “Love Your Church: 8 Great Things About Being A Church Member” Tony Merida shares his love and passion for the church by teaching us eight key responsibilities of every church member. His message for us carries gentle rebuke laced with eager hope, as he instructs us on who the church is and our roles inside it.
Table of Contents
Introduction: Family
CHAPTER 1. Belong
CHAPTER 2. Welcome
CHAPTER 3. Gather
CHAPTER 4. Care
CHAPTER 5. Serve
CHAPTER 6. Honor
CHAPTER 7. Witness
CHAPTER 8. Send
Outro: Love Your Church
Summary
He highlights each responsibility in one chapter with action steps at the end and opportunity for deeper study in the discussion guide.
So, what are these eight great things?
Belonging. The local church is a community of believers who, “gather for worship and scatter for witness.” Joined together as a family unit we are unified together because of our unity in Christ. It’s a privilege to be a part of this community.
Welcoming. Just as we have been welcomed by Christ into God’s family, in turn, we welcome others, keeping our eyes peeled for our own prejudices and discrimination of others. There’s no place for partiality in God’s kingdom, and “our proper response to the grace shown toward us in Christ is the extension of grace to others.”
Gathering. Coming together to worship is an essential part of our discipleship; it also plants seeds of anticipation in us of future worship together with all the saints. Our present sanctification and our future glory are represented in our services. We’re encouraged to hold these times highly in our homes and create special traditions around it.
Caring. Our communities miss out when we withhold love and care from each other. A dangerous cause of this can be our pride, if we’re refusing to serve. What can you do today to do something good for others.
Serving. “Followers of Christ are not spectators in the church, but servants in the church.” There have been times we’ve felt tired and weary from serving, but scripture reminds us that we are living sacrifices to be poured out for him, equipped by the Spirit with gifts to build others up, and as the end draws near we want to be found faithfully contributing to his kingdom work.
Honoring. We do this by following the humble shepherds who lead us, by acting with respect and love, committing them to prayer and being a joy to them.
Witnessing. He writes, “I wouldn’t label my local context as hostile to the gospel but rather as being hardened to the gospel and happy without the gospel.” This is a significant perspective as we seek to reach out with our words and actions. We remember that a spirit of fear will prevent us from being a faithful witness, so we fix our eyes on the glory of Jesus and our living hope as we share.
Sending. The great commission calls us to make disciples of all nations. Missional churches are mindful of the needs of others, both near and far. In the book of Acts we see churches sending out believers to spread the good news and disciple the new church plants. May we continue to be kingdom focused in our endeavors.
My Recommendation
This book is for anyone who belongs to a church :) I think it will be a great benefit as you explore the meaning, purpose and unity of the local church. Visit the publisher's site to find extra free resources like discussion questions and worksheets
From the Author: A Quick Intro
Quick Stats
# of Pages: 123
Level of Difficulty: Easy
My Rating: 5 stars
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Scriptures About the Church
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Heb. 10:24)
Built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. (Eph. 2:20-22)
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. (Col. 3:16)
What then, brothers? When you come together, each one has a hymn, a lesson, a revelation, a tongue, or an interpretation. Let all things be done for building up. (1 Cor. 14:26)
And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. (Rev. 21:2-3)
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*A big thanks to The Good Book Company for the complimentary copy of this book and the opportunity to post an honest review.
I am in awe of how fast you read! You always share such amazing books! And way to go for your brave 4-year-old! We followed a neighbors advice to also take the pedals off and let our boy use his bike like a balance bike. It worked well for him.