I encourage you to come to this evening’s fellowship to be encouraged and enriched! In Q&A 54 of the Heidelberg Catechism, we confess: “I believe that the Son of God, through His Spirit and Word, out of the entire human race, from the beginning of the world to its end, gathers, protects, and preserves for Himself a community chosen for eternal life and united in true faith. And of this community I am and always will be a living member.”

In Lord’s Day 21, we find the confession of the church. The church is the community of believers, and we are them. I am a member and will forever be one. Yet it is not about us, but about God, because it is His Church, which He gathers through His Word and Spirit.

 It is not in a man’s power to become a member of the church. The church is not a society or an association or a club. We can only be members of the Church through God’s electing grace.

Man cannot incorporate himself to Christ’ church. He has been graciously chosen by God in a true faith. God gives us the faith through his Spirit. In Eph. 2:8 we read: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God.”

The church is a congregation of believers, and Jesus Christ is the initiator. Everything began through Him. He gathers His church He defends, and He maintains.

How should we act as a church?

The communion of saints is not another issue; it’s just a further definition of church. The church is a community of believers, not separate from each other, but in close fellowship. Community of believers referred to the intimate life of the church and the life of believers with their Lord and with each other.

Through the community of believers, we share in our Lord Jesus Christ and all His treasures and gifts and serve each other with our material and spiritual gifts which the Holy Spirit poured richly on the members.

Christ has given to His body, His church, his member’s different gifts (1 Cor. 12) and His Holy Spirit to every one of us. Out of all His Holy Spirit and faith and the grace in our Lord Jesus are the greatest gifts and we are having part in this. It is our responsibility and so we confess to use these gifts readily and cheerfully for the service and enrichment of the other members. What is your relationship with Jesus? Without a relationship with Jesus there cannot be a relationship with each other.