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 talk about 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

By His grace and by the Holy Spirit, the Lord Jesus has been digging a well of living water at IAC. 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."

Jesus calls each one of us to drink from the well of Living Water, but He also calls us to drink together, as a body. We need to give thanks for His work in and through us and recognize that we are not here by accident . . . the Lord has placed us into a body and given us a place to belong as we journey together . . . and we have been given a purpose: sent in the power of the Holy Spirit. 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.

We give thanks, and we open ourselves up to Jesus – committing ourselves to Him that He might work His purposes in us and through us as a church. His Kingdom come, His will be done.

When we speak of belonging, there are six actions that we believe are important in the lives of people who belong at IAC.

Worshiping the Lord with all your heart, mind and strength.
When I strip worship of all its pomp and circumstance and dig out from under the mountain of theological constructs about it, I find a very simple sentiment yearning to be expressed: "Yeah God!!" How do we give voice to that sentiment in light of Deuteronomy 6:5 which tells us, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength"? Well, if I could paraphrase that verse, I'd say, "Worship the Lord your God with your entire emotion, your entire volition, and with your entire cognition"

Entire Cognition – Worship isn't mindlessly repeating one word. It's an active engagement of listening and a willingness to plumb the depths of meaning and application of every word uttered.

Entire Volition – Worship is "taking every thought captive" (2 Corinthians 10:5). It's a developed discipline of willful focus, rapt attentiveness and a dogged unwillingness to miss His slightest movement.

Entire Emotion – Shouting, dancing, weeping, stunned silence, adulation: These are natural responses we offer to the King who delivers us from ultimate oppression. Worship is no place for reined-in, half-hearted, disinterested emotion as though what we celebrate is meaningless.

Serving willingly
I am quite sure you've witnessed a scene we could affectionately called "The Bribe" (maybe you've even seen it played out in your own kitchen): "Little Johnny, if you eat your peas you can play with your transformers forever!"

For years I thought that was the formula God was using in Mark 10 when he said "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant" (v. 43). I thought God's plan was, come up with something people will like (greatness in the kingdom) in order to get them to do what they don't like (serve). There was no real relationship between the two; God just needed an incentive to get us going in the right direction.

Well, you will not believe the overwhelming joy that comes as you began to realize the truth about serving. Serving actually allows us to display a portion of the glory of God that can't be seen any other way! Just let that soak in for minute. We can reflect the very glory of God! That same glory transforms us into the very image of our Lord Jesus as well as blessing Him!

As we continue to understand that by serving the Spirit of God actually forms greatness in us, we will no longer have to try to be willing to serve. Instead we will begin to live in the spirit of Psalm 100:1-2 "Should for joy to the Lord, all the earth. Worship the Lord with gladness; come before him with joyful songs."

Praying faithfullly
"Prayer is born of a desire to be with Jesus. His incomparable wisdom, compelling beauty, irresistible goodness, unrestricted love lures us into the quiet of our hearts where He dwells. To really love someone implies a natural longing for presence and intimate conversation. —Brennan Manning, A Glimpse of Jesus

Too often we equate prayer with a duty or an obligation. When we begin to approach prayer as a conversation with a loving God who wants a relationship with us it can revolutionize our prayer life. There is someone (an almighty God) who longs to sit and talk with me. He wants to impart His wisdom, to tell me each day how much He loves and values me. He wants to warn me of areas of sin I might be wandering into that will bring pain and heartache. He wants to hear what is going on in my life and He truly listens and, yes, He does answer.

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
Since the time of Moses, God has invited—even commanded—that His people come together to worship Him, both for His glory and for our good. God has purposes for us that will only be accomplished in meeting with our fellow believers. The writer of Hebrews tells us not to forsake "the assembling of ourselves together as some are in the habit of doing but let us encourage one another" (10:25). What a gift to see another surrender to the Lord! What an encouragement to our hearts to stand next to a fellow worshiper!

Members of the body are to be the face of grace, the hands of Christ, the smile of God and we must be together for that to happen. As a body, we form the bride of Christ. Let us meet with Him together.

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

---