At IAC, we don't talk about membership, but about belonging. We don't have any desire to erect a series of hoops you must jump through before you can officially be a member. We would rather be digging wells where all who are thirsty can come and drink.
What is important is whether this is where you belong . . . is this your home?
Whether you are standing far off and are hesitatingly drawn by the smell of Living Water or whether you have jumped in with joyful abandon, we want to say, "Welcome home, you belong here."
We are called to drink from the well of Living Water – and we are called to drink together, as a body. The Lord gives us a place to belong as we journey together . . . we are not here by accident.
We are enriched by journeying together – there is purpose in belonging: there are no small roles, there are no insignificant parts.
Speaking of "belonging" instead of "membership" is not to be cavalier about what it is to be a part of the body, but to speak of the depth of blessing and responsibility there is in being knit into the body of Jesus.
When we speak of belonging, there are six actions that we believe are important in the lives of people who call IAC home:
Worshiping the Lord with all your heart, mind
and strength.
The most prominent command in all of scripture is to worship the
Lord. This command is not for His benefit, but for our benefit.
When we enter into worship, we are changed by being in His
presence. In His presence, our perspective changes as we see His
holiness, His majesty, His goodness and His sovereignty. In His
presence, all the idols we have given ourselves to are taken off
the throne and we adore the only One worthy of worship and
praise. In His presence we can no longer hide – we are exposed –
and only then do we really know His amazing grace and unending
love. In His presence the lies of the enemy and the seduction of
the world lose their power. In His presence, we discover more
who He is and we know more fully who we are.
Worship is interactive and relational – and is nurtured and
grows over a lifetime. It is not an "event" or something that
simply stirs our emotions, it is an orientation of our hearts –
and the direction of our lives. This is why we are called to
pursue Him with our whole being. Worship engages our minds and
bodies, moves our hearts and shapes our will. We engage in
worship through singing, prayer, hearing the Word, dance, art,
and silence. We can worship the Lord with great joy and through
our tears – but never with indifference.
In worship we bring all of who we are into His presence – the
masks come off – there is no holding back. Yet worship is not
what we somehow manufacture – we worship in Spirit and Truth. We
approach our Glorious God knowing that He alone can lift us into
His presence; He alone can transform our lives.
Serving willingly
Jesus said, in Mark 10:45, that he did not come to be served,
but to serve. As His followers, we are called to exemplify His
ministry of service – being motivated by what we can give more
than what we can get. But this is not just done out of duty –
there is a joy in serving, in walking as Jesus walked, in
displaying His glory which frees us from the narcissistic bent
of our culture.
This joy enables us to care for the orphans, widows, and those
in prison. Feeding the hungry, caring for the homeless and those
who live on the margins of society are the "least of these" that
Christ calls us to love and serve – as if they were Christ
Himself.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:7 that each believer is given
spiritual gifts "for the common good." We are to be actively
using the gifts which God has given to serve one another so that
the body of Christ may be built up. God is glorified and our
lives are richer when we step into who He has made us to be,
using the gifts He has given us.
The call to serve is summed up in the great commandment to,
"Love one another as I have loved you," and the great
commission to, "Make disciples of all nations." This
serving will take us out of the small stories we tend to write
for ourselves and into the larger story His has written.
Praying faithfullly
Prayer is an integral part of our relationship
with the God who is with us. Ephesians 3:12 states, "In him
(Jesus) and through faith in him we may approach God with
freedom and confidence." Freedom and confidence – not
obligation and drudgery. This is not shooting "prayer arrows"
towards heaven, hoping that one of them "hits." Prayer is
relational and interactive – speaking and listening to what He
has to say. So much is clarified and sanctified for us as we
speak our hearts to God – and so much is received as we hear His
words to us. He reminds us of who we are as His children. He
gives direction and wisdom. He helps us gain perspective –
reminding us of who He is. He encourages, convicts, and
strengthens us . . . He grows us in relationship with Him.
And there is another extraordinary dimension of prayer – God
actually accomplishes things through our prayers. Jesus tells
the disciples that with faith as small as a mustard seed
they could move mountains (Matt. 17:20-21). Colossians 4:12
speaks of wrestling in prayer for others. James 5:16 says,
"The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
Prayer is Kingdom work.
The Apostle Paul writes in Philippians 4:6 to pray about
everything, big or small. There is nothing too small to
speak with our Father in Heaven about. We are told to pray
without ceasing (1Thess. 5:17) - our prayers are to be as
natural as breathing. "Call to me and I will answer you and
tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know."
Jeremiah 33:3.
Giving Generously
The Bible has a lot to say about money.
There are stories of wise stewards and shrewd investors,
depictions of thoughtful financial planning and yes,
exhortations about giving generously. But let's be honest. When
we think about money on a daily basis, do we think more about
making it or giving it away—not to mention giving it away
generously!
It's quite clear that we are called to
give, and dare I say, even commanded to give. But the real
question is: In light of God's richest Gift to us, why wouldn't
we want to give . . . and give generously? Remember Paul's
reminder to the Corinthians that God loves a cheerful person who
gives not out of compulsion or reluctance but out of sheer joy
and generosity of heart (2 Cor. 9:7). For us, giving is a
demonstration of God's matchless worth and our trust in His
faithful provision. It is an act of worship. And if we're giving
out of a sense of duty or guilt, we've utterly missed the point.
God has given us all we need to give
generously . . . to give of our time and abilities and yes, even
our money. Although we may be tempted to look at the size of the
gift or the nobility of the cause, we must remember Jesus'
radically different standard: the capacity of what we've been
given and the condition of our hearts.
And God is able to make all grace abound
to you, so that in all things at all times, having all that you
need, you will abound in every good work.
—2 Corinthians 9:8
Gathering regularly
When followers of Christ gather together, Christ Himself is with
them. It is no wonder that we are to make gathering together an
essential, regular part of our lives as Christians. Whether we
gather on Sunday mornings under the roof of a church building or
around a table for dinner on a weeknight, we are engaging as the
Body of Christ and have the opportunity for an intimate
encounter with Him.
As we come together, we are shaped by the Holy Spirit's work in
and through us. Together, we rejoice in God's goodness through
our corporate worship, we seek His direction in prayer, we
encourage each other through trials, we live out His calling to
love and serve, we petition Him on behalf of one another, and we
experience the depth and lavishness of His blessing through
fellowship.
What a joy it is to come together in the Presence of God! What a
blessing to be united with the sons and daughters of the Father!
Gathering together is much more than a Christian responsibility:
it is a divine privilege.
Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of
doing, but let us encourage one another-- and all the more as
you see the Day approaching. – Hebrews 10:25
Ministering His love to this broken world.
The love that God pours out upon and into
us is unlike anything the world has to offer. When we are
recipients of that love, we know immediately and intimately that
this treasure from our loving God is a gift of a different sort.
As that treasure rests alongside our knowledge of our total need
for a Savior, we come to understand that while this love is
given for us, it is also to be given by us.
To minister God's love to our world is to
offer it. It is not to consider the magnitude of the need and
calculate how to appropriate an adequate offering. It is to be
so captivated by the holiness and grace of God's offering to us,
that we carry it fully to others and offer it freely. We hold
his love in open hands and are compelled with an eagerness for
others to come and see the wonder of such a gift.
We who were broken and emptied of life are
being filled with the life of God. As we are filled, our eyes
begin to see differently. We begin not to count the cost of
loving but instead the cost of containing what is meant to be
poured out.
Do not withhold good from those who
deserve it, when it is in your power to act. —Proverbs 3:27