Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life: Section 17

A Place to Belong

Section 17 (pages 130-137)

Saturday 2 October 2010

Saint Antony 251, gave
You were called to
away all his vast
belong, not just an
possessions, begged
believe. to teach him
aged hermit
the spiritual life.To serve
Even in Eden (perfect,
God more perfectly, was
sinless) God said it
Antony entered the
not good for man to be
desert and immured
alone.
himself in a ruin,
The Bible doesdoor so
building up the not
speak about solitary
that none could
Christians or hermits
enter...then the devils
attacked him

Saint Antony 251, gave
away all his vast
possessions, begged an
aged hermit to teach him
the spiritual life.To serve
God more perfectly,
Antony entered the
desert and immured
himself in a ruin,
building up the door so
that none could
enter...then the devils
attacked him

The Bible says we are, “put
together, joined together, built
together, members together,
heirs together, ﬁtted together,
and held together and will be
caught up together.”
You are not on your on
anymore.
Your relationship with God is
personal - God does not
intend it to be private.


...so we, though many, are one body in Christ,

What does
and individually members one of another.
Romans 12:5

church
Being a ‘member’ of the church
originally meant being a vital organ of a
living body, an indispensable,
membership
interconnected part of the Body of
Christ.

mean to you?
Nowadays we have reduced the idea of
membership to something far less in
value or importance.


...so we, though many, are one body in Christ,
and individually members one of another.
Romans 12:5
Being a ‘member’ of the church
originally meant being a vital organ of a
living body, an indispensable,
interconnected part of the Body of
Christ.
Nowadays we have reduced the idea of
membership to something far less in
value or importance.


In this way we are like the various parts of a human
body. Each part gets its meaning from the body as a
whole, not the other way around. The body we're talking
about is Christ's body of chosen people. Each of us ﬁnds
our meaning and function as a part of his body. But as a
chopped-off ﬁnger or cut-off toe we wouldn't amount to
much, would we?
Rom 12:4-5 (TM)


If an organ is severed from the
body it shrivels and dies - for a
Christian to function properly
they must be attached to a
local church.
So just as we are members of
Christ, we need to become
members of the body of
believers of Christ and that is
by membership in a local
church.


One of the ﬁrst signs of spiritual decline is
usually inconsistent attendance at worship
services and other gatherings of believers.
Whenever we become careless about fellowship,
everything else begins to slide, too.


What does Matt 16:18 tell us
about the church?


about the church?
Church is on God’s agenda - it is
indestructible and eternal.


about the church?
Church is on God’s agenda - it is
indestructible and eternal.
Husbands, love your wives, as Christ
loved the church and gave himself up for
her, that he might sanctify her, having
cleansed her by the washing of water with
the word, so that he might present the
church to himself in splendor, without
spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she
might be holy and without blemish.


I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I
betrothed you to one husband, to
present you as a pure virgin to Christ.


2 Cor 11:2


2 Cor 11:2
When we dismiss or complain
about the church it is like
saying to Jesus, “I love you but I
dislike your wife”


2 Cor 11:2
Treat everyone you meet with dignity.
Love your spiritual family. Revere
God. Respect the government.


2 Cor 11:2
Treat everyone you meet with dignity.
Love your spiritual family. Revere
God. Respect the government.
1 Pet 2:17

Your Local Fellowship
Almost every time the word church is used in
the Bible it refers to a local, visible congregation.
The New Testament assumes membership in a
local congregation.
The only time believers are not part of a local
fellowship is when they are being disciplined.
Only in regular contact with ordinary, imperfect
believers can we learn real fellowship and
experience the New Testament truth of being
connected and dependant on each other.

Why You Need a Church Family

Why should I be part of a local
church?
Why can’t I be a believer in my
own home?
Is it ok to join an online
community and have that as my
church?


A church identiﬁes you as a genuine
believer
John 13:34-35
34 So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love
each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each
other. 35 Your love for one another will prove to the world
that you are my disciples.”
You are not the Body of Christ on your own -
you are when you come together with people
(often who are varied) - togetherness shows we
are a body.


A church family moves you out of
self centred isolation

Church is the laboratory
for learning how to be
God’s family in practice -
trying out unselﬁsh love.

Only in regular contact with ordinary, imperfect
believers can we learn real fellowship and
experience the New Testament truth of being
connected and dependent on each other.


1 Cor 12:26
26If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one
member is honored, all rejoice together.

1 John 3:16
By this we know love, that he laid down his life for us,
and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.


A church family helps you develop
spiritual muscle


A church family helps you develop
spiritual muscle

Participation in the full life of a local church is
how you develop spiritual muscle.
Eph 4:16

Over ﬁfty times in the New Testament the
phrase “one another” or “each other” is
used.


We are commanded to love each other, pray,
encourage, admonish each other, greet each
other, serve each other, teach each other, accept
each other, honor each other, hear each other’s
burdens, forgive each other, submit to each
other, be devoted to each other, and many other
mutual tasks.
This is biblical membership, and these
are your family responsibilities.
Being holy means being holy around other
people - untested holiness often leads us into
deceiving ourselves.


The Body of Christ needs you

God has a unique role for you to play in His
family. This is called your “ministry” and God
has gifted you for this assignment.
1Cor. 12:7 says, “A spiritual gift is given to each of us
as a means of helping the entire church.”
A Local fellowship helps you to identify and use
these gifts - anything else is in addition to
this role.


You will share in Christ’s Mission in
the World
The Church is God’s
instrument on earth. As
members of Christ body,
we are His hands, His
feet, His eyes, and His
heart. He works through
us in the world and we
each have a contribution
to make.


Paul tells us in Eph. 2:10,
“He creates each of us by Christ
Jesus to join Him in the work He
does, the good work He has gotten
ready for us to do, work we had
better be doing.”


A Church Family will help keep you
from Backsliding

We are all ‘open’ to temptation. God gives us to
one another to help keep us on track
Heb 3:13

We are responsible to help one another through
times of temptation
James 5:14


Also a local church provides spiritual protection
What do you think is
from godly leadership.
What do you think is the role of ‘good’
the role of ‘good’
leadership in a local church?
See Acts 20:28-29, 1 Peter 5:1-4, Heb 13:7, 17
leadership in a local
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are
keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to
church?
give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with
groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.


Also a local church provides spiritual protection
from godly leadership.
What do you think is the role of ‘good’
leadership in a local church?
See Acts 20:28-29, 1 Peter 5:1-4, Heb 13:7, 17
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are
keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to
give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with
groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.


It’s all in the Church

God’s purposes for the church are identical to
his purposes for you, church helps meet your
five deepest needs:
Worship helps you focus on God
Fellowship helps you face life’s problems
Discipleship helps fortify your faith
Ministry helps you find your talents
Evangelism helps fulfill your mission


Your Choice

When you are born again you become part of
God’s wider family - then you have to choose to
become a member of a local expression of
God’s family.
Do you attend, or are you committed to a
local church?
Attend - spectate, consume, take the beneﬁts
Committed - involved, contributing, responsible


Acts 2:42
And they devoted themselves
to the apostles’teaching and
the fellowship, to the breaking
of bread and the prayers.
God expects the same
commitment from you
today - not only
committed to Christ but
to other christians too.


Point to Ponder:
I am called to belong, not just believe.


Verse to Remember:

Romans 12:5


Question to Consider:
Does my level of commitment in my local
church demonstrate that I love and am
committed to God’s family?


Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life: Section 17

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Rick Warren, Purpose Driven Life: Section 17