Second service of Church Membership Sunday (part 2 of the series). Building on Acts 6 and 1 Corinthians 12–13, Pastor Nana Boadum moves from the functioning member to the unifying member: the church is a body, love is its operating system, and the tongue can build or burn its unity.
The seven movements
- Murmuring vs. responsibility. The widows' neglect in Acts 6 was a legitimate concern handled wrongly — whispered displeasure instead of action. The apostles' fix: embrace responsibility. Result: the word spread, disciples multiplied, the hard-to-reach believed.
- Membership is a body, not a club. No dues and perks — you are an essential part of the whole (1 Corinthians 12:12,27); when one member neglects their part, the body suffers.
- Different, yet together. Each member's gifts, personality, and experiences are uniquely shaped by God to contribute to one body.
- The unifying member. Paul thanked God for Ephesus because of their love for all the saints — love is the evidence of discipleship (John 13:35) and the perfect bond of unity (Colossians 3:14).
- 1 Corinthians 13 is the church's manual. Read it at the tense members' meeting, not just the wedding: love suffers long, is kind, is not easily provoked, thinks no evil, does not seek its own.
- Gossip tears the body. Among the unity-destroyers of Romans 1 stand the whisperers; the tongue can set a life ablaze (James 3:6). Don't be a source; keep your tongue; rebuke it gently. "If you love life and want to see good days, refrain your tongue" (1 Peter 3:10).
- No trial-version membership. Stop waiting for the job, the degree, or the marriage to plug in — the moments you control are now.
Walk away with this
Run the audit: am I a functioning part of the whole, and a unifying one? Bring your all, guard your words, and let love be the bond that holds your church together.