At the tender age of 11, I stood before a crippled preacher in a tiny country church, professed my faith in Jesus Christ and became a full member of that congregation. My devout mother doubted I was old enough to know what I was doing. A few skeptics seemed sure I was not sincere. That was 49 years ago. I still love Jesus and I still believe the local church is God's best hope for humanity. So on this Sunday that we have set aside for membership and confirmation, I want to talk about the power of belonging.

I. BELONGING TO A CHURCH INSPIRES US

“With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus" (Verse 33).

If the resurrection of Christ from the dead was incredible, the power of the resurrection demonstrated in the early Church was unimaginable. Who…