Many years ago I was a member of the Men’s Club.  Remember?  If you do, tell me about it for I have almost no recollection of it at all!  Went to the Men’s Club a couple of times, only for dinner.  Never talked with any other member.  Not involved in any activities.  Can’t even think of anything they ever did other than eat, talk and drink.  So, what’s the big deal?

What I do know is what it’s like to be a member of the body of Christ, His church.  I’ve found a vein of gold, rich verses indeed, in the book of Isaiah, chapter 56.  I’m focusing in on verses 6-8.  What is His ‘club’  like?  What do ‘club’ members do?  Verse 6 is amazing–‘…foreigners who join themselves to the Lord…’  Join the ‘club’!

In Isaiah 56 these people were ‘foreigners’, people not originally from Israel.  Outcasts.  Outsiders.  Aliens and strangers.  What do they do?  Throw a ‘pity-party’?  Feel sorry for themselves?   No, they ‘join themselves to the Lord’.  Accepting His invitation.  Coming right in, experiencing the mercy and grace of our Lord.

He’s THEIR Lord as well.  The welcome mat was out!  The backporch light left on!  By the way, this was Israel’s mission and calling from the very beginning.  To be a light to the world.  Pointing the way, diminishing the darkness, illuminating the path to Yahweh God.  This was what they were to do.  This is still what members do today.  When I first heard the Good News about Jesus and His offer of salvation, I was eager to embrace Him.  Didn’t know much about God or Jesus.  Almost nothing, to be frank.  But I knew that I wanted to ‘join myself to Him’… and I did!

Life has never been the same!  What does it look like to be in His ‘club’?   Isaiah 56, verse 6 says that those who ‘join themselves to the Lord will minister to Him’.  Requiring no graduate theological training or even ordination.  Any one of us can- and will– ‘minister’ to the Lord.  Truthfully, we’ll want to… from the bottom of our hearts.  Like an engine, no longer content to remain in neutral, eagerly moving the spiritual gears into forward motion.  Driving ahead…for Him!

Then Isaiah writes that those in this ‘club’ will ‘love the name of the Lord’.  Love Him.  In Bible times, your name revealed your character.  To love God’s name is to love all that He is.  Joined with Jesus– no longer a ‘have to’.  Now a ‘want to’.

Isaiah 56: 6 says that we will ‘be His servants’.  His wish, our command–what we love to do.  What pleases the Lord will be what we eagerly choose.   His mission…our passion!  That’s what we do in the Body of Christ…join ourselves to Him, serve Him and love Him.  That’s what we want to do…for Jesus!

Prayer:  Lord,  we want what you want through the power of your Holy Spirit.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.