Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. 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. And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Colossians 3:12–17 (ESV)
I was recently meeting with some people in our church, seeking to work through a challenge together, and this text came to mind. It’s one of my favorite passages from the Bible for a variety of reasons. It not only highlights characteristics and behaviors that we can now “put on” because of the being made new in and through Christ, it also highlights the reality of living out our new life in Christ together in community. In these six short verses we get a wonderful picture of what the community of the redeemed is called to and how we are to live life together.
Something that can be easily missed in reading about this wonderful calling is who exactly this is written to. Paul is writing to the Colossian church, but more broadly he is writing to local churches, to the collective group of men and women who have become brothers and sisters and now comprise a local body of believers. This is an exhortation not to a bunch of disconnected individuals, but to people who have and are committed to one another.
In order for us to be a faithful community who seeks to exalt, display, and declare the gospel of Jesus to our neighbors and the nations, and seeks to help each other grow as followers of Jesus, we must actually be committed to one another. This is one of many reasons church membership is vitally important.
Becoming a member of a church, is not about getting our names on a list or learning a secret handshake, but about making a life-giving, sacrificial commitment to other brothers and sisters in Christ, who in turn make the same commitment to you. It’s about helping one another live out the reality Christian community expressed in texts like Colossians 3:12-17.
Church membership matters because it helps you to know which family members this passage in Colossians calls you to care for and which family members are serve you similarly. It provides both accountability and encouragement to keep running the race set before you as you help one another fix your eyes on Jesus until he returns or calls you home. And because church membership matters it must be meaningful. In other words, it requires that we actually seek to “put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.”
I’m sharing this today for two reasons. First, if you are already a member of Redeeming Grace Church, I hope this encourages you to renew your commitment to the other members of our church.. Look over these verses and ask for God’s help to be faithful to live out these commands with one another, and if you can, make a phone call, grab coffee, send a text to a brother or sister to encourage them! Second, if you are not yet a member of this church (or any church), I hope this encourages you to consider jumping in and
making a commitment to your brothers and sisters at RGC, and also receiving their commitment to help you be who God is calling you to do be as well. Our next Membership Explored class is on Saturday, February 3 from 9:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Church membership is a blessing from the Lord for our good and God’s glory. So as we seek to live this out together, let me encourage you to “let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful.”
– Justin Pearson