1 Peter 2:4-6 (AMP)
4 Come to Him [the risen Lord] as to a living Stone which men rejected and threw away, but which is choice and precious in the sight of God.5 You [believers], like living stones, are [a]being built up into a spiritual house for a holy and dedicated priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices [that are] acceptable and pleasing to God through Jesus Christ.
Imagine trying to build a house with stones that are not committed to the cause and neither are they committed to each other. Stones that do not want to stay close knit. You set them up today and you build a wall only for you to come back the next day to find gaps here and there because some stones moved because they were offended or they think they are better than the stone you laid next to it.
You and I together with other believers all over the world are living stones that God is using to build a spiritual house for a holy and dedicated priesthood with Christ being the corner stone. Commitment to the church is something that God expects of us. Are you committed to the brothers and sisters in the faith? Are you committed to the fellowship/ church that God has planted you in or do you only show up when you have a need? One of the attitudes I have seen in the church today is one that is very worrying. An attitude of entitlement, a consumer attitude where we come to get and we struggle to give, we want the benefits but we do not want to commit.
The believers in the book of Acts were committed to the church, to each other even in their material possessions, no wonder they experienced the power of God in such magnitudes that many of us only read about.
How does commitment to the church look like; consider the following verses:
“…Be at peace with each other.” (Mark 9:50)
“…Love one another…” (John 13:34)
“…Honor one another above yourselves. (Romans 12:10)
“Live in harmony with one another…” (Romans 12:16)
“…Stop passing judgment on one another.” (Romans 14:13)
“Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you…” (Romans 15:7)
“…Have equal concern for each other.” (I Corinthians 12:25)
“…Serve one another in love.” (Galatians 5:13)
“Carry each other’s burdens…” (Galatians 6:2)
“…Be patient, bearing with one another in love.” (Ephesians 4:2)
“Be kind and compassionate to one another…” (Ephesians 4:32)
“…Forgiving each other…” (Ephesians 4:32)
“Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” (Ephesians 5:21)
“…In humility consider others better than yourselves.” (Philippians 2:3)
“Do not lie to each other…” (Colossians 3:9)
“…Encourage each other…” I Thessalonians 5:11)
“…Build each other up…” (I Thessalonians 5:11)
“…Do not slander one another.” (James 4:11)
“Don’t grumble against each other…” (James 5:9) ….plus many other scriptures.
Sometimes we may think that as long as I have Jesus then I do not need anyone else. God knows we need each other and we must be committed to the church because we are the church, His living stones. Remember also;
Hebrews 10:24-25 (AMP)
24 and let us consider [thoughtfully] how we may encourage one another to love and to do good deeds, 25 not forsaking our meeting together [as believers for worship and instruction], as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more [faithfully] as you see the day [of Christ’s return] approaching.
