Forget Garbo. No One Wants to be Alone!
If you have made Jesus your Lord, then this verse applies to you. You are part of the "church," and the church is one of God's greatest ideas. When the New Testament refers to the church, it sometimes means the "universal church," but it is usually speaking foremost to a local body of believers. The church is a family and God expects you to be a member of the family. Every believer needs a church family, and in fact, a Christian without a church family, is an orphan alone in the world without help or support in the time of need.You are a member of God's very own family and you belong in God's household with every other Christian. ~ Ephesians 2:19
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 form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. ~ Romans 12:4-5 (NIV)
I became a Christian by committing my life to Christ. I became a member of a church family by committing myself to other Christians. Membership is a commitment to other people, and in the truest sense I belong to them and they belong to me. The word "belong" means "to be appropriate, or suitable. To be in an appropriate situation or environment. And to be a member or a part of something else." For me not to be a member of a local body of believers would mean that I am not living appropriately. That I am not in an environment which is suitable to my needs. And that I am not a part of something or anything greater than myself. I would become very self-centered. This would be an emotionally unhealthy time as well as a lonely time.
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It would also be an unproductive time. Commitment is a spiritual force that enables you to produce more. It is a fact that married men earn more than single men. It is not just that married men need to produce more, but it is the synergistic effect from two people joining together that produces more. So it is with a commitment within the body of Christ. Commitment is a spiritual force that enables your faith to produce more.
Finally, all of you should be of one mind. Sympathize with each other. Love each other as brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted, and keep a humble attitude. ~ 1 Peter 3:8 (NLT)
You become what you're committed to. You become one mind. If you have been led by God to the body where you belong, then put down roots and stay there. Sympathize with each other. Learn to love each other. You will become more than you would have ever done on your own.
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The way that you stay committed to each other, that you learn to love each other, and to sympathize with each other is two fold: keep a tender heart toward your family and keep a humble attitude toward yourself. Neither you nor your family will be perfect, but you will be "one big happy family."
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~ a strategy session with my mentor
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posted by rachman | 8:03 PM
2 Comments:
This is an important lesson!
Hi Rob,
Thank you for stopping by. It was an important lesson for me, as I could become quite isolated if I let myself.
I've always tended toward being a bit reticent, but that's not what I really want for myself. I've found that I seem to get many people to open up with me about themselves, but I don't automatically open up with them. As a result I've known many people well, but they didn't know me at all. It took me a long time to realize that I was cheating THEM as well as myself. I was losing out on a mutual relationship and they were never getting to know a really "cool guy."
Family ties and friendships are both a two-way street. I'm still working on being a better friend and brother.
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