Church bulletin for March
Go on many church websites and you will see that certain words feature prominently – connecting and community being two. A link will reveal how to connect with the church and so become part of its community. Nothing wrong with that. Sometimes however, “buzz words” lose their meaning because they are overdone or used out of context and in a way not intended. The word awesome is one example. How many times have you heard that things like food, TV shows, songs, etc. are awesome? The Wiktionary defines awesome as “causing awe or terror; inspiring wonder or excitement.” Certainly the return of the Lord Jesus Christ will be awesome; perhaps standing in front of the Grand Canyon could be described as awesome; but a milkshake or new shoes?
I am all for connecting and community, but let us understand the underlying Theological concepts which maintain the integrity of meaning.
In order to connect to the church, there must be conversion; there must on the part of the individual be faith and repentance. It is popular today to encourage a kind of connection through involvement – get someone helping with the sound equipment; get them in the band; get them on a roster and they will connect. If we are not first connected to Christ the vine, neither will we be connected to the other branches (John 15:1-8).
In order to connect to the church there must be commitment. How can we be part of a community without committed attendance and involvement? It is the norm for churches to have a very loose approach to commitment. Sadly some people attend church if and when it suits, and yet they consider themselves to be part of the church body. If a person is not willing to make sacrifices for the sake of being with brethren, they have not properly connected to them (Heb 10:25).
In order to connect with the people of God, there must be consecration. By consecration I mean walking with them in Godliness. “If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another” (1 John 1:7). Some people connect on the basis of age, culture or interests. Such an approach is unbiblical and superficial. We often associate community with locality, but it can also relate to a common goal or purpose. To truly connect to the church community in a spiritual sense there must be the common goal of growing in the grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 3:18).