A New Christian, Added to Christ’s Church
Author: Jonathan Bates
So, you’re a brand new Christian, having just been added to Christ’s church and you’re wondering, what even is this church that I’ve been added to? What should I be doing as a member of this church? What is this church made of and what does it look like? Trust me, these are all wonderful questions! Scripture can answer every one of these questions for us. Let’s take a few minutes to see what God's word says about the Church.
It doesn’t take much of a Google search to realize that there are A LOT of “churches” in the world today. One source claims that there are over 45,000 different denominations in the world today. 45,000?! You may be asking, which one am I a part of? Like anything spiritually related, we need to go to the Bible for the answer. It is interesting that there are so many different “churches”, yet the Bible seems to be very clear about God wanting unity and no division among Christians. (1 Corinthians 1:10; Ephesians 4:3). God commands unity in His children and in everything that we do. In fact, in Ephesians chapter 4, Paul begins this part of his letter by telling the Ephesian brethren that they need to walk worthy of the calling “with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (Ephesians 4:3-6) Essentially, Paul was stressing the importance of being united. There is one body, which means, there is only one church. (Colossians 1:24) Ephesians 4:4 teaches that there is only one church established by Christ (Matthew 16:18), over which Christ is the Head (Ephesians 5:23), and in which one can be saved (Ephesians 5:23). It is crucial that we are a part of that one church, Christ’s Church, the Church of Christ, in order to be pleasing to God. (Romans 16:16) Therefore, we must make sure we are a part of the church that Jesus established and that we are upholding our responsibilities as a member of His church!
You have been added to this church, but what is it? A few points about the Church are as follows: The Church of Christ was founded by Jesus on His own teachings (Matthew 16:18; 1 Corinthians 3:11). It is an organization that has a scriptural name and only uses the Bible as its creed or law (Matthew 16:18; Romans 16:16; 2 Timothy 3:16–17; 2 Peter 1:3). The church of Christ is not a division of any other organization (John 17:20-21). It gives Scriptural answers to the question of how one is saved (Acts 2:38; 22:16; Mark 16:16). It is the same body that Christ established, and in it is Salvation. (Acts 20:28; 2:47; Ephesians 5:23; Colossians 1:18). Thanks be to the God of Heaven who has given us this welcoming and comforting body of Christians to aid us in our daily walk with Christ!
This church that you are now a part of is organized in a specific way according to God’s will. There are different local congregations of the one church of Christ spread throughout the entire world. Each local congregation is organized autonomously. Each local congregation is made up of individual Christians with Christ as the Head (Ephesians 5:23). Jesus Christ has all authority in the church worldwide and in each local congregation (Matthew 28:18). Jesus authorized qualified men to be Elders, or overseers, in each local church (Hebrews 13:17, Titus 1:5). Aside from the eldership, Jesus also authorizes each congregation to appoint qualified men to be deacons (1 Timothy 3:8-13). Together, with Christ as the head, the elders, deacons, and individual members make up a strong force in which the Lord’s work can be accomplished according to His word.
Isn’t it an exciting and wonderful thing to be a part of the church that Jesus himself built? Members of the church play a significant role in carrying out Christ’s mission! The mission of the church is to evangelize, edify, and benevolently help others (Matthew 28:19-20; I Corinthians 14:46; Galatians 6:10). For this mission to succeed, you as a member need to commit to helping in any way you can! First, each member is responsible for being there (Hebrews 10:24-25). Your presence at worship, bible study, fellowship and each church assembly are needed in order for the church to carry out its mission. It is also important for each member to be engaged in the worship and involved in the work (Hebrews 12:28; 13:16).
As a new Christian, Jesus has added you to His church. He wants you to be a part of the family who is working together to do the mission of God and to be in Heaven one day. Be the best that you can be, and always lean on God and His word!