By Rev Charles Seet

Preached at / Published Life BPC 8am service, 2003-06-08

Text: Proverbs 13:24; 23:13,14

Those who are parents will realize that no two children are exactly alike (even identical twins). They may come from the same parents, bear the same surname, and may grow up together in the same home, and may bear some resemblance to each other. But they have different personalities, different strengths and different weaknesses. One child is very fussy while the other is very accommodating. One child is very messy while the other is very meticulous. Our objective as parents is to know each child's temperaments well enough to help each of them to grow up successfully. This is not easy, and we need to seek wisdom from God to do it.

I. The Sinful Nature Is Found In Every Child

One area that we really need wisdom to help each child in, is to deal with the sinful nature that he is born with. That sinful nature is there from birth, and even earlier than that - from the time of conception, as the godly king David, said in Psalm 51 'Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.�' This sinful nature is part of the fallen image that the child inherits from us, and that we in turn inherited from our own parents. This fallen image goes all the way back to our first parents, Adam and Eve who disobeyed God. This means that every child has inherited a natural tendency to sin. This has become a permanent trait passed from generation to generation, like a permanent stain that cannot be removed from the human race. 

And this helps us to understand what causes the common experience that all parents have with babies. At first when the baby is born, we are filled with pride and praise for our little angelic bundle of joy - how sweet and innocent it looks when he opens his eyes, smiles with a toothless grin and utters his first baby sounds. 

But not long after that, we discover to our horror that our cute little newborn is not so angelic after all. The sinful nature in him unravels itself as he grows up. He begins to be quite demanding and unreasonable, at times fussy and moody, trying the parents' patience to the limit. He manifests a will of his own, and works out interesting ways to get what he wants. He puts on an act, or plays hard to get. He refuses to eat or sleep when he is supposed to do so, and sets conditions that must be met. If those conditions are not met, he vents his displeasure and throws a tantrum, crying until he is all red in the face. And the baffled parents are left wondering, where did he learn all these things from? We never taught him to do them!

He does not have to learn to do these things. They come quite naturally, because of the sinful nature that he already has. And where did that sinful nature come from? It came from us, his parents! Not all parents however, are willing to admit that. You will always find some mothers complaining to their husbands who come home from work, 'Do you know what your son did today?' And you also will find some fathers saying to a child when they are upset with him, 'Go to your mother!' But the interesting thing is when the child is good and has done well both of them will gladly say, 'He's my son' without the slightest hesitation!

The truth of the matter is that the sinful nature we see in him comes actually from both father and mother. We must be willing to admit that we are partly responsible for it, since his sinful nature is a replica of our own. And our willingness to admit this then gives us a sense of responsibility to help the child to deal with this sinful nature that we have passed on to him. It makes us seek earnestly for a remedy for the child's problem of sin. Now, what kind of remedy can best help the child to deal with the sinfulness or foolishness that is in his heart?

II. The Rod of Correction is the Remedy

The answer is found in Proverbs 22:15 'Foolishness is bound in the heart of a child; but the rod of correction shall drive it far from him.' The rod of correction here refers to parental acts of disciplining the child when his sinful nature rears its ugly head. Although the word 'rod' here suggests the use of a stick or cane, it should be understood as a metaphor for all the various ways of applying discipline besides the cane, including the use of words of rebuke, removal of privileges, and doing unpleasant tasks. The purpose is to make the child realize that sin always brings about unpleasant consequences. And as such disciplinary measures are applied, the child develops a healthy aversion not for the disciplines itself, but for sin.

In the Bible we can find a good example of the rod of correction being used in God's disciplining of Israel. At the time when the nation of Israel went astray from God and disobeyed Him, God disciplined them (Deuteronomy 8:5 'as a man chasteneth his son, so the LORD thy God chasteneth thee.'). As a result of God's discipline the nation was brought many times to repentance and to a renewed walk with Him. 

The Bible also provides us with a negative example of father who did not discipline his sons at all. This is found in the account of Eli the high priest. Eli had two sons, Hophni and Phineas, who followed their father's footsteps in serving as priests at the Tabernable in Shiloh. But both of them were evidently not disciplined when young and they grew up to be wicked priests, who abused their privileges and took advantage of worshippers who came to the Tabernacle to worship the Lord. The sad thing is that their father, Eli did not have the heart to stop his sons and discipline them, although he was grieved by their sins. The awful result is that God judged the house of Eli: 1 Samuel 3:13 'For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not.'

Eli did not restrain his sons at all, even though he knew about the evil things that they were doing. The question we ask is, Why did he not restrain them? Perhaps he may have thought that it would be a very unloving thing for him to do as their father. To this day there are some parents who have the mistaken idea that if they love their child, they should not hurt him or discipline him at all. They don't want their precious child to go through the least suffering at all, not even if that suffering is the necessary consequence he has to bear for his own wrongdoing.

Such parents must listen most carefully to the words of wisdom found in Proverbs 29:15 'The rod and reproof give wisdom: but a child left to himself bringeth his mother to shame.' One mother I know has a child who was never disciplined because he was the youngest in the family, and his father too busy and had died when the child was barely 6 years old. He grew up to become wayward and got himself into serious trouble with the authorities. But rather than seeing him go to jail, the mother paid the huge fine for him. But he promptly got into trouble again, and she had to bail him out a second time. When he did it one more time, she decided to let him spend time in jail - because all her efforts to protect him from the penalty of the law was apparently not doing him any good. It had only made him bolder and bolder to think that he could always get away with breaking the law. 

In the same way, withholding the rod of correction from a child who needs it will do him more harm than good. And Proverbs 23:13,14 therefore instructs us 'Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and shalt deliver his soul from hell.'

All good parents know full well that it is sometimes necessary for a child to experience some pain for his own good. For example, in taking an injection to give him immunity against certain deadly diseases like Tuberculosis, Tetanus, Typhoid, Measles, Mumps, and Rubella. Why do we make our children go through this regime of painful injections, despite their cries and protests? Isn't it because we love them and we want the best for them?

III. The Rod Must Be Used With Love And Wisdom

The same thing holds true now for the rod of correction. It may be painful and unpleasant both to the child and to his parents, but it is definitely worth all the good results that it brings. If we truly love our children and want the best for them, we should not withhold the rod of correction from them. To withhold the rod from them is actually as good as hating them! As Proverbs 13:24 tells us 'He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.'

This verse also gives us an important principle about the use of the rod of correction. Whatever discipline we give must always be done with love, and not with anger. It is a sad fact that some parents cross this line when disciplining their child, and in a fit of rage they inflict more physical and emotional pain than what is needful and helpful to the child. Some cases of child abuse have sadly resulted from parents who have not controlled themselves while disciplining their child. How do we exercise love in using the rod of correction? Here are some guidelines to help us.

A. Words of Instruction and Correction

First of all, children must be given words of instruction. They must be told where the boundary lines are. For example, they must be told that directly disobeying authority, or deliberately infringing upon the rights of others, or violating a known moral principle are things they should not do. These rules should always be kept simple, enforceable and be clearly explained to the child. And before any physical punishment is inflicted for breaking a rule, words of correction should first be given to him. If the child responds to those words of correction by an immediate withdrawal from his disobedience, there is no need to go further. But if the child does not respond to the words of correction, and persists in carrying on his disobedience, then that is the time when punishment becomes most necessary. For this, we go on now to the second guideline for exercising loving discipline which is about:

B. The Right Amount of Discipline

Discipline is just like medicine. It must always be given with the correct dosage. If one gives too little, it will not be effective at all. There must be some degree of firmness in discipline. But if one gives too much, then it may do more harm than good! There must be restraint and gentleness in discipline. The discipline given should also be fair, appropriate, and consistent. It must be fair so that no child would think that he is being unjustly given more discipline then the rest of his siblings. Discipline must be appropriate for the child's age. As a general rule, the cane should be used only up to the age of 12. Those who are older would need different forms of discipline, e.g. loss of privileges or isolation. And discipline must be given consistently in order to be effective. It should not be sometimes given, and sometimes not given, depending on the disposition or mood of the parent.

There is a passage in God's Word that warns us against the danger of overdoing discipline and of administering it unjustly, unfairly or inappropriately. It is Colossians 3:21 that says, 'Fathers, provoke not your children to anger, lest they be discouraged.' You will notice that this instruction is specifically addressed to fathers, who because of their physical strength, might tend to be a little too severe in their exercise of discipline. This will only build up deep-seated anger or resentment in the hearts of their children. 

There may be some occasions when some of us who are fathers may be caught in a wrong frame of mind and spirit at the time when we have to discipline a child, and we overdo it. When we realize that we have been too severe, what should we do? We should not be afraid to apologise to the child for the excessiveness of our discipline. Don't try to justify it or say, 'Why do you have to make me cane you when I am in a foul mood?' Making an sincere apology will keep the child from developing feelings of resentment. The point that must be emphasized here is that the feelings of the child must be taken into consideration in our exercise of discipline. And because of this we should also not be guilty of excessive faultfinding or of nagging our children too much. If we do this, our children will become discouraged, that is, they will loose heart and become quite despondent.

This is already happening in some homes today. Some time ago there were reports in the papers about the increased number of psychiatric cases of primary and pre-primary children and also about a large number of children calling the SOS hotline for help. And the reason: The great pressure they face at school and at home. A child who faces constant negative criticism from teachers as well as from parents may soon be convinced that he cannot do anything good at all, and just give up. And some children who cannot take this kind pressure anymore may come to the point of taking their own lives. 

Seeing that the wrong use of discipline whether it is verbal or physical, can be detrimental to a child, it is important for all parents to exercise discipline with both wisdom and love. A Dutch Reformed writer once said, 'Chastisement is a bitter pill that must be coated with wisdom and dispensed with love, otherwise the pill will be spat out.' It is a good practise to reassure the child that you still love him, just after meting out the disciplinary action to him. It is also good to encourage him with words of praise when he begins to do what is right. Such words can go a long way to help the child, as given in Proverbs 25:11 'A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in pictures of silver.'

Now, earlier on we had seen that the aim of all discipline is to help the child deal with his sinful nature. This means that our disciplinary efforts are not complete until we have taken one more step, which is:

C. Turning the Child to God For Forgiveness and Help

We all know that when a child is corrected for having done wrong to someone, he should be required to make an apology to that person. It is only when he is able to say, 'I'm sorry for what I have done to you' that we know that the correction has been successful. But we must also let him know that the One who has been offended the most by his sin, is God, and so above all else, he should make an apology to God. 

This is where you can help your child by praying together with him, helping him to confess his sin to God and to ask for God's forgiveness. When you keep on including this step in the process of correcting your child, he will soon realize how dependent he is on God's grace to forgive him for his sins. And if the child is not saved yet, this realization can be used by God to lead him to trust in the death of Jesus Christ on the cross to wash all his sins away. And by directing your child to turn to God each time you discipline him, you are also helping him to seek God's help to deal with his own sinful nature. 

Soon it will become natural for him to ask God to help him overcome the urge to sin. Being saved from sin through trusting in Jesus, and seeking God's help to overcome one's sin are the ultimate solution to the sin problem that is found in every person, even to your child's sin problem.

IV. The Rod Should Be Used With Prayer

When we who are parents come to realize that God is the only One who can deal effectively with that sin problem in our child's life, we should also be praying for him. After all, even the disciplinary measures we implement to help the child are part of the tools that God uses to mould him and change him from within. Let us remember that God is not only our Heavenly Father, but the child's heavenly Father as well. As a loving heavenly Father He is even more concerned for the child's struggle with sin than we are. And as a loving heavenly Father, you can be sure that God will also use the rod of correction on him when necessary. Hebrews 12:6 tells us, 'For whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.' God may use trials, disappointments, and other circumstances as his rod of correction.

God's disciplinary actions on him will always be the best for him. He knows exactly how much chastisement to give to your child - neither too much nor too little. What this means to those who are parents, is that while you ought to do your part in using your rod of correction wisely and lovingly, you should also be praying that God will use His divine rod of correction on your child in the way that He knows best. If you find that your child is not responding well to your efforts to discipline him, pray for him, and make your prayer as fervent as you can.

About 250 years ago there was an old godly woman who prayed most fervently for her son. The son's name was John and he had run away from home in his teens to become a sailor. This godly mother had been so disappointed to hear reports that John had become a very wicked sailor, indulging in the lusts of the flesh and involved in the notorious trade of slaves in Africa. But while she lived in poverty, and wept for her son while working as a washerwoman, she believed in two things: the power of prayer and the reformation of her son. She continued to pray very hard for his salvation. God answered her prayer by working a miracle in the heart of John Newton. Through the various trials that he went through as a sailor he was soundly disciplined by God, gloriously saved, became a preacher and brought thousands of men and women to Christ. And he became the author of that famous hymn, 'Amazing Grace, How Sweet the Sound.'

So I speak to all Christian parents: If you love your children and want the very best for them, pray for them: that God would work in their hearts, guide them, protect them, and discipline them, so that they may become useful citizens of His kingdom. But pray also for wisdom and guidance from the Lord to teach you to discipline your children well with love and wisdom, so that they will become god-fearing, godly people who will love the Lord and do His will.

Sometimes we neglect to pray for our children because we are too busy with our work as parents making a living, making ends meet and taking care of the house. Let me tell you this: In 18th century England there was a woman named Susanna Wesley. She was a mother with 17 children. Though she was also a pastor's wife and extremely busy, she made it a point to spend one hour each day shut up alone with God in her room, praying for each and every one of them. Later on, two of her sons, John and Charles Wesley, gave their lives to the Lord as preachers, brought revival to England and became the famous founders of the Methodist movement.

This morning we have seen why the rod of correction is righteous. It is because every child is born a sinner and needs correction to overcome sin in his life. We have seen that the rod must be used with love, wisdom and prayer, to accomplish its goal of correction. Let us be therefore be faithful to do our part, while we trust in the Lord to do His part in the lives of our children.

By Rev Charles Seet

Preached at / Published Life BPC 8 am Service, 2002-12-15

Text: Ecclesiastes 4:9-12; Hebrews 10:24,25

The question that we want to look at this morning is 'Must I Go To Church To Be A Christian?' If a non-Christian were to ask me this question, my answer would be a straightforward 'No'. Because the Word of God makes it very clear that one becomes a Christian only by believing in Jesus Christ with all of one's heart. Salvation is a gift of God, not earned by good works or church attendance. And it is a totally mistaken idea to think that church attendance can save anyone from sin. 

I. Every Christian is Made Part of The Body of Christ 

A. The Universal Church and Local Churches 

However when this question is asked, what is often meant by the ones who ask it is this: 'If I become a Christian, must I go to Church?' For this question, the answer is definitely a clear 'Yes'. The reason for this is simple: When a person is saved through Christ, he becomes part of the body of Christ. This body consists of all born again Christians of from every part of the world, past, present and future, who have been redeemed by the precious blood of Jesus Christ. Colossians 1:18 says that Jesus Christ 'is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence.' 

This body is sometimes referred to as 'the universal church' to distinguish it from the local church. The universal church is not limited to a particular location or time. In fact, we will not be able to see the universal church, until the end of the world, when it will be fully manifested in heaven. What we can see now are local churches. These consist of local congregations of believers that meet in different locations. Many books of the New Testament were actually local churches - e.g. Romans, Corinthians, Ephesians, Philippians and Thessalonians. Today, there are thousands of local churches in the world where God is worshipped in spirit and in truth, and His Word is preached. It must be understood, of course, that only those churches that faithfully uphold the Word of God and teach nothing but true doctrine may be considered as true churches of Christ. Some churches have unfortunately apostatised or gone astray from the faith, and they can no longer be considered as true churches of Christ. Instead of keeping to the Scriptures alone, they propagate man-made traditions and false doctrines. 

B. The Marks of a True Church 

Now, in order to qualify as a true church of God, a local church must not only be teaching from the Scriptures alone, but also implementing every biblical instruction concerning the church - e.g. observing the two sacraments that God gave to the church (Baptism and Lord's Supper), having a proper church government that consists of pastors, elders and deacons, and maintaining a pure, corporate worship of God every Lord's Day, and using the ministries of fervent prayer and the faithful preaching of God's Word to bring lost souls unto salvation in Christ. These are the marks of a true church. This helps us to distinguish the local church from Christian organisations that usually focus on one particular aspect - e.g. a mission board or evangelistic society, or Christian halfway house (e.g. the Helping Hand). These cannot be called churches, but parachurch organisations. 

Many Christians have been led to serve God in parachurch organisations. And that is good, provided their involvement with such organisations will not cause them to compromise on their obedience to God's Word. It is sad that some parachurch groups have become involved in unbiblical relationships, e.g. the ecumenical movement. And we must therefore be careful. But even if a Christian is deeply involved in the service of God in a good parachurch group, that does not mean that he does not have to come to church. Parachurch groups are bodies of believers, but they cannot substitute for local churches, because they do not bear all the marks of the church. 

Thus we have seen that God has raised up true Bible-believing local churches that represent the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. Since God Himself has made all Christians members of the Body of Christ, Christians must seek to be a part of a good local church. But now comes the question - what does it mean to be part of a local church? To some people, it just means having one's name written in the church nominal roll, and taking part in church elections that are held once in a while. To others, it merely means being present in church every Lord's Day for the worship service. But being being part of a local church is more than these. We need to participate in what can be termed 'the body life' of the church. This means interaction, fellowship and mutual edification. And every one of use needs this in order to grow in our faith and knowledge of the Lord Jesus. 

II. Every Christian Needs Fellowship With Like-Minded Brethren 

A. It Sustains Our Spiritual Health and Strength 

Let us look at Vv.10-11 of our text of Scripture in Ecclesiastes 4 'For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up. 11 Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone?' A Christian who falls alone has no one to help him up. A Christian who lies alone may not be able to keep warm for very long.

If we say, 'I don't need any interaction or fellowship with other Christians. After all, I can pray and worship God on my own and grow spiritually without the help of others.' Then without even realizing it we may find ourselves gradually going astray from the Lord and getting caught up in the ways of the world. Without fellowship, it is easy for Christians to lose their love for God and His Word, it is easy to become spiritually cold. The analogy that is often used to show the importance of this is that of a pile of burning pieces of coal. As long as the pieces of coal remain together, they continue to burn well. But if you remove one piece of coal from the pile and place it alone by itself, it will soon lose its heat and grow cold.

Dearly beloved, this may also happen to you, if you are not careful. When you try to live your Christian life alone, you face tremendous odds. The pressures of your work, and your family, and influence of your non-Christian colleagues will come upon you. And without the support of good Christian fellowship to refresh your spirit, your resistance can get worn down by these things. Even the most spiritually strong Christian can suffer tremendous spiritual defeat when he has no like-minded brethren to fellowship with. In the book of Genesis we see the example of Lot, the nephew of Abraham. At first, when he was together with Abraham, he and his family were well. But after they parted ways and Lot chose to live near the sinful influences of the city of Sodom, his family gradually came under this influence. Lot's wife looked back with longing at Sodom as they fled from its destruction and she died. Lot's daughters adopted the immoral ways of Sodom and committed incest.

The sustaining effect of Christian fellowship is only the first of the many reasons why we should be part of the 'body life' in a local church. Let us go on now to the next reason as given in our text of scripture (Eccles 4:9-12):

B. It Enables Us to Accomplish More for the Lord 

According to v.9 of this text, 'Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.' Fellowship is the bond that enables us to work together for a common goal - the goal of glorifying the Lord. And there are much greater things that can be accomplished for the Lord as a team rather than as individuals. Take for example the work of reaching out to children - in VBS, in going up to Johor Baru and Kota Tinggi. Working together also provides greater protection for all, and this the third reason why we need fellowship.

C. It Provides Strength in Our Spiritual Battles 

To put it simply, there is strength in numbers. That is essentially the thrust of v.12 'if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.' Now as we move on to other passages of Scripture, we will find even more reasons why we need to have good Fellowship with other Christians.

D. It is Pleasing in God's Sight 

This is stated in Psalm 133:1 'Behold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!' Do you know that God takes great delight in seeing His children having sweet fellowship together? Why does it bring Him delight? Perhaps it is because such fellowship actully reflects the divine fellowship enjoyed by the three persons in the Godhead: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Thus our fellowship with one another glorifies God by being a replica on earth of the divine fellowship. Let us look at another reason:

E. It is Christ's Intention for His Disciples 

Our Lord Jesus Christ clearly intended His disciples to fellowship together and serve Him together. And He gave three things for this fellowship: His promise, His command and His prayer.

1. His Promise To Be Present with Them

Look at Matthew 18:19,20 'Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in My name, there am I in the midst of them.' Although the context here is that of carrying out church discipline, it does show that Jesus encourages His followers to gather together and carry out His will together in His name. He promises to bless such gatherings with His own presence.

2. His Command To Love One Another

Look at John 13:34,35 'A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.' Jesus wanted His followers to be known to the world as a fellowship characterised by love. As people watch the way that Christians serve one another, help one another, and work together in doing God's work in a church, it should amaze them that such love fills the church.

3. His Prayer That They May Be One

In the high priestly prayer that Jesus made for his disciples before He went to the cross, He prayed that we may be one - John 17:11,20-23 'And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; 21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. 22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: 23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one;' We notice that in this whole prayer, Christ made this same petition for unity no less than 5 times.

In Ephesians 4 the Apostle Paul turns this petition of Christ into a urgent exhortation for us: (1-6) 'I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, 2 With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.' We have already looked at 4 reasons for fellowship and we now come to the fifth one:

F. It Is The Natural Outcome of Being In The Same Family

We who are saved through Christ have become brothers and sisters through Him. Fellowship in the body of Christ is simply the outward expression of that close relationship. 

One passage that brings this out is Ephesians 2:19 'Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;' Phrases used here like 'fellow citizens with the saints' and 'of the household of God' imply that we are members of the same family. We have become related to each other through Christ. And it is only natural for brothers and sisters to have close fellowship with one another. Another verse where the same term, 'household' can be found is Galatians 6:10 'As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men, especially unto them who are of the household of faith.' We notice here that while Christians are expected by God to do good to all, they are especially to seek opportunities to do good to fellow believers. Fellowship then becomes the natural channel by which we may do good to one another.

And so we have considered six reasons why every Christian needs to fellowship with like-minded brethren. And this in turn reinforces the main lesson of our message - That every Christian should be part of a local church. And this brings us now to the final part of the message:

III. Every Christian Should Actively Participate in A Local Church

His participation is in three areas: Corporate Praying, Mutual Edification and Caring for Others.

A. Participate in Corporate Praying

The book of Acts records how the early Christians often met together to unite their hearts in prayer. Whenever a crisis was faced, either by the whole church, or even by just one member, they would get together and pray. Acts:4:24 'And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is:'

In Acts 12:5 the apostle Peter was arrested by King Herod and he was to be put to death just as the apostle James had been martyred. 'Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.' And this corporate prayer by the church was answered in a wonderful way. God sent an angel that released Peter from prison and led him to the street outside. Then when Peter had realised what had happened he went to the house where believers came to fellowship together and he found them all still praying for him (Acts 12:12) How surprised they were to see him freed, in answer to their prayers.

So let us be like these early disciples and participate in corporate prayer. Come for our church prayer meeting on Tuesday night and perhaps we may see equally wonderful answers to our prayer. The next thing that every Christian should participate in is in:

B. Participate in Mutual Edification

The word 'edify' literally means 'to build up.' Life in the Body of Christ is meant to help us build up one another, to nurture the development of each member's walk with God, testimony before the world, and ability to serve. And the scriptures reveal that this is done in a church in at least two ways:

1. Exhorting One Another

Let us turn to Hebrews 3:13 'But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.' To exhort is actually to give strong encouragement. We are to keep cheering each other on in our spiritual race. We are to keep urging each other to go on to greater things for the Lord. The same thought is expressed in Hebrews 10:24,25 'And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: 25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.' The words 'one another' are found twice here and they bring out the reciprocal or mutual nature of the action. The early disciples met together regularly for the purpose of giving mutual exhortation toward showing love and doing good works. And even at that time they already had the problem of some members not turning up for meetings and activities!

In order to do this, it is not enough to just come for worship service and leave immediatlely. The worship service is not an occasion of mutual exhortation among fellow Christians, but a time to praise to God, and hear His Word. And so, in addition to coming for worship, we must spend time to meet other church members for the purpose of 'provoking one another unto love and to good works'. All the things that we share should have this ultimate goal. This may take the form of sharing a personal testimony that can motivate someone to trust in God, or sharing some needs that can be met - e.g. needs of missionaries on the field, needs of those who are sick, needs of upcoming projects of the body of Christ where more hands are needed.

The kind of sharing we should seek to promote is the kind that stirs all of us into action - to do things for the Lord and for brethren who are in need. Where can do these things? - in the regular meetings of our fellowships, in family worship, in our Neighbourhood Bible Communities, and also before and after worship service or prayer meetings. Now, besides exhortation, there is another aspect of mutual edification:

2. Teaching And Admonishing One Another

These have to do with the Word of God. While what we had just seen about exhortation is to increase love and good works, teaching and admonishing is meant to instruct and increase the knowledge of God's Word. Participating in the life of the local church must therefore include teaching doctrine to one another as well giving one another instructions in Christian living. In church it is usually the pastor, elder or Sunday School teacher who gives teaching and instruction in God's Word. Because of the spiritual gifts God has given to them, their training and maturity they would be the most qualified to do these things. But that does not mean that they alone are to do all the teaching and instructing of others in God's Word within the body of Christ. The understand of the Word of God is not the monopoly of a limited few teachers. Every born again Christian who studies the Scriptures on his own, and has the Holy Spirit leading him into all truth, has a part in it.

Let us look at some verses: Romans 15:14 'And I myself also am persuaded of you, my brethren, that ye also are full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.' Col 3:16 -- 'Let the word of Christ dwell in you (plural) richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.' Now besides participating in corporate prayer and mutual edification, we should also:

3. Participate in Caring For Others

Phil 2:1,4 'If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, . . . 4 Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.' Life in the body of Christ should be filled with concern and care for others and not just for ourselves. This care is expressed in 3 ways. Firstly by:

1. Comforting One Another

1 Thess 4:18 -- 'Wherefore comfort one another with these words.' 1 Thess 5:11 'Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.�' There will be times when some of us will go through times of suffering, of grief and sorrow. The rest of us should then express care by showing sympathy, by words of comfort and by helping to bear the heavy burdens. But our care should not be limited to just saying words alone. It should also be manifested in

2. Serving One Another

This is the second way we need to participate in caring for others. Gal 5:13 'For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.' Our energies and resources should be chanelled to help meet the needs of others wherever we can. Not just spiritual needs, but physical needs as well. Depending on the need, it may mean providing things like food, clothing, lodging, transport, or financial assistance.

1 Peter 4:9,10 'Use hospitality one to another without grudging: 10 As every man hath received the gift, even so minister (serve) the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.' Life in the Body of Christ should be characterized by giving rather than getting. We come not to be served, but to serve. Jesus set the example by washing the feet of His disciples. Finally, besides Comforting and Serving one another, we should also participate in caring by:

3. Forbearing and Forgiving One Another

Eph 4:32 'And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.' Col 3:13 'Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye.' There should not be any unresolved disputes, disagreements and quarrels within the church. These things originate from self-centred, and self-righteous attitudes rather than from a Christ-like disposition. It is a fact that no two persons are exactly alike. God made us that way. We have our own individual personalities and problems. And some personalities do tend to clash with others. But the amazing thing is that, in Christ, individuals who are as different as night and day or as black and white, can still share a truly blessed relationship with one another!

This brings us to the end of our message to answer the question 'Must I Go To Church To Be A Christian?' I hope that by now you would understand that if you are a Christian, you should not merely go to church, but also spend time to fellowship with others, and to participate in the life of the church.