However, if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, do we maintain communion with one another, and does the blood of Jesus his Son cleans us of all sin?1 John 1. 7
There is much talk of the importance of welcoming its visitors through the church, you can search and you will find several lists with tips, because “Your presence is a pleasure and this church loves you”!But today I came here to talk a little bit about the importance of the visitor, or the new member, trying to integrate into the ecclesial community to which he will belong.
- Getting there.
- Being a newbie.
- Starting over.
- Is always a challenge.
- I grew up changing cities every three years.
- Being a beginner and having to force integration is part of my being.
- I have no problem with it.
- I even like it.
- In these changes.
- I also went to countless new churches.
- But I never knew what church fellowship is.
- After many wanderings.
- I stopped at a church.
- Where I am today.
- However.
- When I first came to this church.
- I did not want integration soon.
- To be more precise.
- I spent 8 months sitting in the back.
- Arriving a little after the start and leaving just before the end.
- Absurd.
- Right? But let me explain why it has context.
- I come from a church with a very weak theology and when I came to my current church they were preaching a series of demonstrations in Romans.
- I saw a renovated church for the first time in my life.
- With things that I didn’t even know existed or were possible.
- It was too much for my head.
- I felt like I was starting to crawl.
- I was there every Sunday.
- But I really needed a time of confrontation in preaching and deepening the word before going into integration mode.
- Of course.
- I am not indicating that you love me and come to a church in isolation.
- So today I am here with this text with tips to get involved in the Church.
- I’m sure it would have been a lot easier if I had the support of the sisters of the Church.
- Important detail here.
- They tried.
- It wasn’t ready at the time.
- During this time I dedicated myself to studying the word of God much more.
- I read many books to understand the worldview.
- Apologetics.
- The doctrine of election and the precepts of the Reformed faith and all this gave me more maturity and wisdom for fellowship.
- The weaker our theology.
- The easier it is to misinterpret the body of Christ.
- We are disappointed in the mistakes of the people in the church.
- And with that we fall into the error of getting lost in the church because of the people.
- When I felt ready to get involved with the people of the Church.
- I entered the fast lane!.
The Bible talks a lot about brotherhood. It is extremely necessary to understand that God says that we are a body, all of us who have been saved and that we have the same Father are brothers in Christ, Christ did not save us to live in isolation, the church is a family that God has given us to love, care for and be cared for. Every brother there will be part of our process of sanctification. Sinners redeemed by grace worship God together is beautiful, has many problems and yet it is beautiful!
Communion is one of the public means of grace that God has given us for our spiritual growth, maturity, joy, holiness and likeness to Christ. If you want to know a little more about the means of grace and more specifically about communion, read this text available in Let’s Go to the Gospel. Author Ear Blackburn says: “Communion does not mean meeting other believers to talk about sports, entertainment, climate, economics or politics, although there is nothing wrong with doing so. . On the contrary, communion is to share, from the bottom of the heart, with each other the things of the Lord Jesus and his Word. The peculiarity of Christian companionship lies in the ability to speak and share, together, joys, happiness, victories, problems, temptations, pains and blessings of our walk with God. Proverbs 27:17 says, “How does iron with iron sharpen a man for his friend?Enjoying communion with brothers and sisters in Christ in a local church is similar to?Iron?sharpen the “iron”; it is the means of grace that keeps us spiritually healthy and vigorous.
You shouldn’t try walking alone. The brethren who walk with you are gifts of God, He has done so, and He is good. We must have our daily time with God alone in prayer, but approaching the Church, together and fickle, is fundamental to our spiritual growth. Be there, participate!
Tip 1? Talk to the pastors of the church. Go introduce yourself, don’t expect to be seen hiding in the bank, no. Plan a conversation to introduce yourself, get to know you and make yourself known. The pastor of your church will surely give you many suggestions about what you can do to achieve it. to get to know the other brothers better.
Tip 2? SERVE! There will always be something to do in the church, not just things that are highly visible, but especially those that have little or no visibility EBD classes always need aunts to help, sound editing and disassembly teams, rooms, chairs and cleaning is always needed I am not saying that our motivation in service should be only to make friends, we serve because God calls us to serve, we are a body and we all must work to maintain it, a heart ready to serve and surrender to its brothers is a fruit of the spirit And, in addition, it will have the positive side effect of intertwining.
Tip 3? Go to EVERYTHING. Participate in all the events of your church: young people, adults, family groups, discipline, strive to be there, hitchhike if you need it, but do it, many times the effort will be much greater than the will and tiredness Will Increase, but when you leave, you will see that it has been worth it.
Tip 4? Check if there are any deepening group in your church, also called discipleship or whatever. If not, talk to your pastor and suggest. It is a great opportunity to connect, learn, and know God with your brothers and sisters.
Tip 5? This advice is also a tip: if you’re a woman and you get to church, first try to be among the girls, if you’re a man, with men. There’s no point in confusing things even with the impression that people will have and for yourself. Save your heart. Even if you have been in church for a long time, look at this, direct the sisters and newcomers to the brothers and sisters.
Tip 6? Tip that gives way to modernity! Create official WhatsApp groups for the church, one for women and one for men, of all ages together, take advantage of these groups to book unofficial events, such as lunches, picnics, cafes, etc. It’s always a good opportunity to bring newcomers together.
Tip 7? There will certainly be frustrations and disagreements, and there are biblical ways to deal with them. These disagreements are not reasons to stop joining, but a warning that there is something there that needs to be resolved.
Tip 8? Finally, once integrated, always keep an eye out for those who come and help in this process!
“Let us also consider one another, to encourage love and good works. Let us not stop coming together, as is the custom of some; rather, let’s make warnings and much more, because you see the day coming. “? Hebrews 10:24-25
I have one last tip! Nobody’s got a crystal ball. Don’t expect the church to love you and guess when you’re ready to fit in. All churches have to welcome their visitors, but not everyone will be the type of people who will call you every week. The responsibility is not only for the church, it is also yours. When you don’t want to, two don’t get together. Don’t you have to wait for someone to hold your hand to go with the body, you see the little finger?
But will we?
I tried this same problem on my podcast and you can listen to it here.