Being a Christian is often portrayed as just a personal issue between me and God. There is a lot of discussion about spirituality, experience, but the idea of being part of some kind of ancient institution doesn’t seem so appealing to most people. But the Bible is clear on this: when someone comes to believe in Jesus, they are immediately part of the church (Eph 2:1-18
). You are not simply reconciled to God, but also to other Christians. People from Jewish backgrounds in first century Turkey had to come to grips with the fact that they now shared a church with many non-Jewish people, and Paul encourages them to take this seriously.
Ephesians 2:19-22 gives us three pictures of what it means to be part of a church. Firstly, we are fellow citizens with other Christians. We belong, this is where we are supposed to be, we are home. Secondly, we are part of the family of God. This is more personal than being a citizen! Thirdly, we are a brick in God’s temple. Bricks need to support other bricks, for they are part of something bigger together.
What might this mean for you? It means church is far more important than we often think. We should be active in our churches, supporting each other, growing together, serving together. It is an important part of being a Christian. How can you better support others in your church? Sitting back and just seeing what you can get out of church is not the right response to Jesus; we need to get to work and serve alongside our brothers and sisters in Christ.
(Based on ANPC Sunday teaching, 28 February 2010 
).