HOW DO I BECOME A MEMBER AT THREE CHOPT?
We appreciate your interest in becoming a member of the Church of Christ at Three Chopt. The process is simple: If you have done what Jesus Christ wants from all of us in order for us to belong to Him, then you are a member of Christ's at-large church. That means that you can immediately become a member of the church family at Three Chopt. We have no additional requirements. Please inform our minister or one of our elders of your intentions.
Sometimes this process loses its simplicity because there are so many inaccurate things presented under the banner of "Christianity." Since the question about how we come to belong to Jesus Christ is so important, we are including below a review of the teachings in the Bible about it and we encourage you to compare your experience with these teachings. Also, we hope this review will be helpful to those who are just beginning to think about belonging to Christ. The Biblical references are printed in full at the end.
In the Bible we read that only those who believe in Jesus Christ will receive His blessings.1 We are to believe that he is the Son of God if we are to belong to Him.2
From the Bible we also learn that in order for our belief in Jesus Christ to be acceptable to Him, we are wiling to confess our belief to others.3 Additionally, we learn that authentic belief (or faith) includes a decision on our part to live our lives centered on Jesus Christ.4 Our focus must change from "it's all about me." to "it's all about Him." A term that is frequently used in the Bible for this attitude change is "repent."5
Baptism is an awesome event that is described in the Bible as the profound moment in which we actually begin to belong to Jesus Christ. We are baptized "into" Christ and are "clothed" with Him.6 At our baptism we are "buried" with Christ and "raised" with him.7 By God's grace, all of the blessings that are in Jesus Christ become a reality for us at the time of our baptism.8
Unfortunately, there have been some confusing things that have been taught about baptism. In the Bible, for example, there is no description of infants being baptized, no mention of sprinkling for baptism, and no indication that baptism is excluded from the call to salvation. To say the same thing in a positive way: in the Bible the people who were baptized were old enough to understand the remarkable meaning of their baptism; their baptism was a burial in water; and they were taught that their baptism was directly connected with their union with Christ and the pardon of their sins. If this does not describe your baptism experience, please let our minister or one of our elders know that you would like to explore the teachings in the Bible about baptism.
On the other hand, if you are someone who is just beginning to seriously reach out to Jesus, we would be excited to assist you in your discovery of Him. Please contact us!
1 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16
2- But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. John 20:31
3-That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in you heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. Romans 10:9
4-I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20
5-Repent, then, and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped out, that times of refreshing may come from the Lord. Acts 3:19
6-You are all sons of God though faith in Jesus Christ, far all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. Galatians 3:26-27
7-having been buried with him in baptism and raised with him through your faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead. Colossians 2:12. See also Romans 6:1-6
8-Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." Acts 2:28
