July 10 Daily Devotional

Bible Reading

Devotional

It is important that members of the body of Christ work together within a local church. What we learn to do locally should have a ripple effect. The Lord wants us to reach out to believers in other communities. It is desirable to have churches enter into a federation (covenant), voluntarily making an agreement to work together on the basis of the Word of God. Churches of our Lord Jesus are obligated to help each other in concrete needs, to show brotherly love (Acts 11:22), to share responsibility in spreading the gospel (Acts 11:27), and to support other churches in financial need (Acts 11:29). Helping other churches in need was done by the churches in Macedonia and Achaia (Rom 15:26; 2 Corinthians 8 & 9).

Each local congregation has its own identity, but has a responsibility to work together with other churches on the basis of Scripture and confession (Eph 4:4-5). No church is an island on its own or should be satisfied with being independent.

To have churches from a particular region work together flows forth from the characteristics of Christ’s church. A federation of churches is formed because the church is one (Acts 20:28–30). There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism (Eph 4:4–5) and therefore we have unity with other churches. We are one body, united by one Spirit. In a federation the communion of saints is at work beyond a local congregation.

Churches enter a federation because the church of Christ is holy. Peter addresses churches in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia as those who are chosen and destined by God the Father and sanctified by the Spirit. It is our mutual calling to remain pure and to keep ourselves set apart from the world. Furthermore, churches in a federation work together because the church of Christ is catholic. The church of Christ is not limited to one place but is spread throughout the whole world. In Acts 9:31 the apostle Paul addresses churches in the district of Judea, Galilee and Samaria. Every local congregation of Christ is a manifestation of the catholic church which Christ is gathering from the beginning of the world to its end. Churches also join in federation because the church is apostolic. Whatever we do together must have its roots in the teachings of the apostles. These teachings witness of Christ who is the head of every local church and of the churches together (Acts 2:42). Let us thank God for the relationships we may have in a bond of churches.