PPGSW - The Meaning of Membership
(Prayers, Presence, Gifts, Service & Witness)
Church - Part 3
Sunday, May 29, 2022
Acts 2:42-47
The believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the community, to their shared meals, and to their prayers. A sense of awe came over everyone. God performed many wonders and signs through the apostles. All the believers were united and shared everything. They would sell pieces of property and possessions and distribute the proceeds to everyone who needed them. Every day, they met together in the temple and ate in their homes. They shared food with gladness and simplicity. They praised God and demonstrated God’s goodness to everyone. The Lord added daily to the community those who were being saved.
Acts 2:42-47 (CEB)
Listen to this week’s sermon here:
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These past few weeks we have looked at the vows our Confirmation Students took in our service last week, but there is one further question asked in our service of Baptism and Membership:
As members of this congregation, will you faithfully participate in its ministries by your prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness?
Essentially we are asked, “Will you live out your commitment to Christ through your participation in the local church as modeled by the Apostles in Acts 2?” Each of these means by which we connect ourselves with the church are visibly present in the church of Acts.
They were clearly present, devoting themselves to DAILY teaching and fellowship. They prayed for one another and the world. They gave generously and sacrificially and served each other so that no one among them would be in need. And the scripture tells us that they gained the favor of all the people and God added to their number those who were being saved. In other words, their acts of service, generosity and prayer along with their commitment to regularly being present with one another did not go unnoticed in the community and their witness led many more to confess Christ as Lord.
Prayers.
Throughout the gospels, Jesus models and instructs his disciples about how to pray. The New Testament offers many examples and instruction on prayer (see Matthew 6:5-13 and James 5:13-18). By praying with and for our congregation we draw closer to our fellow believers and to Christ.
Presence.
Being present at church is important, and “presence” can mean more than showing up regularly at the building. Presence might mean visiting with someone who is unable to be part of worship. Sometimes our presence is required to restore relationships. When we feel pulled in many directions, we may need to be intentional about being fully “present” with the community of faith. Psalm 139 shows the enduring presence, knowledge, and depth of care that God has for us.
Gifts.
1 Corinthians 12 reminds us that each of us have been given unique gifts from God, meant to be used for the good of the community of faith. Each of us possesses talents, abilities, and personality traits that are important for the Body of Christ! In community, we are meant to discover our gifts, affirm those gifts in each other, and find the best use for our gifts, as we offer them to God.
Service.
We put our gifts to work by living a life of Christian service. We serve our congregation and together, we serve beyond our congregation. Our service points to the example of Christ and bears testimony to God’s work in our lives. Each of us, regardless of age or gift, can serve in some way.
Witness.
Our witness brings together all these expressions of faith. When we use our prayers, presence, and gifts in service of God to others, we act as witnesses to God’s redeeming love through Christ and as examples of how to live a life of Christian discipleship. (Note: The 2008 General Conference added witness to the membership vows which is why it is not included in our hymnals)
As Christ’s living body on earth, we do not have the same leeway we might have in other clubs or organizations to grow slack in our participation. A hand cannot say it is too tired to help someone when the head tells it to and a foot cannot say it is too busy to walk when the body needs to go out in the community to serve. As members of the body, we do what the head instructs us to do, with no questions asked. There are days when our body part may be sore or tired and not feel like moving, but we must continue to function regardless. If not the whole body will become paralyzed.
In order to function as Christ’s body, we must fully and actively participate in the life of the church and in His calling upon our lives beyond the church.
How are you participating in the Body of Christ through your prayers, presence, gifts, service and witness?