Become a Member of Your Church
0. "Covenant" as a concept (Matthew 16:24)
Then Jesus said to his disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
1. We demonstrate our love for God and serve him by prioritizing worship and tithing (Mark 18:28-30)
One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, "Of all the commandments, which is the most important?" "The most important one," answered Jesus, "is this: `Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.'
2. We demonstrate our love for each other by serving and giving wholeheartedly to one another (1 John 3:16-18)
This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers. If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.
3. We demonstrate our love for the world by taking on God's work in the world and participating in acts of service (Matthew 5:13-16)
"You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. "You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.
Summary
As part of Christ's body, we have a responsibility. This responsibility is collective, rather than individual, just as the cells in our bodies are there so that the organs can function as necessary. The decision to follow Jesus Christ comes with a responsibility, one which we are called to take on together with other followers of Jesus. We don't need to compare ourselves with others since we are called to do what we can with what we are given. Let us each do what we can faithfully
For Discussion
1) What does it mean to follow Jesus?
2) What does it mean to become a member of the church?