| introduction |
Section
1- Overview III |
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III.
Why is membership
in a local church
and small group important?
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A. We all need shepherds for the soul.
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“Elders”, which
is just another name for “pastors”, care for the people of a
church just as a shepherd cares for his flock. Elders ensure that
the members of a church receive sound teaching, which feeds the souls of
the flock, and guards against errors and deceptions that would harm
them.
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B. We all need accountability to other Christians in our
spiritual journey.
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As members of the
Body of Christ, we are not allowed to be “Lone Rangers.” When we
struggle against all the hostile forces that war against our soul in
this world, forces that are either internal or
external, other believers support and encourage us. We “fight
the good fight of faith” but not alone. We are aided by the power
of the Holy Spirit, and help from the other members of Christ's body,
who know us best.
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C. We all need constant encouragement from the gospel to
follow Jesus.
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Scripture does not
teach a “therapeutic” approach to the Christian life; in other
words, there is not a different knowledge or understanding for each
spiritual ill or battle we face. There is one: The gospel of Jesus
Christ. In the Gospel, exists everything we need for life and Godliness.
Left to our own devices, without the constant encouragement of each
other to trust God’s love, we soon move away to a life of trusting
something else. The Christian Life, as God intended it, is to be lived
as part of the Body. |
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