2021 begins! The first Sunday of a new year.
Have you made any resolutions?
Even if you have not, are there areas where you are striving to do better in a new year? Do you feel new hope? With the arrival of a new year, how are you striving to fill the 365 blank pages?
I have news for you in case you have not considered it yet… In 2021, you need the church and the church needs you.
On this Sunday, you and I have the opportunity to start our new year right.
You Need the Church
As Americans, most of us strive to be fairly independent. I’m not sure we achieve our goal all the time; however, most citizens strive to live independently of others. Not that we formally would say that is our goal; instead, most of us pick up the independent spirit from our culture.
As Christians though, our desire for independence actually works against the biblical process of sanctification or becoming more like Christ. Whereas we may want to be independent, the Bible teaches we are dependent upon each other. We need those other members in the body of Christ in order for us to function the way God desires for us to function. Your spiritual growth, your spiritual health, your mental and emotional wellbeing, and your intellectual development all prosper when you actively participate in the body of Christ as part of your local church.
You were never meant to live life alone outside the local church. Living as an island believer – or striving to be independent – only hurts you. The resources God provides for you to grow in all these ways ultimately flow out of and function best in a vibrant relationship within your church family. The neglect of a local church family for any reason only hinders your walk with Christ and growth as a person. If you start a new year disappointed in key areas, those disappointments continually fester and grow more aggressively when you are not a participating member of a vibrant local church focused on your growth in Christ.
(For further study: Matthew 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-47; Romans 12:4-5; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Ephesians 2:19-22; Hebrews 10:25; 13:17; James 5:13-20; 1 Peter 5:1-4)
Your spiritual growth & health, mental & emotional wellbeing, and intellectual development all prosper when you actively participate... Click To TweetYour Church Family Needs You
Your church family needs you as much as you need them. You do a disservice to those other people in the body of Christ when you choose to not participate actively in your local church. Why? Because just as much as God intended for you to grow and change through your participation within the body of Christ, He also intends for others to grow in a similar way. If you fail to do your part, by implication, you hurt others as well.
You may be thinking, “What can I bring to the table? How can I help anyone else when I struggle so often myself?”
These are legitimate questions. However, in God’s grace, He takes strugglers who are striving together to become more like Christ – imperfect people in an imperfect process but with the most perfect Holy Spirit fueled through the Holy Scriptures – and uses those strugglers to make everyone else in the body stronger.
The Bible uses one-another commands to help us think through our responsibilities toward each other. As we each fulfill our God-given responsibilities with each other, we mutually grow, are blessed, and glorify God as an imperfect body.
My Christian brother or sister, as imperfect as you are and as imperfect as everyone else is in the body of Christ, we each need each other. Your church family needs you.
(For further study: Matthew 18:15-20; Acts 2:41-47; Romans 12:3-13; 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Galatians 6:1-18; Ephesians 4:11-16; Ephesians 4:25; 1 Thessalonians 5:12-15; Hebrews 10:25; 13:17; James 5:13-20; 1 Peter 5:1-4)
Your church family needs you as much as you need them. You do a disservice to others when you choose to not participate actively. Click To TweetIn 2021, Be Bold in Faith for Yourself and Others
On this Sunday, let me encourage you to start the new year out right. Either continue to remain engaged or get engaged in your local church. You need your church family. Your church family needs you.
You may feel scared, have been disappointed in the past by others, have been sinned against, or really sense the imperfect nature of those around you. Yes. Any of those things may be true.
However, God’s best for you is always to live the way He wants you to live. What seems wisest to you is not wise if it goes against His plan for you or others. Further, God’s plan for you does not include independence as a follower of Christ. You may like that plan and may desire that plan, but do not be confused thinking that if you choose independence you actually are doing what God wants you to do. God’s plan for any one of us in particular never goes against what the Bible says.
As we kick off a new year, you need the church.
As we kick off a new year, your church family needs you.
The very best God has for you in 2021 includes the body of Christ as you participate in your local body. With it, you choose the very best God has for you. You also help provide God’s very best for others as well.
On this Sunday, either get in the game or resolve to be faithful in the work of the Lord because you need the church and the church needs you.
NOTE: I understand that right now because of COVID-19 many of you are hindered from participating in-person. Yet, let me encourage you as strongly as possible to participate online. Grab your Bible and follow along with your pastor. Sing. Then contact the church as well as other people in your local body to participate with them even within a remote context. We are all in this together.
On this Sunday, let me encourage you to start the new year out right. You need your church family. Your church family needs you. Click To Tweet
If you do not have a church home, feel free to worship with us either in-person or online at 10:00 AM CST. You can get directions online at www.sonrisebaptist.com or can join our service online.
KevinCarson.com | Wisdom for Life in Christ Together
