Dear Brothers and sisters, peace to all of you. In the previous episode, we talked about the relationship between the church and me and the relationship between people and their churches. How can we join the church and be part of it? I have shared about the need to repent, believe and be born again. These three points are intertwined. We must be determined to act on them. Matthew 28: 18,19 from the ESV Bible: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” This means that God has commanded us to be baptised and to be part of the church. I must not only believe but also confess. I must not only be born again but also be baptised in front of everyone to testify of my Christian faith. I belong to Jesus Christ but I do not belong to the demon! Therefore, we need to express our faith through baptism. Just like a young couple who are in love with each other till it culminates in the wedding. They are proclaiming to the world that - - they are married.

How to integrate into the church life after baptism?

In the same way, we must be baptised after we have believed in Jesus Christ. After having been baptised, how can we be integrated into the church life? How do we establish a relationship with the church so that there will be mutual benefits? In the church, the brothers and sisters-in-Christ belong to the same body and we must attempt to achieve it.

You and I need the church just like the church needs us. These two are parallel to each other. Why do we need the church? It is because the church is like our spiritual mother who educates us and nurtures us in many areas so that we grow spiritually and continually increase in our knowledge of Jesus. At the same time, as members of the church, we look out for one another in order to overcome our weaknesses and to live out Christian lives that bring glory to God. Therefore, I need the church. When I have difficulties in life, I will return to the church. The brothers and sisters in the church will support and help me.

On the other hand, the church also needs me because the church is a community that is made up of individuals. In this community, there are numerous Christians who need my care and love. The church needs me to tithe financially so that the holy work of God (sharing the gospel, community outreach, missions and others) can proceed smoothly. For example, my church has adopted some children from the AIDS village so that they have the opportunity to study. Where does the money come from? It comes from the tithing of Christians. Therefore, the church also needs me. Through the church, I can help others. Or if the brothers and sisters in our church have difficulties, I will support them.

We need to know the basic functions of the church before joining a church. This helps me to integrate better into the church life.

1) Praise and worship God

Psalm 149:1 from the ESV Bible tells us that: “Praise the LORD! Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the godly!” This means that the church is a community that praises Jehovah. We come to the church to worship Jehovah and sing praises to glorify Him. This is a very important function of the church. Therefore, in the church service, we will sing Christian songs to praise God. It is an indispensable part of worship and we should participate in it. Our God is the most high God and is omnipotent. He loves us and has redeemed us so we sing Christian songs to praise Him and thank Him for His abundant grace towards us.

2) Care for one another

Hebrews 10: 24 -25 from the ESVE Bible tells us that: “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.” The other function of the church is to keep a lookout for one another and encourage and show care for one another. This will spur us on to love one another.

Just like the burning fire. If we take out a piece of the firewood, it will gradually extinguish. On the contrary, if we once again put it in the burning fire, it will quickly burn again. In the same way, as Christians, we should not stop gathering because one of the functions of the church is to enable us to be more passionate through our meetings. For example, some brothers- and sisters-in-Christ may face obstacles after becoming Christians – the mocking of the classmates, the criticism of the colleagues and even the pressures from the family. However, when they return to the church to listen to the Word of God and share with the brothers- and sisters-in-Christ the difficulties they face, the Word of God will encourage them. The prophets in the past were persecuted so nowadays, it is expected of us to encounter persecutions. When we encourage one another, we will once again be strengthened. Therefore, the brothers and sisters in the church have to meet together and encourage one another. The church leaders have to lead and protect the church. In doing so, we can persevere on.

3) Use our spiritual gifts to serve one another

It is written in Ephesians 4: 11-13 from the ESV Bible: “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.”

There are people with different spiritual gifts in the church. There are the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. All these are given by God. Apart from this, there are other spiritual gifts such as playing the piano, reading the Word of God, leading the worship, serving, teaching, preaching, Bible study, literacy work, counselling, showing love and concern, tithing and healing. It is our responsibility to fulfill our roles and build up the body of Jesus. Therefore, the church is where we can use our spiritual gifts effectively to serve others so that we can build the body of Jesus Christ together. This is the church.

4) Spread the gospel and missions

It is written in Philippians 1: 5-6 from the ESV Bible that: “because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now. And I am sure of this, that he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.”

Matthew 28:19 from the ESV Bible tells us that: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.”

To put it simply, the other function of the church is to spread the gospel and share the Word of God so that people can hear the Word, believe in God and be saved through the gospel. Therefore, Paul said to the Philippians church that “because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now and you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” It is done unceasingly. Jesus commanded us to preach and evangelize. To “evangelize” means that we tell other people that Jesus Christ is the Savior. Just like a beggar telling another beggar where to get the food. As Christians, we have the responsibility to let others know the gospel and share it with them. Therefore, the other function of the church is to let others hear the gospel of God. As part of the church, I must share the Word of God and His gospel with others and shall not hold back.

How can we prosper the church?

Finally, we shall discuss on how to make our spiritual family more vibrant and prosperous since we have become part of God’s family and a member of the church.

It is written in Acts 2: 42-47, When the believers gathered together, they had holy communion and devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, fellowship and prayer. In addition, they also sold their possessions and shared with those in need. This is a beautiful portrayal.

Today, can the church share what it has? We can do so with the love of Jesus. Without His love, no one can act on this truth. We must be united in Jesus, love one another, pray for one another and share our burdens in the church today. We share our joys and carry one another’s burdens. This is what we should do.

Can you imagine if there is a funeral in my brother’s home and I do not comfort him and show concern for him? He has to handle the funeral alone. This is a sad thing. On the contrary, if groups of tens and even hundreds of brothers and sisters visit him and comfort him at the funeral, it is a tremendous support to the bereaved family, especially at a funeral.

Therefore, I must sacrifice, possess love and spend time to show care and concern so that the church can prosper and grow. There are some believers in my church who have become Christians as a result of our care and concern for the bereaved family. It touches them so they are willing to take a step further to know the Christian faith. There are some bereaved families who have come to us and said, “The pastor has helped us to settle the funeral matters well and we are touched by his gestures. We will like to know more about your church.” The church must be able to attract people for a reason. Love, like the magnet, can draw people to the presence of God.

On the other hand, if the church is to expand continuously, we need to employ more servants of God and His co-workers to pastor the church. We must keep this in prayer and at the same time, participate and give tithing. Thus, our pastors can serve the Lord without much worries. It is difficult to cope if we work and also pastor the church because we cannot be single-minded. Therefore, nowadays, the church has to transform and renew. The church leaders and their believers must have such a new perspective so that the servants of God can serve Him wholeheartedly. In this way, the church will prosper. The Christians should not only volunteer their services but also must take up the responsibility to support the church pastors.

In conclusion, we must recognize that the church consists of a community of sinners saved by God’s grace, we have our weaknesses and inadequacies. Sometimes, we hurt others intentionally or unintentionally as a result of our weaknesses. However, we share a common life that comes from the life of Jesus Christ. We have the same missions, that is to prosper God’s family, which is our spiritual home. We are members of God’s family in the church so we should not leave the church because of some matters. On the contrary, we have to stay the course, strive together and seek solutions to solve them. We should handle the difficulties of the church together and face the challenges ahead of us. Therefore, our spiritual home will be more wonderful.

May God help us so that by God’s grace, we can join the church and prosper it to glorify Him.

Let us pray together.

Dear Most High God, thank you that you have chosen us to be your children to establish the church. May we learn to care for one another in the church and listen to your teachings. We sincerely praise you. Lord, bless us with love so that we can love one another. May we have a heart that loves you and are willing to offer our best to you. May we have a heart that loves people so that we are willing to sacrifice for others. Grant us your wisdom and courage to bring more relatives and friends to your presence. Let us be moved by your grace and have the indwelling of your Almighty presence in us so that the church can become light and salt of the world. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen!

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