BLESSINGS THAT COME FROM BEING A MEMBER OF CHRIST’S CHURCH

Presented by

Blake Brown

Sometimes we sing a song called “Count Your Many Blessings.” You may remember some of the words of that song, which says “count your many blessings, name them one by one.” Everyone receives blessings from God. Even people who are not Christians get good things from God. Jesus said in Matthew 5:45, “God makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.” All humans enjoy the sunshine. We all benefit from rain. And we all get to eat the food that comes for the Earth. Yes, there are some blessings that God gives to everyone.

But there are some blessings that God gives only to those people who are Christians. Today I want to talk to you about blessings that people receive because they are members of Christ’s church. In Ephesians 1:3, the apostle Paul said that God has “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in Christ.” People who are not Christians are not “in Christ.” They are “outside of Christ,” which is why they are lost. People who are “in Christ” are Christians, which is why they are saved.

What kinds of blessings do Christians have that other people don’t? One of the blessings that God gives to Christians is the right to pray to Him. When Christians pray, they know that God will answer their prayers. Jesus said in Matthew 7:7, “Ask and it will be given to you, for everyone who asks receives.” People in the world cannot pray to God and expect Him to answer their prayers because they are not “in Christ.”

Another blessing that Christians receive is forgiveness of their sins. In Hebrews 8:12, God said: “I will forgive their wickedness, and will remember their sins no more.” But God will not forgive people who are not Christians. Proverbs 15:29 tells us, “The Lord is far from the wicked, but He hears the prayer of the righteous.” Christians also have the blessing of knowing that they will go to heaven when they die. In Titus 1:2, the apostle Paul spoke of how Christians have “the hope of eternal life which God promised.” People who are not Christians will not get to go to heaven because they are not “in Christ.”

There are many other blessings that come to people who are members of Christ’s church. But one of the most important is that Christians can always depend on other Christians for help. For example, if a Christian man is sick, other Christians will take care of him until he gets better. If a Christian woman needs food or clothing, other Christians will give those things to her. If a Christian girl is sad because someone in her family died, other Christians will do what they can to cheer her up. If a Christian boy is hurt in an accident, other Christians will stay with him in the hospital until he is well. Many people who are not Christians are all alone. But Christians are never alone. God has told us, “I will never leave you nor forsake you, so that you can say, ‘The Lord is my helper’” (Hebrews 13:5). Plus, Christians always have other Christians to help them. There is nothing better than being a member of Christ’s church. When we are Christians, we have a good life here and now. And even more important, we get to go to heaven when we die.