A few nights ago, we were eating dinner with friends, and the subject of church membership came up. It wasn't a lengthy discussion, but it did prompt me to begin thinking about some things - namely membership in the Church, not so much in the church. I grew up in a Southern Baptist tradition and the steps to becoming a member of a baptist church were very clear - admit you are a sinner, believe Jesus died for you, change your behavior, and dedicate your life to the church. At least that is how I remember it.
I am thinking through this same thing today. I just finished a chapter in The Secret Message of Jesus called Getting It, Getting In. It's uncanny how Father works all things together. My questions and my thoughts right now are less centered on what it means to join our "little c" church and what it means for my neighbors or my coworkers to join the "big C" Church that is the family of Jesus. This is partly because the churches that I grew up in treated the two as the same. Joining the Church was joining their church and joining their church was joining the Church.
I realize that the issue of reference here is not as simple as I am making it out to be. Or is it? If we take a look at the teachings of the New Testament, is there a question about joining the movement of Jesus for the average person who heard his message, believed what he said and committed to it? Right now, I am asking questions, so any of your thoughts or opinions might just be helpful in drawing my own personal conclusions. Maybe our dialogue will help clear up some of the fuzziness for me - I don't want to assume that you have the same fuzziness.
Have a great day, and may you know that God is a personal God - He is involved in and cares about your daily life.
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