The Significance Of The Ascension

Luke 24:36-53; Acts 1:1-11

Introduction

In the category of “wow, that is amazing!” I would put the birth of our children; the return of spring every year, I love the way the birds and flowers return; Milt Stegall’s catch and run in the final seconds of the game that allowed the Bombers to win an important game last year and oh so many other things. What do you put into the category of “wow, that is amazing!”?

Can you imagine standing with the disciples when Jesus ascended into heaven? That would certainly have been in this category. He was with them, talking with them and all of a sudden he began to rise from the earth into heaven. Yet it isn’t the physical ascension of Jesus that is actually the most amazing. We can’t stand amazed at his physical rising into heaven because we weren’t there, but we can be just as amazed at the significance of the ascension.

Luke 24:36-53 and Acts 1:1-11 are two of the texts which tell us about the ascension of Jesus. As we think about them, let us examine the significance of the Ascension.

Significance for Jesus

First of all we will look at the significance of the ascension for Jesus and understand it in the context of his whole life.

Although divine circumstances attended the beginning of his life on earth, it was really a very lowly and humble beginning. He came from the glories of heaven, and was born as a human child with all the helplessness and weakness that involves. He was born to poor parents and was born in a dirty cattle stall. He grew up like any man and until he began his short three year ministry, he appeared as just an ordinary human being. His ministry was attended by difficulty, and rejection. He tells us that he had nowhere to lay his head, his own family did not accept what he was doing and he received opposition from the ruling Jews at every turn. Phil. 2:6-8 reminds us of the humbling nature of his coming. It says, “Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, ^7 but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. ^8 And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death— even death on a cross!”

In spite of the difficulty, he completed the task that he had been called by God to do, the task that the prophets had predicted (As Luke 24:45,46 indicates).

He had come to show God to men, to die, to rise again and to bring life. Through all the difficulty and the agony, he obeyed the Father. The agony of the cross, was such a great terror to him that he prayed that the cup of suffering could pass from him and while praying He sweat drops of blood, nevertheless in faithfulness He completed the task given to Him by God.

In light of these aspects of His life, what was the significance of the ascension for Jesus?

Glorification

First of all it meant glorification for him.

We see that glorification in the cloud that came down to receive him as He ascended. Clouds, especially those that come down from God are important in Biblical history. The cloud represents the "Shekinah" glory of God, which is the glory of God present with people. In Exodus 40:34 the cloud represented God's glorious presence over the temple during the Exodus. In the transfiguration, God met Jesus and the disciples in a cloud. In the ascension the cloud represented God coming to get Jesus and is a symbol of the glorification of Jesus.

In comparison to the humbling circumstances of His coming and His life, His ascension was glory for Him. This glorification was fitting for who He was. Phil.2:9-11 describes that glorification. It says, “Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place

and gave Him the name that is above every name, ^10 that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ^11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

Acceptance

In Luke 24:44-46, Jesus told the disciples, “Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms…The Christ will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day…”

This was what the prophets had said about Jesus. Jesus came to do these things in fulfillment of prophecy and the fact that he ascended was a sign that he had accomplished what he had come to do. It was God’s “amen” to the work of Jesus.

When someone completes a job, sometimes there is a celebration to thank that person for the work they have done. The ascension was that kind of a celebration. It was God’s acceptance of Jesus’ work. In the ascension God says to Jesus, in effect, "thank-you, come and receive Your reward for a job well done."

Exaltation

It also meant exaltation. Both Luke 24:51 and Acts 1:11 say that he was taken up into heaven. After this Jesus was seen at the right hand of God. Stephen saw Jesus standing at the right hand of the Father. His ascending culminated in a position of honour in the presence of God. Ephesians 1:20-23 describes that exaltation when it says, "he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over every thing for the church, which is his body the fullness of him who fills everything in every way."

Thus, for Jesus, the ascension was Divine approval, glorification and exaltation.

Significance For Us

What is the importance of the Ascension for the disciples and for us?

Departure is always a sad experience. I remember the first departure I experienced that really touched me. I don't know how old I was, probably about 8 or 9. My dad's youngest sister had always been living with us and she was a special aunt. She is only about 10 years older than I am and was sometimes our babysitter. After she graduated she went to work at The Pas for several years. We went to see her off at the train station and I remember how sad I was to see her go, I can still remember the ache in my heart that she was leaving.

Jesus had become very special to the disciples. He was a loving, caring friend who could heal and provide in miraculous ways. Just 40 days earlier they had experienced the devastating blow of his death, but then the great joy of his resurrection. Now over a period of 40 days they had seen him from time to time and shared some special times with him. We don't know what they were thinking. Did they hope that he would never leave them? We know that they hoped that he would now establish the kingdom because this hope is expressed by them in Acts 1:6. With all of these questions, combined with their hopes and joys, Jesus left them. It was a departure and they may have been sad and wondering, but it was a departure with a difference. It was a departure with great significance.

He left us...alive

As the disciples were together in the upper room, they were discussing things. The disciples who met Jesus on the Emmaus road had just returned and were telling all that had happened. In a sense, we could say that they were discussing the missing body of Jesus. But then, as the Life Application Bible Commentary puts it, “suddenly the missing body was among them – a living body”. Although they were still trying to wrap their minds around the possibility and meaning of the resurrection, there was no question that it had happened.

In Luke 24:36-43 we have some of the proofs of his resurrection. He was with them, they were able to touch him and he ate in their presence. It was no fantasy, no dream, no apparition.

At the funeral this past week I spoke with one of Carla’s cousins. Many years ago she and her husband left this area to minister in the US. They left and were gone. At the funeral, we said farewell to Carla’s aunt. She left and is gone. But there is a great difference between these two departures. Her cousin came back and we saw her again after quite a few years. We do not expect to see Aunt Betty on this earth again.

Forty days after the resurrection, Jesus left earth, but he did not go in death. He had risen and they saw him go, alive. He left them, but he left them alive and is alive to this day.

He left us...with a promise.

He did not leave them alone. In Luke 24:49 he says, "I am sending the promise of my Father upon you." The celebrations of Easter, Ascension and Pentecost follow significantly upon each other.

Jesus was Immanuel, God with us. That was part of the reason he was so special. Jesus as God present with us left to be with God again, but with the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Divine presence did not leave. The Holy Spirit is not simply a force working in the world. The Holy Spirit is a personal presence, a helper, a comforter, God is still with us. Another way of looking at this is that the Holy Spirit has taken the place of Jesus. When Jesus was on the cross and told John to look out for Mary, it was as if Jesus was replacing himself with John, for Mary. For all his followers, Jesus has replaced himself with the Holy Spirit. We say, when someone accepts Jesus, that they receive him into their hearts. Technically this is not the case, for Jesus is in heaven, but in fact it is true, for it is the Spirit of Jesus who now indwells the believer. God, Jesus is still with us.

Jesus left, but he left with the promise of the Holy Spirit who would come, and has come.

He left us...with a task

As the disciples had come to know Jesus, their concern had become the establishment of the kingdom of God. With the death of Jesus this hope was dashed to the ground. With the resurrection, it was once again revived, and the disciples asked about it in Acts 1:6. At the ascension Jesus answered this question and gave the disciples the task of establishing the kingdom of God through the proclamation of the gospel(Luke 24:47,48; Acts 1:8).

The complete assignment, as it is given in Acts 1:8, indicates that the kingdom of God must be proclaimed “to the ends of the earth.” This fits with God’s eternal intention. When he said to Abraham, “all peoples on earth will be blessed through you” in Genesis 12:3, this was what God had in mind. In Isaiah 49:6 God told Isaiah, ““It is too small a thing for you to be my servant to restore the tribes of Jacob and bring back those of Israel I have kept. I will also make you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring my salvation to the ends of the earth.” I was recently reading the results of a visioning day held by our conference. One of the goals of our conference in missions falls directly in line with this intention of God revealed to the disciples on the Ascension Day. Their intention is to plant more churches among un-reached people groups. They want to be involved in fulfilling the task Jesus left us on the day He ascended into heaven. What are we doing about making God’s kingdom known to the ends of the earth?

How wonderful to be reminded that Jesus has not left us without the resources to do that task. The Holy Spirit is the one who gives us the power to do the task.(Acts 1:8) Doing the work of God without the Holy Spirit is like using a power tool without electricity or driving a car without gas. But with electricity or with gas, these things really function with power. So the task Jesus left us when he ascended is to make disciples of all nations in the power of the Holy Spirit.

In Ephesians 4:8-10 we have an interesting verse which tells us that, as a direct result of the ascension, Jesus gave gifts to us in order to carry out that task. The imagery is that of the spoils of war. When an enemy is defeated it is the right of the victor to take the spoils of the enemy and give gifts, from those spoils, to those who supported him. When Jesus became victor in the ascension, he gave gifts to his followers in order that they could continue the work of proclaiming his kingdom.

This is why we consider missions so important and why we emphasize the need to reach out to our community. We must continue the task he has commissioned us to do.

He left us...with joy

Parting is sad, as we have already noted, but after this parting occurred, they returned to Jerusalem with joy as we read in Luke 24:52. Why this joy?

Jesus was alive, they saw that matters were moving in a good direction, there was hope, God was in charge and they had the hope of the coming of the Holy Spirit.

As time went on this joy in the Lord increased. As we continue to read the New Testament and see how the faith life is lived by the disciples and interpreted by them, we see that we have good reason to rejoice over the fact that Jesus is not among us today, but is in the presence of God in heaven. For, as many passages reveal, he continues to work for the believers and on their behalf from his exalted position in heaven. In the ascension account in Matthew, Jesus promises the disciples, "And behold, I am with you always, even unto the end of the age." This is true in the presence of the Holy Spirit, it is also true in the way in which Jesus continues to work on our behalf. In fact, one writer says that Jesus is “more effectually present with all of us.” Through His Spirit, through His work from the throne above, Jesus continues to work in the whole world in a mighty way.

One thing the Bible tells us is that He is interceding for us. Paul says in Romans 8:34, “Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us.” Right now Jesus is in the presence of God as our high priest and is representing us before God. If we sin and confess, he is saying, "my death has atoned for that sin." If we struggle, he is saying to God, “I know what that struggle is like, he/she needs help.” Hebrews 9:24 says, “For Christ did not enter a man-made sanctuary that was only a copy of the true one; he entered heaven itself, now to appear for us in God’s presence.”

We have joy now even though Jesus is not with us, because his being gone, is an important part of the coming of the kingdom of God and because He continues to work on our behalf.

He left us...to return

In the devotional for Ascension Day by Oswald Chambers, I read the idea that Jesus had been in the presence of God on one other occasion and that was on the mount of transfiguration. At that time, Peter’s idea was that Jesus and they should just stay there. If they had, if Jesus had returned to the Father on that day, which he would have had every right to do, he would have gone alone. But, since he came down from the mountain and completed the task which he had been sent to do by dying and rising again, this meeting with God was a journey to heaven from which he will return in order to take us with Him.

As the disciples stood and stared into heaven, watching where he had gone, angels came and asked them why they were standing and staring into the sky. Then the angels promised that Jesus would return in the same way that he had left. This was not a final parting, but a farewell until they would meet him again.

In the meantime, he is preparing a place for us. There is a large house with wooden sidewalks and looking like a proper mansion in North-western Ontario. A man built it, preparing a beautiful home for his bride. Then he went to get her to come live with him in it. Unfortunately, after all the work of preparation, she didn't like the isolation and left. Jesus is away from us now and is preparing a place for us in heaven(John 14:1,2). When it is finished and the time is right, he will come and receive us into it. The home Jesus is preparing will be a wonderful place, a place where we will rejoice to be with him and with all his followers.

At the ascension, Jesus left, but he is coming back again. And with the disciples we look forward to that coming and pray with John in Revelation 22:20, "Come, Lord Jesus."

Conclusion

Some of the most important question we ask in life are:

Where is Jesus?

Why isn’t the victory He gained on the cross and in the resurrection more evident on the earth?

If Jesus is alive, what is He doing now?

What am I to do with my life if I follow Jesus?

The ascension answers these questions. Jesus is in heaven. He has given His Spirit to continue His work. He is at work interceding for us and preparing a place for us. He has given us a task to do and that is to proclaim His kingdom to the whole world. He is coming back to establish His eternal kingdom.

May we live in the understanding of the significant relationship we continue to have with the ascended and exalted Lord of all!

Covenant Community

Introduction

This week I was invited to become a member of a certain website. As I went through the registration process, I noticed that they wanted my name and address, which was OK. Then they asked for my birth date and I became a little uncomfortable with that. I was unwilling to give them that information and so I was unable to see what was on that web site. I was unwilling to meet the obligations to belong and so I don’t belong.

What does it mean to belong? What are the obligations of belonging? What are the benefits of belonging? Is it a good thing to belong? Why are we sometimes reluctant to belong?

We are in church today and the same questions could be asked about belonging to a church body. What does it mean to belong? What are the benefits of belonging? What are the obligations of belonging? Why should we belong?

There are a number of different responses people have to these questions. Some are members of the church and participate fully by praying, giving, participating and serving. Some are members of the church, but their level of involvement is that they attend on Sunday morning. Some are regular attendees and enjoy the benefits of being here and even contribute, but they have never made a commitment to the church in a formal way. Then there are some who are members of the church but they haven’t attended for a long time.

This is the way things are. Does it matter? Does the Bible have anything to say about this? I believe that it does and would like to share some of what it says about the church with you today. I believe that the Bible teaches that those who are Christians should make a covenant with a community of their brothers and sisters in Christ and then live in that covenant relationship. I invite you to examine God’s Word with me this morning to discover why we ought to live in covenant community.

The Church Is God’s Idea

Foundational to this concept is the truth that the church is God’s idea. The idea of a people of God is rooted in the Old Testament. When God chose Abraham, his intention was not to choose a man for himself, but to establish a people on earth who would be His people. When God called Israel to be his people, he said to them in Exodus 19:5,6, “Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.” Gordon Fee says that in the OT, “God chose, and made a covenant with, not individual Israelites but a people who would bear God’s name and be for God’s purposes.”

In the New Testament, Jesus introduces the concept of a people of God and calls it the church. He says in Matthew 16:18, “I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.” Then throughout the New Testament we recognize that God was establishing His church. On the day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to dwell in all those who believed in Jesus, the church was established. All that happened on that day happened in the context of the people of God. In Acts 2:41,42 we read, “about three thousand were added to their number that day. They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” When they became believers and were indwelt with the Spirit they became a part of the church. In the letters of Paul, we find that what was practiced was given theological expression. In Ephesians 1:22,23 he says, “And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.” In this verse we see the high place the church has in the kingdom of God. Christ is the head over everything and the church is His body. So in the ultimate reality of the universe, the church is important because God has made it so.

As we talk about a covenant to a community of believers, we are talking about the church. The church is not a human idea, not a convenient way for people to organize themselves, rather, it is God’s idea.

One of the dominant values of our age is individualism. Gordon Fee describes it as, “The individual is the be-all and end-all of everything; subservience of individual rights to the common good has become the new ‘heresy’ to be rejected at all costs.” He goes on to say, “Though entered individually, salvation is seldom if ever thought of simply as a one-on-one relationship with God. While such a relationship is included, to be sure, ‘to be saved’ means especially to be joined to the people of God.” We have heard the sayings, “go against the flow” or being “counter-cultural.” Because God has established the church to be His people, we, as God’s people, must have the courage to be counter cultural and be a part of the church instead of living by the cultural value of individualism?

God Intends The Church To Be A Covenant Community

There are numerous images which the Bible uses to speak about the church. Every one of them points to a community in which people have a covenant with each other.

In Ephesians 2:19 we read, “Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household…” Speaking to Gentiles who had became followers of Jesus, he indicates, in this verse, that they are “members of God’s household.” They are family. Family reflects the idea of a community in which there is a high level of commitment to one another.

In II Corinthians 6:16, it says, “For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” The pronouns in this verse are plural. It is not “I” as an individual, but “we” as a people of God who are the temple of the living God, the place where God lives. This also is a picture of a community in which people are committed to God and to one another.

A third image of the church is that it is the body of Christ. I Corinthians 12:27 says, “Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.” This verse is loaded with imagery related to a community of people who belong to one another. A body, although it is made up of different parts, is still one body. I am one body, my arm isn’t over there doing one thing, my feet over there doing another. There is a unity, I am connected together. When I talk, my arms move appropriately because I am one. That is what makes a body. The church is the body of Christ which means that we are connected to Him and to one another.

These images reinforce the idea that we need to be in a covenant relationship with each other. When we become Christians, we become a part of the universal body of Christ, the church. In the New Testament, however, the reality of that universal body was lived out in a relationship with an identifiable group of Christians in a specific geographical location. Most of the letters of Paul were written to the saints in… For example, he wrote to the saints in Ephesus, Philippi, Rome and so on.

What does this mean in practical terms?

I believe that therefore, as soon as possible, we should make a covenant to the church in which we are regularly attending. Some people seem to think that it is very important to have a connection to the church in which they grew up and keep that connection even when they move away. I would challenge that kind of thinking. Because we are part of the universal church of Christ and because the church takes active expression in a geographical location, we need to make a covenant to the body of Christ in the area in which we live. We have regularly attended 7 different churches and been members of 5 and have been delighted to find loving relationships with God’s people in each one of them. Whenever you move, I believe that the idea of covenant community would suggest that you take your membership with you. So if you have moved into this area and are attending regularly or if you have married someone from this church and are attending regularly, I would suggest that a covenant to this body of believers would be in tune with this understanding of the church. Some of you, by your actions and involvement have already made covenant with us in your heart and I would encourage you to make that covenant formal. On the other hand, many of you are students and may not end up living in Rosenort for your career. Let me encourage you that your membership should be portable. If you move away, please quickly find a place where you are ready to make a covenant and make it there. As much as we hate to see anyone leave, we affirm that kind of transition.

It Is An Expression Of Our Oneness in the Spirit

Another way of looking at the church is to recognize that it is a community of the Spirit. Why the strong bond we have spoken of? Why covenant community? Why this powerful connection between all those who belong to Jesus? It is because we are one in the Spirit. I Corinthians 12:13 puts it this way, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” Just as brothers and sisters have a bond with each other because they all have the same parents, so we also have a bond with each other because we have the same Father. But it is even stronger than that. God Himself is living in me by His Spirit and God Himself is living in you by His Spirit. Because we both have that same powerful someone living in us, we are connected to one another in a very unique and intimate way.

Gordon Fee ponders, “A single person is saved by a broadcast, but does not attend a church. Question: “Is this person saved?” He says, “I would answer: Only God knows; but such salvation lies totally outside the New Testament frame of reference.”

How does that translate into matters of living in the church? One concern some people have is that there are all kinds of different teachings in the church. What if the church isn’t teaching the right stuff. There is no doubt that we need to be concerned about this because the Bible warns us that many false teachers have gone out into the world. However, we also need to be careful. If we take that too far, we can get into real trouble. If we want to have the “perfect” church, it would probably end up being a church with a membership of one. Because we are all indwelt by the same Spirit, God’s Spirit moves us towards unity with one another and towards working together towards discerning His truth. In order to live together in regards to truths that are sometimes not entirely clear we need to follow the advice of Rupertus Meldenius who said, “In essentials unity, in non-essentials liberty, in all things charity.”

The Early Church Exemplifies Covenant

Another way of looking at covenant community is to examine the way in which it was lived in the early church.

As soon as the church began, they realized and understood that they were in a covenant relationship with each other. One of the first way in which they lived it was when some sold property in order to help those in need. In Acts 6, we have another example. Some of the Greek speaking widows were not being cared for in the daily distribution of food. Covenant community took place as they found a way to continue the apostle’s ministry of prayer and preaching and also care for the members of the body who were suffering.

One of the most frequently repeated phrases in the New Testament is “one another.” We are called to serve, love, submit to, care for “one another.” One example is Romans 12:10 which says, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.” This word phrase is so common in the New Testament that we cannot escape that God intends us to be in a close and intimate relationship with one another.

This was the life of the early church. They were in covenant with each other and were a community different from any other community.

What does this mean in practice? Some people are afraid of the responsibilities they will have to take on if they make a covenant with a church body. Such a perspective seems quite self-centred. If we are devoted to one another, as the Scripture says we must be, it means that we will do whatever God calls us to do so that we care for the whole body and each individual in it. With covenant comes privilege and blessing, but also responsibility.

Of course this becomes quite a challenge when we have to love and care for people whom we don’t like. If others have hurt us or wronged us, it is very difficult to “one another” with them. Yet in obedience to what God intends the church to be and in obedience to the huge change Jesus has made in us, we need to obey even to the extent of loving our enemies. Frankly, we get to practice this quite often in the church. Let us not give up doing so.

So even if we have been hurt in a previous church situation and are afraid that the same thing might happen again, I would encourage making covenant. Churches and the people in them are not perfect. Things like that happen. But the principle of covenant community is so strong in the Bible that we should make covenant anyway.

We Witness In Community

Another reason for being in covenant with a community of believers is because it is one of the most important ways in which the world will see Jesus. When the Bible says in John 13:35, “By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another,” it demonstrates one of the primary methods of evangelism. How sad it is that as a church we have so often failed in this respect. If we live in a loving and committed relationship to one another, the world will see something so unique, so other worldly that they will not be able to help but realize that Jesus has been here.

That is why Jesus declares love for one another as the highest value for the members of His kingdom. That is why we need to live in that love. That is why we need to have a deep love for other brothers and sisters who attend other churches as well. The way we demonstrate covenant community is a huge part of our witness to Christ.

It Anticipates Our Future

Another reason for making covenant to the community of God’s people is that it anticipates our future. Those who live their lives in an individualistic relationship in which they are cosy with Jesus and are looking forward to the day when they will be in the presence of Jesus along with all those they love will have a huge surprise.

The presentation of the observance of communion in I Corinthians 11 is in the context of a community of faith that was not getting along. The point of that teaching is that you must get along with each other. One of the phrases presented in the context of the words of observance is, “you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” When we put these things together we realize that we are all anticipating the day when Christ returns. When we get there, we will find a diverse and glorious church made up of all the people from all the nations of the world and all the times of human history who have been a part of the kingdom of God. Heaven is going to be covenant community with a massive community of people including those people whom you find it hard to love. Since that is where we are headed, why not make covenant now? Why not live in covenant with that community now?

Conclusion

To some ears this message could sound like a membership drive to a club called the church. I hope that in the presentation you have realized that it is not that at all. It is God’s plan for every believer to be in a covenant relationship with others of His people. In preaching this concept of covenant community, I have not hunted diligently for a few obscure verses which prove this point. The Bible is so filled with this idea that I have taken only a few representative verses to let you know that, for those who belong to Christ, belonging to a body of believers is precisely what God intends. So the invitation that comes to us today is to live in covenant community. That will mean different things for different people.

The beginning of such a covenant is a relationship with Jesus Christ. Since it is a fellowship of the Spirit it means that it is a fellowship of those who are indwelt by the Spirit. If you do not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, we invite you to enter into that relationship and then to join the church in a covenant relationship.

We believe that a covenant to the community of believers at Rosenort EMC is for those who, belonging to Jesus Christ, have given indication of that relationship in baptism. If you have not been baptized upon confession of faith, that is after you have personally decided to accept Christ, we encourage you to contact us and join a baptism class. The class will remind you of what it means to live the life of a Christian and teach you the meaning of baptism and prepare you for baptism and church membership.

If you have been baptized upon confession of faith, but your membership is elsewhere, we encourage you to write the church where your membership is and ask for a transfer of membership. Then come and see us and fill out an application. We will take time to talk to you to see how God has worked in your life and discuss a time when we can receive you into membership. As a part of this, we would love to have you share what God has done in your life, but, if you find it very difficult to do so and are hesitating, please do talk to us about it and we will find a way to let you tell us how God has worked in your life.

If you have no current membership, but have been baptized upon confession of faith, we invite you to fill out a membership application. We would then take time to interview you to see how God has worked in your life. After that we can also talk about a day when you could share your testimony with the rest of us and make a covenant to this body.

If you are a member of this church but realize that you have not really lived out the obligations of membership, or enjoyed all of the blessings, I invite you to talk to us and we will help you find ways of becoming more meaningfully involved.

The church of Jesus Christ is the place where God lives. How do you relate to His body?