The Protestant Reformation was instrumental in bringing to us the understanding of the exclusivity of the Bible. Related to this exclusivity is the Reformation call to the solas. The Scripture is not the only sola that Luther, Calvin and the rest of the Reformers had made a catch word of. Many Christians today are unaware of the meaning of the Latin word sola, which means alone. When we speak of our relationship to Christ, we refer to it as through faith alone, by grace alone, etc. These are the solas that the Reformers raised issue with the Roman Catholic Church. One of the debate that was the cause of the Reformation is the church. Particularly, it was the issue that revolved around the church, whether the church was the only way by which salvation is appropriated. Moreover, the issue was raised regarding the importance of the catholicity (universality) of the church of Jesus Christ.

One of the most neglected sola of the Reformation is the call to sola ecclesia. In the desire of the evangelicals to be detached from the Roman Catholic view that the church is the only instrument whereby salvation can be granted, we tend to put lesser emphasis on the church as God’s arm of the good news of the Kingdom. Quite a few times we’ve heard of Christians saying, Christ, Yes! The church, No! Or others saying, “Why should I go to church when I can worship God on my own capability in my own abode. The Church is so full of hypocrites.”

The Swiss reformer, John Calvin, would not immediately say that the church is not important. In fact he would be the first to say sola ecclesia. The Church is the call to Kingdom living, it is the gospel call to belong to the Kingdom of God. The church is not just any organization but the body of Christ—the Kingdom proclamation of the good news of Jesus Christ. It is the fellowship of all the believers wherein the purpose and essence of the body is to honor and glorify God. There are no Lone Rangers, and no invisible members in the church.

According to the George Barna Research (www.barna.org), in a 1999 poll the research showed that one in six Americans rotates between churches. It is not difficult to show that many believers in the Chinese church also go to and from different churches. There are many reasons for this rotation, but one thing stands out, that is our loyalty to the local church. In line with this, I confess and believe in the universality of the church. I believe in the catholicity of the body of Christ, that every believer stands in witness to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. However, I also believe in the local assembly of the body of Christ. With this in mind, allow me to list down important responsibilities that we need to cultivate:

1. The church stands as the witness for our Lord Jesus Christ. We do not only proclaim salvation in Jesus Christ—but the whole Kingdom of God whereby we are called to be citizens of. Christ came to proclaim the kingdom, and we are called to belong to this kingdom.

2. We work together as citizens of the kingdom together with the pastors and those who are in leadership positions. We need to respect our leaders and give our full support to them. (Ephesians 4)

3. We need to love the church, the body of Christ, wherein all who belongs to the church are children of God. As brothers and sisters in Christ, we are called to corporate worship, to dispense of the sacraments as means of grace. And as a community of believers we are called to edify and build up each other.

4. We need to be faithful in serving in the church. As members of a local congregation it is our responsibility and privilege to serve God and help the church grow. We need more people to stay put in a local church serving faithfully. We are not only called to fulfill the Great Commission, but also to grow into Christian maturity. The goal of each believer in the church is to become Christ-like, to be fully conformed to the image of Christ. (Romans 8:28-29)