Last night we talked about church membership and church discipline at Eternity. You know, it was one of those nights where parties and joy broke out in the streets and love was felt everywhere as we talked about what our individual responsibilities are as church members and then talked about the process to help us be corrected should we abdicate our responsibilities as church members.

The topic of membership and discipline is fraught with people’s notions, experiences, and baggage (most of it all negative) because most folks in church have never truly experienced membership of a body the way the New Testament describes and discipline and authority are completely absent in most churches today.

One of the things that struck me last night was to see a desire in people to be a part of a church that has a Biblical membership and that practices discipline and in the same vein see those same people wrestle and think through the implications of what it takes to make that happen.

It starts with each individual. You’re never going to see a loving church until each individual member makes a commitment to love. You’re never going to see a serving church until each individual truly believes in serving. It rises and falls on each individual. Cultures of churches aren’t developed magically. They are a reflection of the individual lives that make up the body.

This has been a good time for Eternity as a core group. People are being stretched, challenged, and discomforted in their views of what it means to be a Christian and the church. At times, it has been difficult for some folks but the encouraging thing is that folks are still coming back. God is doing an amazing work and I can’t wait to see what He does in the coming weeks.