9Marks Journal: How to Build Up Your Church (85-87期：如何建造你的教会：教会成员指南)

For many years, 9Marks has believed that church membership is not just a status, but an office. When you join the church, you don’t join a club, you get an office. Jesus gave you the job, and he gave you the power and authority to do it.

The target audience for most 9Marks Journals is pastors and church leaders. However, this issue of the journal is written for church members. Its purpose is to lay out some of the essential elements of this vocation. That’s why we call it a guidebook. Print it out. Read one article at a time over the course of a month. Ask God how you can better serve your brothers and sisters, your pastor, and your non-Christian neighbors.

Now, many other things in the news and culture wars may be grabbing your attention. But in the midst of it all, don’t forget to spend time with your kids, be a good neighbor, work hard for your employer, and build your church. Aside from taking care of your family, this is probably the most important thing you can do to make a difference in the world around you, not to mention doing acts of kindness in people’s lives that have eternal significance.

So, church members, this is the work you must do. We pray it will encourage you to grow in your love and service to the Bride of Christ.

多年来，九标志一直认为，教会成员不仅仅是一种身份，而是一种职分。你加入教会，不是加入了一个俱乐部，而是得到了一个职分。耶稣给了你工作，祂也给了你能力和权柄来做这件事。

大多数九标志期刊的目标受众是牧师和教会领袖。然而本期期刊是为教会成员写的。它的目的是阐述这个职分的一些基本要素。所以我们称它为指导手册。把它打印出来。在一个月内，每次读一篇文章。求问神，你如何能更好地服事你的弟兄姐妹、你的牧师和你的非信徒邻居。

现在，新闻和文化战争中的许多其他事情可能正在吸引你的注意力。但是，在这一切之中，不要忘记花时间陪你的孩子，做一个好邻居，为你的雇主努力工作，以及——我们在这里的观点——努力建造你的教会。除了照顾你的家人之外，这可能是你为改变周围世界所能做的最重要的事情，更不用说在人们的生活中做具有永恒意义的善行。

所以，教会成员，这是你必须做的工作。我们祷告它能鼓励你在对基督新娘的爱和服事中成长。