I’m a follower of Jesus. I am committed to keeping His word. I am a student of the Bible, and I have been baptized into the Body of Christ. May I join your church, please?
That’s right. I’d like to join your church. If you are a follower of Jesus then you are a brother or sister of mine and a member of the same Body. If you attend a church full of Christians, then we are all part of the same Body. Therefore, I’d like to become a member of your church. I’d like to become a member of every church since it is the same body.
Please mail me your church membership application. I’ll fill it out and send it back. Then, you can put me on your membership roll. If your church is in my town, maybe I could even come visit some day? That would be nice.
The problem with some churches, however, is that they are very discriminatory. Unlike the Body of Christ, they are choosy over which people can be a member. For example, some local churches have certain rules for joining. They may make you learn a creed, or agree to a distinctive doctrine. Though you may have been baptized into Jesus, some will not accept you until you are baptized into water in a prescribed way. Others will make you take a pledge that no Apostle ever insisted upon.
Some churches require that you can only be a member of their church and no other. It’s okay for you to visit other churches when you go on vacation, but they become very territorial when you get back. They see the Body of Christ as being divided. You can belong to this group, but not that. Some are of Paul, some are of Apollos. Being a member here means you cannot be a member there. Unlike the Church universal, they can be very exclusive.
But, if the membership requirements of your church are just like that of the Body of Christ, then maybe I could be a member? I’d be happy to join. Please, send me an application!
peace,
dane
Dane Cramer is a backpacker, Christian blogger, jail chaplain, and author of two books: Romancing the Trail and The Nephilim: A Monster Among Us.