Membership: Its Priority, Prerequisites, Purpose, & Privileges,pt4

In The Vital Place of the Church, A. W. Tozer exclaimed, "The church is the highest expression of the will of God in this age!" And Paul similarly exclaimed, "I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth" (1 Tim 3:15). Suppose John loves Mary and sees no one else but her for 10 years. Every time they are together he tells her that he loves her, but never proposes to her. Finally, after a decade she has enough nerve to ask him, 'John, why havn't you wanted to marry me?' If he says, 'I'm just trying to make sure,' how do you think she would feel? Of course she is glad he loves her, and she's thankful for all he does for her, but in spite of all that, she's going to be somewhat discouraged because he doesn't love her enough to commit himself to her in marriage. Similarly, the people and pastors of the church you may attend are gladdened by your attendance. But without formally identifying with them and committing as a member, they too may begin to wonder what Mary wondered about John. You may say you love them and the work God is doing there, but not enough to commit. Here at GBC we've been considering for a few weeks the NT emphasis and implications of "Membership: Its Priority, Prerequisites, Purpose, & Privileges."