Lansdowne Life 3 May 2017

To Believe or to
Belong - that is
the Question!
For decades a debate has continued about how people come to faith in Christ
and become part of His body. Do we have to believe certain truths first and
then become actively involved in the church or do we “try before we buy”,
enjoying the experience of relationships in a community and gradually
coming to accept its core values?
Much of the discussion is sterile. It’s always both, believing and belonging,
belonging and believing. It doesn’t matter so much the order or the process.
What does matter is that both sides of the equation are true in the end. I may
believe in order to belong, I may belong in order to believe.
The reality is that everyone has a unique narrative of how they have come to
faith. Some grow up in the church, others have a ‘Damascus Road’
experience.
There is a significant difference between belonging to the Church as an
institution and being personally connected to the Church as someone who
prays, gives, serves and believes.
In the former, I cannot be a true member without being a true believer in the
Head of the Church. I must confess Him as my personal Lord and Saviour and
be born into his family by the heart transplant work of His Spirit. Being a
Member is always secondary to that personal commitment. But if I am
committed, then part of my commitment to Christ will be worked out in the
context of a community of fellow believers.
In this edition of Life you will find examples of believing (the Craig Dyer
Sunday, the GOfest Missions Event at Moorlands College) and examples of
belonging, (the Church Camping Weekend, Richard and Mavis Wheeler’s
amazing ministry among the Residential Care Homes).
So as you read, why not pray, “Lord, who can I help believe in you and who
can I help belong to the Lansdowne Family ?”
Yours in His Service
Peter Baker | Senior Minister