We believe that commitment to God and to one another is imperative if we are to grow and bear fruit. First, let’s discuss and examine commitment to God. Our commitment to the Lord finds expression in our daily desire for Him and our resultant faithfulness to Him. We generally allow God to sanctify us - that is to set us apart for holy purposes, only to the degree that we are committed to Him. Jesus said to the Laodicean church in the book of Revelation, “I know your works, that you are neither cold nor hot. I could wish that you were cold or hot. So then, because you are lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will vomit you out of my mouth”, (Rev 3:15-16). The Lord is not pleased with a lukewarmness of Christianity, but rather desires a fervent, white-hot faith. We believe and strongly teach the aforementioned as a present-day Bible truth, mandate and reality for Christians. The Word of God is forever settled in Heaven, and thus, what God has said is precisely what He meant. Upon close examination, the issue of commitment is really an issue of character and integrity. For instance, the reason why one chooses not to frequent a bar, or some such place, should not be simply because they are “afraid” of God, but rather should be because we love Him and are committed to Him fully. Love, character and integrity should be hallmarks of the Christian’s life, (Num 14:24; I John 5:1-3). When we decide to allow God to change us, one thing is certain. The Lord will always cause us to be conformed to the image of the Son, (Rom 8:29). In other words, the way Jesus was/is is the precise direction that the Holy Spirit will always point us to, and cause us to become. Jesus was a committed person, (John 4:32-34). He was fully committed unto His Father and fully committed unto the task at hand - Calvary’s cross! The eyes of the Lord still run to and fro throughout the whole earth actively seeking such people (committed) in this last hour. May He find us to be such a people! (II Chron 16:9a).
Now let us examine and discuss the aspect of commitment to one another. All true Christian commitment will and must find a secondary avenue of expression horizontally-from person to person. We are joined to one another by virtue of being a member of the Body of Christ in the earth, (I Cor 12). We are made members of God’s family upon being born again through a personal relationship with Christ, (Rom 8:15). But we believe that there also lies another point of Divine connection between believers, which is the connection between a person and their local church. The believer’s relationship to their local church can and should be understood as being the “planting of the Lord”, (Is 61:3). The Bible tells us plainly that God is the husbandman or the vinedresser, (John 15:1-5). We are also told that Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. The Father as the vine dresser takes each one of us, and lovingly and carefully plants us in a seedbed or “vineyard” where we can grow and mature. This “vineyard” is the local church. Plants do not plant themselves, but they get planted. The same with us. The Lord directs us by His Spirit to exactly where we need to be planted. It is in the place of Divine “planting” where one experiences peace, joy, a sense of belonging and an inner, spiritual “sensing” of the placement of the Lord. It is a great blessing to experience such things. You simply know that you’re in the right place for you, and exactly at the right time! Conversely, when one is not in the “right” place of the Lord’s planting for that time, then nothing really seems to “fit” for them. Being in the right local church for you (as defined by the Holy Spirit), is extremely important therefore. It is the place where one gets fed, nurtured and trained to do the work of the ministry. It is also the place where you get a first-hand opportunity to bear the fruit of the Spirit, (Gal 5), because of being open to the Lord and committed to the local assembly. It is one’s spiritual “family” and the place where we can rest in the Lord and allow our “roots” to go down comfortably. It’s a place where the preaching of the Word, Spirit-led worship, and prophetic movings of the Holy Ghost prevail.
Local church membership, therefore, is simply the expression of the realization and acknowledgment of the planting of the Lord, and one’s response in commitment to that fact! It is not some sort of binding, religious, legalistic set of requirements on an individual or family. The local church is made aware of who is committed, and the local believer then knows that they can call that church “home”, being assured that the local church family and its leadership are fully committed to them, as well. Church membership serves also as a protective device against roving wolves who may drift from church to church at will, polluting good people concerning commitment, doctrine, etc. These “Lone Rangers” have also been known to fleece the sheep of local churches for money, whereas had they themselves been members of a local fellowship, spiritual leadership could then have spoken into their lives lovingly. Again, the Lord was, and is, a committed God! We read in John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Beloved, we know that Jesus said in John 15:8, “By this is my Father glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be my disciples.” He also said in verse 16 of the same chapter, “You did not choose Me, but I chose you and appointed you that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain...”. Remaining speaks of fruit that will abide and stand the test of time. This is everything that flimsy, roving uncommittedness is not!
Dear friend, I invite you, and the leadership team of this local church invites you, to walk with us as we endeavor to walk with the Master. Let’s see God’s purposes and God’s great dreams for us in this local fellowship come to pass in our lifetime and through our hands, efforts, and obedience to Him. May God bless you all!