Next Steps in Following JesusSample

Next Steps in Following Jesus: The Church

What does the word “church” conjure up in your mind? Jesus Christ is the builder and the head of the church. Christ loved the church and gave Himself up for her (Ephesians 5:25). 

Each person who receives Jesus Christ as their personal Savior and Lord becomes a member of the great universal church. The visible manifestation of that is seen in membership of a local church. Sin isolates you, but God wants you to belong to a local church. Belonging to a local church is a sign that you belong to Christ. 

The church is God’s new community. NT writers use different metaphors to help us understand this important concept (e.g. “the Body of Christ”). Don’t be wiser than God, be a member of a local church. And as a member of the church, we are called to preserve its unity and show patience to one another in love.