Every local church is comprised of a diverse group of people who have been radically transformed by the power of God through the person and work of Jesus Christ. These diverse people have no reason to live and work together, let alone care for each other—and yet, they choose to live in love and unity together, to the praise and glory of the Lord’s name.
Healthy local
churches make a powerful and attractive testimony to a watching world. This
means that every member has to be devoted to building others up.
1. The member who attends.
Attending is the
most basic way members build each other up. It’s the most obvious way to show
commitment to the body. There’s something encouraging about knowing a brother
or sister is simply going to be present at a church service, and you are going
to worship God together.
The writer of
Hebrews tells the believers to “stir one another up to love and good deeds” and
to “encourage one another.” How are they to do this? By “not forsaking the
assembling of the believers” (Heb. 10:23–25). You cannot build others up if
you’re not meeting with them regularly and faithfully. It’s no wonder that those regularly absent from the gathering often stagnate in their
faith or become members who primarily grumble and complain.
Dear church
member, church meetings are not about you or your convenience. Build others up
by faithful attendance.
2. The member who encourages.
Consider Paul’s
words about Tychicus in Colossians 4: “I have sent him to you for this very
purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts”
(Col. 4:8). Why does he send his friend? To encourage the Colossians. We should
follow Paul’s model.
The encouraging
member commends, recommends, praises, thanks, comforts, urges, supports, and
compliments other members. We often think of encouraging as merely giving
praise, like a spectator on the terraces. However, biblical encouragement is
more than that; it’s a fellow teammate urging you to get to work.
Furthermore,
encouragement is not mere flattery. It’s not just being nice or telling people
what they want to hear. Rather, true encouragement is honest and sincere. It
commends those who serve well, and it also urges those who are struggling in
their walk with the Lord. Such a kind of member is a great blessing to the body.
Strive to be one.
3. The member who confronts
without indulging in gossip.
Churches are full
of sinful people, which means church members sin against each other. This challenges the unity of the church, and it requires members to confront one
another in love and gentleness.
The confronting
member is the opposite of gossip and slanderer. They obey the charge of
Scripture to confront and restore people who are living in sin (Matt. 18:15–18,
Gal. 6:1–2). What motivates the confronting member is not just that someone’s
sin has offended them but that the Lord is offended by sin—particularly sin
that is unresolved and left to fester and grow (1 Cor. 5). The confronting
member confronts out of love for God and love for other believers.
4. The member who prays.
I’ve always been
struck by Samuel’s statement to David: “Far be it from me that I may sin
against you by not praying for you” (1 Sam. 12:23).
We have a
responsibility to pray for each other. The best church members are devoted to
prayer. They’ve learned to depend on God, so they highly value praying to him.
Typically, praying members to learn to talk less to people and more to God about
people. They’re a church’s unsung heroes. If prayer drives the church, then the
praying member is essential to the health and growth of the church.
5. The member who serves.
Attendance is
necessary, but members should do more than just attend. They should serve. They
should “do the work of ministry” (Eph. 4:12). They use their gifts to
serve God and other members, building up the church in the process.
Great
encouragement comes from knowing you’re not the only one on the team. Great
comfort comes from knowing you have teammates fighting with you and encouraging
you as you go. People who can but don’t serve in the church tend to discourage
the rest of the body.
6. The member who shows patience.
Patience is vitally important both
for the individual believer and the congregation as a whole. After all, the
Christian life isn’t a sprint but a marathon. Our walk with the Lord is a
process, and we won’t noticeably grow overnight.
All this means we must learn to
endure each other’s weaknesses and shortcomings. We must learn to
forgive without grudges and disciple one another with all patience. A
patient member graciously puts up with other people’s failures. They realise that no church is perfect—and as a result, they are joyfully patient. A church
with patient members is a church where members confront one another, encourage
one another, confess sin to one another, and forgive each other.
Dear church member, pursue these
qualities in your life and encourage them in others. Pray for yourself and
others. Pray that you will build up the church as faithful and patient members
who attend, encourage, confront, pray, and serve. This builds up the church of
Christ.
Great truth brother, so important for the encouragement and building up of the body. And ultimately the glory of Christ!
ReplyDeleteLove this! Very encouraging!
ReplyDeleteExcellent!
ReplyDeleteActually entered at 2:45
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