As we move into 2016, may God give us the grace to see that “the church comes first.” In turn this will be evidenced by the way in which we structure our lives. God has spoken to the corporate church rather than simply to individuals. The love of the members of the church is to be exhibited in the context of the local assembly. In His wisdom, God has ordered the church to be a community of believers who are dependent upon one another for spiritual, physical and missional needs.

As we come to the end of the year and press into yet another new year, it is always beneficial for us to evaluate our commitments and priorities from the past year–noting the ways in which we have, by God’s grace, grown in certain areas and the ways in which we desperately need to grow in other areas. When people make New Year’s resolutions, they tend to fixate on their own personal health and wellness—something for which there is much to be said. In the church, believers often commit to such things as “reading through the Bible in the year” or “starting a prayer journal.” While these—and similar resolutions—are honorable, there is one area of supreme importance where growth is always needed yet sadly neglected. It is the need for us to resolve to give our lives to Christ in the worship and service of the local church. In a very real sense, it is right for us to insist that the church should come first in the order of priorities of our lives.

In the Presbyterian Church of America (PCA), believers take five membership vows when they join one of our churches. In one of these vows, those coming for membership promise God that they will “support the church in its worship and work to the best of their ability” (Book of Church Order 57-5).  Sadly, if most believers were honest with themselves they would acknowledge that they often give the better part of their time, energy and money to all kinds of social activity, individuals and organizations rather than to the advancement of the Kingdom of God through the ministry of the local church. I can speculate as to reasons for this; however, I would rather seek to stir up your mind and heart to resolve to commit yourself more fully to the worship and service of the local church to which you have joined yourself.

Here are six reasons why all believers should give themselves to fulfilling their call to put the church first throughout the New Year ahead:

1. The Bible was written to the Church. In one very real sense we can say that Scripture was written for all men throughout all time. Additionally we can say that the Bible was written to the Church universal (i.e. to all true believers throughout the ages); but, nearly every book in the Bible was originally addressed to regionally-located churches. For instance, the letter to the Romans was written quite obviously to the church in Rome. The letter to the Ephesians was written to the church in Ephesus. While every letter is to be read in every church throughout all ages–as is clear from Paul’s statement in Col. 4:16 and 1 Cor. 14:33—it was, nevertheless, originally addressed to specific local churches. The idea that all Scripture was originally given to geographically specific churches is also true of the Scriptures of the Old Testament–which were written to the Old Covenant Church within the geographical boundary of Israel.

Proper biblical interpretation is dependent, in part, on understanding that the Scriptures were written to the church. For instance, when Paul addresses believers as “saints…and faithful in Christ” (Eph. 1:1) we could not begin to think that he had every single person in the world in mind. He was clearly addressing those who have professed faith in Jesus Christ and who are living in accord with their profession in a local church. In the same way, recognizing who the books of the Bible were written to helps us understand God’s requirements for the members of a local church. Those who reject the idea of local church membership have no other option than to gloss over the pastoral epistles. Additionally, they must ignore the two clear commands in Hebrews about the responsibility of Christians to submit to the oversight of the elders of a local church. Local church membership is assumed in the following two verses:

“Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct” (Heb. 13:7).

“Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you” (Heb. 13:17).

2. The applicatory sections of the New Testament letters start with the local Church. The Apostle Paul first addressed the church, rather than families and individuals, when he came to apply the Gospel truths that he had just set out. It is the general pattern of the Apostolic letters to bring the Gospel to bear, first and foremost, to the local church to which they were writing. This is seen most clearly in the letter to the Ephesians where Paul begins his applicatory section by addressing the local church (Eph. 4), then individuals (Eph. 5:1-21) and then families (Eph. 5:22-6:3). This is important for many reasons.

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