FROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: Where do you belong?

[Lynn D. Walker]

Please visit us at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCHFROM THE PASTOR'S PORCH: Where do you belong?

    The Good Lord has designed and engineered people to have a longing to belong.  Just look at all the clubs, organizations, teams, and groups that we belong to.  I remember starting to school at Cement, Oklahoma and I spent twelve years with my class.  That class that graduated in 1968 was my class and I belonged to it.  I had a Sunday School class that I belonged to.  I had the Boy Scouts that I belonged to.  I had baseball and basketball teams that I belonged to.  I belonged to the FFA and Beta Club in high school.  I belonged to the National Fraternity of Student Musicians.  The list just goes on and on because it's just a natural tendency that we all have.  We all want to belong to something. 

    Why did God build the need to belong into our character?  If we look at the animal kingdom, we see that many of them have the desire to belong as well.  For animals, it is not just a social thing.  They run in packs, herds, and flocks because there is safety in numbers. Maybe that's the key for us as well.  When we are members of a tribe or nation there is safety in numbers from animals and other groups of people, but I think there is something much more to belonging than just the benefits we see in the physical world. 

    “In Christ we who are many form one body, and each member BELONGS to ALL the others” (Romans 12:5).  This scripture clearly shows us that we not only are designed to belong to Him, but also we are to belong to each other.  Paul is writing here to tell us what church is really all about.  Christ is the head of the church and we as believers make up the body of Christ.  If you are “in Christ”, a believer, then you really don't have the options to belong or not to belong to the body of Christ.  In other words, there ain't no Lone Ranger Christians!  

    I know that some of you are reading this and going over all the excuses why you don't attend and belong to a church.  Well you can stop that right now and quit trying to make God out to be a liar.  God says that YOU are a member of HIS Body and that makes you belong to him and it also makes you belong to all the other members.  That belonging to all the other members is what gets us.   We get self-centered about it and think we can have a Relationship with God without having a Relationship with others.  I'm sorry about that, but that's just not the way God planned it. 

     Please read Romans 12:5 again.  Especially the part that says, “EACH MEMBER BELONGS TO ALL THE OTHERS”.   Now make yourself a promise that you are going to get up Sunday morning and go to church somewhere.  There are many, many  good churches in this community and I'm sure you can find one that suits you.  My prayer for you today is that you will never forget who you belong to and that you will be obedient to God's Word.  If you don't have a home church, please visit us here at COWBOY COUNTRY CHURCH.  ~Walker