God designed us as his church to be the dearest place on earth in order to glorify his name in the world. However, we are also all still sinners. What a conundrum! How do we work together to overcome our sin so we can love one another and glorify God? That's what Jesus’ words in Matthew 18:12-20 are all about!
Does church membership really matter? Is it any different from being a member of a club or other organization? This morning, we're going to explore Christ's design for membership of his church from his famous, and controversial, statement to the Apostle Peter in Matthew 16 about the keys of the kingdom. Then we'll see why, if you're a Christian, you — yes you! — should join a church as a member.
Have you ever wondered what we're doing here at Ruggles? What is a church? Is it a building? An institution? A weekly event? Is it optional? Where did the church come from? And what is it for? We're going to answer all of these questions today and more as we explore the doctrine of the church and see why it should be the "dearest place on earth" to us.
