Chapter 5. 16
Church
Membership
Can’t you be a Christian without having to be a
member of a local church?
Submission,
Accountability, Discipline, Commitment, Spiritual Nurture,
Responsibility,
Purification, Incorporation, Endorsement, Identification.
First Word
The Bible does not directly address the Church with its formal membership, but there are many verses in New Testament
times that imply its existence. [1]
You also cannot find the word Trinity
nor Rapture in the Bible either, but
scripture pretty much spells it out for you.
Many professing Christian who are already in the Invisible Church, Opt out of the Visible Church
feeling membership seems antiquated, unnecessary and perhaps somewhat
legalistic with narrow doctrines, liturgical customs and exclusive traditions. Besides that, the visible church has a lot of
imperfections, conflicting doctrines and full of hypocrites.
Then there is Christian
TV and the internet where you pick and choose as the
spirit moves you. We live in a fast
paced culture of technology and SOME Churches
are updating and tapping into that, with not much substance, but they are
tapping in.
I feel a need to lay a little background before we tackle the complex thoughts that have formed 2,000 years later
in our modern society on whether or not formal church membership has become an
unnecessary formality.
Church Defined
The Word CHURCH comes from the
Greek word kurikon meaning “Belonging to the Lord”. The New Testament word ekklesia means, “Called Out”.
Those
that were called out belonged to the lord and were known in the New Testament
as an Assembly or Congregation.[2]
When one professes Christ as their Savior, their
sins are forgiven and they are automatically added to the body of Christ; they
become a member of the Invisible Church.[3]
The Church is the “body
of believers”[4]
wherever they choose to meet, which could be in someone’s home as well as a
formal building constructed specifically for that purpose. The Church is not just one member, but many.[5]
Scripture admonishes us to stir up one
another, to love and to do good works, and to NOT NEGLECT TO MEET TOGETHER, as some are in the habit of doing, but to
meet and encourage one another.[6]
The whole body, joined and held together makes the body
grow and builds itself up with encouragement and spurs one another on toward
love; this is something you just cannot do alone by yourself.[7]
The Church Structured
The New Testament reports of many
churches all structured with overseers known as Pastors, Elders and Deacons and
there were qualifications to aspire to this office,[8]
so the structured Church is not a modern invention of man.
The Body was to highly esteem, respect, obey and
submit in joy to their overseers.[9] Christ
organized Pastors, Elders, Deacons, Teachers, and
Evangelist
into a closely bonded Christian family and that’s the way it is today.[10]
It’s in the
Book
1 Timothy 3:1-7 – Qualifications to be a Pastor or Elder
1 The saying is trustworthy:
If anyone aspires to the office of overseer, he desires a noble task.
2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach,
the husband of
one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to
teach,
3 not a drunkard, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not
a lover of money.
4 He must manage his own household well, with all dignity keeping his children submissive,
6 He must not be a recent convert,
or he may become puffed up with conceit and fall into the condemnation of the
devil.
7 Moreover, he must be well thought of by outsiders, so that he may not fall into
disgrace, into a snare of the devil.
(ESV)
1
Timothy 3:8-12 – Qualifications
to be a Deacon
8 Deacons likewise
must be dignified,
not double-tongued, not addicted too much wine, not greedy for dishonest gain.
9 They must hold the mystery of the
faith with a clear conscience.
10 And let them also be tested
first; then let them serve as deacons if they prove themselves blameless.
11 Their wives likewise must be dignified, not
slanderers, but sober-minded, faithful in all things.
12 Let deacons each be the husband of one
wife, managing their children and their own households well.
(ESV)
Membership
The model for Membership in the body of
Christ; the Church, requires salvation first; Jesus laid down His life for the
Church.[11] We are
commanded to come out from the un-believing world and be separate.[12]
The Methodist would teach a Method of living, a Godly life by being an
example to the world. You are still IN the World, but no longer OF it.
The Method is being of the
same mind, having the same love, being in full accord doing nothing from
selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility counting others more significant
than ourselves not looking only to our own interests, but also to the interests
of others. We are salt and light to the un-believer and
an example within the church body.
We are admonished to be in one accord and
to be of the same mindset and of the same love.
God does not want us to be divided over issues concerning His word and
the best way to be in one accord is to study the same book; THE
BIBLE.[13]
When
we spend time coming together, to share the things that have been revealed to
us through the studying of His word, we allow the fullness of the spirit of God
to come into our lives and we began to see Jesus for who He is; this knowledge
strengthens the whole Church.[14]
Membership
means some kind of COMMITMENT;
learning, growing, participating, worship, praise, giving, serving, visitation,
prayer, teaching, parking cars, nursery worker, run audio, take up offering,
kitchen worker, building and grounds, mercy ministry, small groups, and the
list goes on and on; JUST DO SOMETHING.[15]
Membership means RELATIONSHIP, we are commanded to have fellowship and
relationships with others; to bear one another burdens and speak things to
others that lift them up in the name of Jesus.[16] The body of the Church is inhabited by God
through the Holy Spirit. Although there
are many member of this family of God, we are still just one body or one
Church; each member has a special place of service and a special gift to the
body.[17] So we are to be involved with each other
utilizing our gift whether it be in hope or in pain.
Doing the will of God makes us members of the same family. It is our faith that binds us together. We only need to believe and receive Jesus
Christ into our hearts to become part of this AWESOME
family of believers. Perhaps you are a
Christian and just skip church altogether; you cannot have Fellowship and
Relationship with others by being THE LONE RANGER.
[18]
It’s in the Book
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 – Come out from the
un-believers
14 DO NOT BE UNEQUALLY YOKED WITH UNBELIEVERS. For WHAT PARTNERSHIP HAS RIGHTEOUSNESS WITH
LAWLESSNESS?
Or WHAT FELLOWSHIP HAS LIGHT WITH DARKNESS?
15 What accord has Christ with
Belial (Satan)? Or what
portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
16 What agreement has the temple of
God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will
make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and
they shall be my people. Therefore
17 GO
OUT FROM THEIR MIDST, AND BE SEPARATE FROM THEM, says the Lord,
and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you,
18 and I will be a father to
you, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord Almighty.”
(ESV)
Church
Discipline
Membership includes methods of discipline for someone who bears the name Christian.
If a church member is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an
idolater, reviler, drunkard, or a swindler you are not to associate with them, NOT EVEN TO EAT WITH SUCH A
PERSON, purge this
person out of the Church. The Church
judges those INSIDE the Church and God judges those OUTSIDE the Church. It’s in the Book
The NT
Church knew who was IN and a part of the Church and those who was OUT and
had no part; the church had the authority to create membership through baptism
and authority to dissolve the membership through the vote.[19]
The
Rabbinic notion of binding and loosing was in the “Order of Church Discipline”
dealing with a brother or sister in Christ who had sinned; it did TWO things;
1.
It provided Church Rules on the methods and
actions of a Spirit filled Godly life.
2.
It provides the authority of Church Discipline;
to excommunicate disobedient members.
If he repents; welcome him
back into the Church. Forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by
excessive sorrow; reaffirm your love for
him. NOTE: You can’t put
someone out of the church who has never opted to be in it. WHAT A CONUNDRUM.
The Church has
been given the keys to the Kingdom of Heaven to bind and loose
what has already been declared in heaven.[20]
The Binding or Loosing is based solely
on a person’s acceptance or rejection
of the Gospel as it reflects “Heavens
perspective” on the matter.
Man
cannot bind or loose something on earth and cause it to be bound or
loosed in heaven. In other words, man
cannot forgive sins on earth and cause heaven to forgiven the sins. Scripture bears out that the Key
to opening and closing these doors is held only by Jesus Christ and we can only DECREE, based on
scripture, what has already been bound or loosed in heaven.[21]
God is not obligated to bind or
loose what men decree.
IF MAN CAN FORGIVE SINS, THEN WE DO NOT NEED A
SAVIOR.
It’s in the Book
1 Corinthians 5:1-13 – Order of Church
Discipline
1 It is actually reported that
there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even
among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife.
2 And you are arrogant! Ought you
not rather to mourn?
Let
him who has done this be removed from among you.
4 When you are
assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the
power of our Lord Jesus, You are to deliver this man to Satan for
the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the
Lord.
11 But now I am writing to you not to associate
with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed,
or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler
NOT EVEN TO EAT
WITH SUCH A ONE.
12 For what have I to do with
judging outsiders? Is it not
those INSIDE the church whom YOU ARE TO JUDGE?
13 GOD JUDGES those OUTSIDE.
“PURGE THE EVIL PERSON FROM AMONG YOU.” (ESV)
Resisting Membership
Structured Churches today may seem
too regimented, holding you accountable for faithful attendance, your giving,
your conduct and want you involved with further responsibilities and
commitments to other facets of the Church.
Folks seem to be OK with Membership in Sam’s Club or Costco, and American Express says membership has its privileges, but Church Membership makes some folks squirm and
resist for various reasons; some with very good reasons and others not so much.
Maybe there is just not a church in a
reasonable driving distance to your home.
Some folks are Burned Out with so
much involvement which has kept them out of Sunday school or Church; working in
the Kitchen, keeping the nursery or part of a prayer group that prays during
the service. They just want to go
worship, sing praises and study God’s Word.
When the apostle Paul hit town, the first
thing he did was seek out the Believers in the new city.[22] Perhaps you are a Presbyterian and relocate and
find an excellent Baptist Church, but they will not recognize
your Baptism because you were not completely submersed in water, seemingly
making your first commitment to God seem invalid, so you chose to attend, but not to join.
Some folks have deep inflexible opinions and cannot tolerate those who do not yield to
their way of thinking and they feel that it’s better for them to just stay home
and avoid the conflict. Maybe there is some SIN in your life or something in your lifestyle that causes you to reject coming under the authority
of the Church body where you would be held accountable.
Some want to be CALLED
Christian, but don’t want the commitment of BEING a
Christian. We are
accountable for our giving and service to others, and will be judged according
to our deeds.[23] Our
works do not affect our salvation, only our rewards in Heaven. You don’t do good works to be saved, you do good
works because you are saved.
Member vs: Non-Member
What
is the difference between a member and a non-member who both attend Church and perhaps Sunday school,
but neither are further involved? Obviously only a member can vote; and to
partake of the Lord’s Supper both must be in good standing at a church
somewhere; other than that, I can’t see any difference.
Oddly enough the
non-member is invited to join with members in the relationship and fellowship
of Church functions and Bible Studies groups, plus they get to park in the
Guest parking near the front door and are taken to the front of the line to
eat, plus they spend more time at home with their family and they don’t have to
stay late for business meetings. WHERE IS THE DOWN SIDE?
Then there is the Great Commission to go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the
name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that God has commanded us. How do you do that, and not be connected to a
local body?
The
Church is NOT a non-profit STORE where LOYAL CUSTOMERS come to visit, but a place where folks go
to meet with Christ and with others who want to be a part of something bigger
than their own personal experiences. This is where we learn what the true Gospel
looks like in order to differentiate between a Gospel that has been distorted
and perverted. Together we are sharpened
by each other with encouragement, insight and correction.
Matthew 28:19-20
- The Great Commission
19 GO
therefore and MAKE
DISCIPLES of
all nations, BAPTIZING
them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 TEACHING them to observe
all that I
HAVE COMMANDED YOU. And behold, I
am with you always, to the end of the age.” (ESV)
The Take Away
There
is not any one verse in scripture that stipulates that you must be a member
of a local church, but there are numerous passages that speak of it. Local Church membership certainly does not
determine your salvation.
There is not any
one verse that says that local Church membership is a prerequisite for
partaking of the sacrament of “the Lord’s Supper”, but scripture sure seems
to suggest that this is the case. There are 110 occurrences of the Word “Church”
in the New Testament; 90 of them refer to the local Church; so it would
seem that the Local Church plays a very important role.
Local Membership in the Church is essential for
three reasons;
1.
Submission to Christ; obeying the teachings of
the leadership.
2.
Accountability and Discipline; protecting the
reputation of the Church in the eyes of the unbelieving world.
3.
Spiritual Nurture through the Sacraments; Baptism and the Lord’s Supper.
When we are first saved, baptized or
not, we immediately become part of the Invisible body of Christ; the Church. When we have membership in a local Church we
become part of the Visible body of Christ; the Church. The invisible body together with the visible
body give us;
a)
Identification with Jesus Christ,
b)
Purification from our Sins and
c)
Incorporation into the Covenant Community; the
Church.
We express our FAITH through our
a)
Statement of Faith; uniting around the message of
the Gospel we believe.
b)
Baptism expressing death to our old life and the
Resurrection to a new life in Christ.
c)
Church Covenant; living the lifestyle, principals
and priorities of the Church Covenant.
Church Membership is SIGN LANGUAGE to the body of;
a)
The church’s endorsement of your salvation.
b)
Your regular responsibility that involves other
people’s lives for the purpose of the Gospel.
c)
Your individual commitment of love and to provide
discipleship for others.
As sheep we are not free to roam as perpetual
visitors. Church Hopping between sheep folds is an un-biblical and irregular
Christian lifestyle as sheep fall into pits and holes. We are charged with; [24]
a)
Increasing the “application” of Bible concepts,
b)
Increasing the “principals” of spiritual growth
and
c)
Increasing
our “character”
that reflects the Holiness of God. You
can only do that inside the “ARK” of the Church; nothing survived outside
of Noah’s
Ark. You cannot contribute to
the growth of the body if you have no proper function in it.
God
said you will know the Believer by their fruit; their Godly character and
actions.[25] Take a good look around you, your fruits
should be making a difference in someone else’s life.
We are to spur
one another on toward love and good deeds, not SKIPPING Church as some are in
the habit of doing, but encouraging one another.[26] The Spiritual Drifter
who refuses to join a visible local congregation and submit to God’s authority,
disqualifies himself from participating in the sacraments.
Participation in the SIGNS & SEALS of the sacraments requires Biblical Church membership.
It’s in the Book
[1] Romans 12:5 – The Church is one body with individual members
[2] Acts 19:39 – The congregation of believers is known as an assembly
-- Acts 19:32 – The church was called
an Assembly of God
[3] 1 Corinthians 12:13 – All are baptized into ONE body of Believers -- Acts 2:47 – God added to their
body numbers daily
[4] Ephesians 1:22-23 – God called His body of Believers the Church
[5] 1 Corinthians 12:14 – The Church is not one member, but many
[6] Hebrews 10:24-25 – DON’T SKIP CHURCH and receiving the encouragement of each other
[7] Ephesians 4:16 – The Whole body joined together, encourages each other
[8] 1 Timothy 3:8-12 – Qualifications to be a Deacon -- Acts 6:3 – Elect Spirit filled DEACONS with wisdom, and a good reputation, 1
Timothy 3:1-7 – Qualifications to be a Pastor or Elder -- Ephesians 4:11-12 – God gave gifts of
leadership; Pastors and Evangelist -- Acts 14:23 – ELDERS were appointed in every Church 1 Peter 5:1-4 – Elders should not be domineering, but examples --1
Corenthians 12:28 – The Gift of administration is
needed
[9] Acts 20:28-29 – Overseers are to take care of the Church Body -- Hebrews 13:17 – The body is to obey and
submit to the Church leadership -- 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 – The body is to highly esteem and respect the
overseers -- 1 Peter 1:22 – The
body is to be obedient to the Word of God and to love one another
[10] Colossians 1:18 – Jesus is head of the body, the Church
[11] John
10:10-11 – Jesus laid down his life for the body of
Believers
[12] 2 Corinthians 6:14-18 – Come out from the un-believers -- 1 Corinthians
1:10 – No divisions, same mind, same judgment -- 1 John 1:7 – If we walk
in the light we will have fellowship
with one another
[13] Philippians 1:3 – Remember the body of Believers in prayer -- Colossians 3:16 - Sing psalms and
hymns and spiritual songs; teaching, admonishing and thanksgiving
[14] Romans 15:5-7 – Welcome others – Live in Harmony – Glorify God -- Ephesians 1:10 – We are all united in all things
in Him -- Philippians 2:2-4 – Be
humble and of same mind, love in the interest of others.
[15] Matthew 12:50 – A follower of Jesus Christ will DO the Will of the father
-- Galatians 6:10 – DO good to
everyone, especially to Believers
[16] Galatians 6:2 – Bear one another’s burdens, fulfilling the law of Christ
-- Philippians 2:1-2 – Encourage each
other with the same Love, same Mind with joy, affection and sympathy
[17] Philippians 1:27 – Be of ONE
spirit and ONE mind -- Acts 2:42 – Devote yourself to fellowship and the teachings of the word --
Romans 12:4-5 – We have different functions from each other
[18] Hebrews 10:24-25 – Stirring up one another with love and good works; don’t neglect meeting and coming together -- Acts 2:1 – Gather
together in one place to fellowship -- Acts 2:45-47 – Fellowship
at Church and in your own homes.
[19] Matthew 18:16-17 – Will not listen to Church;
then excommunicate
[20] Matthew 16:19- You have the Keys of the Kingdom to Bind and Loose
[21] Matthew 18:18 – Bind and Loose on Earth, as it is in Heaven
[22] Acts 9:26 – Paul hit town and sought out other Believers
[23] Revelation 20:12 – We are judged by WHAT WE DO for others; rewards
[24] Acts 2:42 – We are to be Devoted to
teachings, fellowship, prayer and meals together
[25] Matthew 7:16-20 - You will recognize them by their fruits, what they DO
[26] Hebrews 10:24-25 – DON’T SKIP CHURCH, don’t give up meeting together
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