Pastor's Pen 13th Sept 2015 "Commitment"

Commitment is an issue in all spheres of life. Just a generation ago, commitment to one partner for life was the normal thing for all members of society, not just Christians, but now divorce is as common among professed believers as it is among non-Christians. But commitment in other areas has also suffered. Commitment to a local church for Christians has dropped away significantly, with once a month attendees believing they are regular and committed. Furthermore, there is an easy come easy go attitude among many who call themselves Christians, as they float from one church to another, or even adopting a view that they don’t need to be part of a local church, that they are part of the ‘universal church’ and get there teaching online or on television.

But what do those looking on think about a lax un-committed group of people that claim to be God’s power people. They probably don’t care. But that may be because many “Christians” have stopped caring. But God cares and He does intend for His children to be committed members of a local fellowship, active in service and humble in attitude. I have noticed a powerful picture of the church as God intended in scripture in recent times. This gathering of God’s holy people was clearly recognized by believers and un-believers.

Acts 5:12-14 reads, “And all the believers used to meet together in Solomon’s Colonnade. No one else dared join them, even though they were highly regarded by the people. Nevertheless, more and more men and women believed in the Lord and were added to their number.”

Notice four things. 1. When they met together they were all there. 2. They were different and those who weren’t part of it knew they weren’t included. 3. They might have been different but they were “highly regarded”. 4. The group continued to grow (those who were saved became PART of this committed, set apart and highly respected group.)

We must resist making church common and unimportant. We have a beautiful, potentially powerful thing going here. What we need however is for us who have been saved to take our commitment to Christ seriously and make our commitment to the church something that will serve to bear witness to the truth and power of God in our midst. So let’s make our commitment to Christ and His church real by gathering together, by being different, and by living with integrity. Such commitment may even open the door for God to bring more people into our community of faith.