Membership.

John 13:35

“Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” 

The Bible says a Christian without a church home is like an organ without a body, a sheep without a flock, or a child without a family. It is an unnatural state. Ephesians 2:19 says, “You belong in God’s household with every other Christian” (LB).

Today’s culture of independent individualism has created many spiritual orphans — “bunny believers” who hop around from one church to another without any identity, accountability, or commitment. Many believe it is possible to be a “good Christian” without joining (or even attending) a local church, but God would strongly disagree.

The church is so significant that Jesus died on the cross for it: “Christ loved the church and gave his life for it” (Ephesians 5:25 GW).

Except for a few important exceptions referring to all believers throughout history, 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.

A church family identifies you as a genuine believer. I can’t claim to follow Christ if I’m not committed to any specific group of disciples. Jesus said, “Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples” (John 13:35 NLT).

When we come together in love as a church family from different backgrounds, races, and social statuses, it is also a witness to the world (Galatians 3:28).

Five Choices.

2 Corinthians 5:17

“Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come.”

Your identity is based on your choices. Here are five winning choices you can make that will help determine your destiny:

1. I can choose to get healthier. Instead of bemoaning the fact that you don’t have an Olympic body, find ways to increase your energy, lower your stress, get more sleep, and have more power. Psalm 119:73 says, “You made me; you created me. Now give me the sense to follow your commands” (LB). Improving the controllable factors in your life helps you reduce the impact of the uncontrollable factors.

2. I can choose to deepen relationships. The fear of rejection prevents connection, and the only way to get rid of fear is to do the thing you fear the most. Learn communication skills, replace bad relationships, reach out and risk connecting with someone. “Let love be your highest goal!” (1 Corinthians 14:1 NLT)

3. I can choose to trust God no matter what happens. “I will always thank the Lord; I will never stop praising him” (Psalm 34:1 LB). When you get to the point in your life where you can say, “I praise the Lord no matter what happens,” that is a confidence that you won’t find anywhere in Hollywood, on Capitol Hill, or on Wall Street. That is a confidence built on a relationship with God!

4. I can choose what I think about. Throughout the 20^th century, scientists believed the adult brain could not be changed. When the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize winner finally proved that you can rewire your brain, science finally caught up to the Bible: “Let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think” (Romans 12:2 NLT). Your self is created by your memories, and your memories are created by your mental habits. Feed your brain with truth — God’s Word.

5. I can choose Jesus as my Savior. I’m not just talking about Jesus saving you from your sins. I’m talking about letting Jesus be your savior every day. Letting Jesus save you gives you the power to follow through on the choices you make. “Anyone who is joined to Christ is a new being; the old is gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17 LB).

You get to choose how much God blesses your life; he is just waiting on you to use your wild card. It is never too late to change. When you make these five winning choices, God gives you a winning hand.

Flaws.

Psalm 139:14

“Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.”

When people are hurting, they need simple truth, not simplistic truth. It’s not enough to tell someone to pray, read the Bible, or go to church. You have to help them know how to make changes in their lives.

And we can’t make changes in our lives until we understand our identity. You cannot become all that God created you to be until you embrace your identity — the unmistakably unique and flawedyou that God intentionally made for a purpose.

You are wonderfully complex (Psalm 139:14). To fulfill God’s purpose for you, you have to look at every dimension of your life and understand five factors that influence your identity. Then, you have to make the most of what you’re given. We may have all been given different parents, pains, problems, and potential, but we will all be held accountable one day for what we did with those factors.

It’s like a game of five-card stud poker: You don’t get to mix your cards. You don’t get to choose your cards. You have to play the hand your dealt.

The first factor that makes you who you are is your chemistry. This is your DNA, your genes, your hormones, your chemical makeup. Some of you were born with hypersensitivity; others have an extremely high tolerance for pain. Some of you have a low energy level; others are bouncing off the walls. Some of you have backs that are prone to fail you, weak eyesight, or brittle bones. Some of you have low levels of oxytocin, a hormone that affects how we relate to other people.

No flaw is sinful or shameful — it’s the way God wired you! I bought a pair of distressed jeans once that had a tag that read: “These jeans have intentional flaws in order to make them unique.” Your “genes” are the same way: They have flaws that make you unique. Those flaws are part of your custom design, and God planned them for his purpose and glory.

You will never be able to make a change in your life or fulfill God’s purpose for your life until you understand that you are wonderfully complex and uniquely flawed for God’s glory. The question then, is this: What will you do with the hand you’re dealt?

Different Gifts.

Jeremiah 1:5

I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my spokesman to the world. 

In Jeremiah 1:5, we’re taught that God created Jeremiah to share the Creator’s message with the nations. In the same way, God created you to share yourself with those around you.

You are diminished if you hide yourself under a bushel, keeping your skills, talents, insights, joy, and pain hidden away from others. God wants you to share yourself. He created you with a uniqueness that enriches the world when you give yourself to the community around you.

Maybe you’re a great singer, or a great cook, or a great mechanic, or a great teacher. Whatever gift God has given you, he gave it to you to give away in service to him. 

God's Timetable.

John 7:8

“You go to the festival. I am not going up to this festival, because my time has not yet fully come.” 

Even in the church, we over-schedule meetings, ministry, and meals. In our efforts to become like Jesus, we’re developing a very un-Jesus-like characteristic: busyness!

You never think of Jesus as a hurried person. He never seemed stressed over getting more things done.

Can you hear the efficiency experts?

“Jesus, you’d get a lot more done if you had more assistants than just the 12.”

“You really need to attend that council meeting in Capernaum if you want to make headway with the Pharisees!”

“Why are you still here in Galilee? Your ministry would be so much bigger if you’d move to Jerusalem. Such talent going to waste!”

Jesus’ brothers said, “Leave Galilee and go to Judea . . . . No one who wants to become a public figure acts in secret. Since you are doing these things, show yourself to the world” (John 7:3-4 NIV).

Jesus simply told them the timing wasn’t right because he was on the father’s timetable.

Now, as it was, Jesus followed almost immediately on the heels of his brothers. But he did it low-key, because he did not want to be swept into events that might distract him from his purpose or that might push him off God’s timetable.

Time after time, as Jesus walks through the gospels, we hear him referring to the Father’s will. He knew he’d been sent by God for a purpose, and he stuck to that purpose.

What’s the best way to manage your time? Figure out who God created you to be and what he created you to do, and then resolutely set out to accomplish God’s purpose (Luke 9:51).