42 - CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:25

INTRODUCTION In the communist state of Rumania, citizens are discouraged from attending church. Many church attenders have been arrested, fined, and even imprisoned for their faithfulness. All of this is accomplished legally under the provisions of Law Number 153/190, Article 1-D, forbidding Rumanian citizens from "coming together to play cards, drink alcohol, or waste time." Even though the national constitution guarantees the religious liberty of its citizens, communist leaders are able to prosecute Christians for "wasting time" by attending the services of their church. If such a law were enforced in the free world, there may be many Sunday morning attenders who could be found guilty of wasting time because they do not properly use the church service.

Church membership and attendance has lost its meaning to many. Perhaps some have taken it for granted; others have become so involved in interdenominational work that they minimize the Christian’s obligation to a church. Also, some minimize their relationship to their church because of false teaching or lack of teaching.

Every Christian should be a member of and be involved in a local church for many reasons. Some people leave one home and move across the country to a new home, but never transfer their church allegiance. They are careful to change their address, their phone number, their job, and even their life-style to a certain extent, but their church membership remains in the old church. In doing so, they are ignoring the ministry of God to them personally, their ministry to a group of believers in a new location, and their ministry to a new community. Also, the Christian who is not a member of a local church robs himself of a major part of his Christian experience. Every Christian needs to learn how to become a member of a good church and to do so. THE BENEFITS OF THE CHURCH

God has established three institutions on earth through which he performs and accomplishes his will: the family, the government, and the church. He established the family as the basic social unit of society. Governments were established by God (Romans 13:1) to rule corporate society and protect the people of those states. The church was established by Christ (Matthew 16:18) to accomplish God’s redemptive purposes in the race. The church preaches the eternal message of God’s love for the world (John 3:16), supplies workers to accomplish the harvest (John 4:35), fulfills the obligation to teach doctrine and the biblical principles needed for a successful Christian life. And, finally, the church is an instrument to keep Christians consistent in the faith.

Entrusted with the message. The church is entrusted by God with the story of his love for mankind and his desire to save them. The history of the Bible shows that it was organized groups of Christians that collected the gospels and epistles and gave the Bible to both Christians and the lost. In spite of the tremendous opposition to it, the Bible has survived these many years, usually preserved by the church. Jesus said, "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matthew 16:19). The "keys" is the message of redemption that was revealed to man from God by the apostles and prophets (Ephesians 2:29). It is this message that looses man from sin; when it is rejected, man is bound in his sin. This promise, given to Peter, was tied to Jesus’ promise to "build my church" (Matthew 16:18). This authority was later given to all the disciples in the upper room (John 20:23). This group represented the church in its embryonic form. This did not give the church or leaders of the church authority to forgive sin, but rather acknowledged that only as the church was faithful in the proclamation of the gospel could people enjoy the assurance of salvation. As the church faithfully preached and taught the Scripture, people heard and believed the gospel. If a church is not a witnessing church, it is as if it were locking the door to heaven, forbidding the members of their community the gift of eternal life. An assembly of workers. Jesus told his disciples, "Pray ye, therefore, the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest" (Matthew 9:38). It is the desire of Christ that Christians be engaged in his work. One of the reasons God established the church was to assemble his workers into a team that could get the job of evangelism done. Some people think pastors, teachers, and evangelists are responsible for doing the work of God. While they are the leaders in the church, in another sense we are "full-time Christian workers." We should all live for God at all times and serve him also at all times. The Book of Acts records that everyone, not just the apostles, were engaged in evangelism. When the persecution in Jerusalem resulted in the death of Stephen, the Christians were scattered into other towns and cities. Only the apostles remained in Jerusalem (Acts 8:1). As Christians and the apostles had been evangelizing Jerusalem, the practice of evangelism continued in their new towns. The Bible says, "Therefore, they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word" (Acts 8:4). God still has a work to be done. The gospel story of the death and resurrection of Christ is the catalyst that draws the church together and is the power that sends it out to serve him. God gave the Great Commission and the responsibility to win souls to his church. A place of Christ-centered education. The third benefit of the church from God’s point of view is to provide an educational institution to train Christians concerning the things of God. Part of Christ’s commission to the church included: "Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:20). When Barnabas went to Antioch to establish the church, he got Saul from Tarsus and "he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that for a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people" (Acts 11:26). The first church to be labeled "Christian" was a church that was characterized by training people. The Berean church was identified for its nobility. "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so" (Acts 17:11). Bible study and teaching characterized the ministry of the apostles and the early church. The gift of teaching is one of the abilities that God gives to his pastors who lead the church (Ephesians 4:11). A place to build up believers. Because instability is so characteristic of our lives, God established the church to help us live more consistently. We often quote the first part of Hebrews 10:25 when we exhort others to church attendance but neglect the latter part of the verse and the purpose of church attendance. The complete verse reads, "Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching" (Hebrews 10:2, Hebrews 10:5). The reason we assemble together is to exhort each other to keep on serving the Lord. The writer of Hebrews introduces this challenge by touching on the real problem, "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering" (Hebrews 10:23). Many people will walk down the church aisle to be saved but comparatively few may The living for God six months or a year later. Those that are baptized and become faithfully involved in the church are more likely to "hold fast." We need others’ encouragement to live for God which we receive in a church. The church is God’s way of providing stability in our lives. WHY CHURCH MEMBERSHIP?

Many churches do not keep a formal church roll, so we should ask the question, "Why should there be church membership?" Even those churches that do not have a formal list of members usually have a recognized group that are accepted in the body. These churches have either written or unwritten standards by which they accept those who share common values and principles. The church in the New Testament was called upon to take corporate action such as sending out missionaries (Acts 13:3), or denying fellowship to a sinning brother (1 Corinthians 5:17). If a group acted together, they must have known who was included in their fellowship and they must have had standards that became the basis to excommunicate those who did not live up to them. The church corporately is told to keep pure doctrine (Titus 1:9; Colossians 1:23; Jude 1:3). They carried out this exhortation by identifying those who denied the faith (1 Timothy 5:8). The end result was, "A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject" (Titus 3:10). The New Testament implies that there was a listing or roster of the Christians. The term "numbered" was used to describe the Christians in the church at Jerusalem, indicating a census of both total count and inclusion of names. The church is described as a "number of names together" (Acts 1:15; also see Acts 2:41, Acts 2:47; Acts 4:4; Acts 5:14; Acts 6:1, Acts 6:7).

God accomplishes much through his church. Since God loves people and most of what he does is for the welfare of those he created, he uses the church to accomplish that purpose. These are several good reasons why joining a church is among the important requirements for a successful Christian life.

Joining a church gives evidence of our association with God. God wants the world to know who his people are and that they have identified themselves with him. When a Christian is baptized, he is telling the world a number of things; among these is that he is now identified with Christ. As he is baptized, he is saying, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20). When we are saved, we are identified with the body of Christ on the cross in the vicarious-substitutionary atonement. By the Spirit’s baptism, we are placed into his body. Therefore, when we are baptized, we are symbolically fulfilling the meaning by being joined to his Body (the Church). By joining a local church we are telling the world in another way that we belong to Christ’s Body, both in heaven and on earth joining a church places us under the ministry of the Word of God.

Joining a church places us under the influence of the Word of God. Of course, this is not true if the church we attend does not believe and preach the Bible. In that case, it is important that we find a good Bible-believing church for ourselves and our family, where we can study the Bible together. The following chart lists some of the values you lose out on when you are not learning more of the Bible in church.

RESULTS OF KNOWING THE BIBLE

1. Spiritual growth 1 Peter 2:22. Victory over sin Psalms 119:105 3. Answered prayer John 15:5 4. Christian character 1 Corinthians 3:23 5. Stronger faith Romans 10:13 When we join a church we pledge ourselves to Christ and his Word. This commitment will help keep us faithful to him. Also, if a church will preach and teach the whole counsel of God (Bible content, doctrine, and life expectations) a Christian will grow to maturity. Those who do not regularly attend church will not grow as consistently because there are gaps in their biblical education.

Joining a church causes us to grow through fellowship. Fellowship with believers in a local church will help us grow spiritually. By "fellowship" we are talking about much more than having coffee together after church. Fellowship occurs when Christian experiences with God are exchanged in an atmosphere of love and respect. Fellowship means giving and taking, not just selfishly absorbing from others like a spiritual sponge. Everyone must communicate himself to others and, in the act of fellowship, learn and be strengthened by others. Fellowship involves letting others see us as we really are. At times, this involves confessing our faults (James 5:16). We hinder fellowship when we refuse to acknowledge our weaknesses to others. When we recognize our shortcomings, we become more dependent upon God. In essence, we cannot live for God by ourselves. We need the reciprocal fellowship of others. An important biblical principle to remember is that we become like those with whom we fellowship.

Joining a church fulfills the New Testament example. Almost every Christian in the New Testament was part of a local assembly. Obviously the thief on the cross was not included, but his yielded spirit to Christ indicates he would have followed the admonition of his Lord. Also, the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized, but there was not a church where he was converted. Even in his case, there is a strong tradition that the eunuch returned to his native Ethiopia with the message of the gospel to found what is now known as the Coptic Church. The pattern of the New Testament Christian’s experience was established on the day of Pentecost. "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41). The next verse revealed their continual commitment to Christ: "And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship" (Acts 2:42).

CRITERIA FOR CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

We should belong to a church close to where we live. This better enables a church to watch over us. Because many who band together are more effective than one by himself, our testimony will be more influential for God when we identify with a group of believers in our town. Working with other Christians for a common goal will increase our effectiveness for God. Others will be able to pray for us and help us in some cases do what we cannot do by ourselves. There are four conditions on which members shall be received into a church: belief, baptism, doctrine, and morals.

Profession of faith. The ideal church is made up entirely of regenerate members. Since we never are absolutely sure that a person is saved, candidates are taken into the church upon their profession of faith. Even Paul was not sure about some Corinthians: "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith" (2 Corinthians 13:5). Some who professed salvation later left the fellowship of Christians (1 John 2:19). Since only God can determine the reality of a person’s faith, a church accepts members who follow Paul’s instruction to "confess with [their] mouth the Lord Jesus, and ... believe in [their] heart", (Romans 10:9).

It wasn’t as popular to join a church in New Testament times as it sometimes is today. Because God judged the sin of Christians, "no man [would] join himself to them" (Acts 5:13). Because of this judgment, it may have been easier to determine who was a Christian. As the church in Jerusalem grew, the unsaved did not want to be identified with the church but "the believers were the more added to the Lord, multitudes both of men and women" (Acts 5:14).

Baptism. The question is asked, "Why be baptized to join a local. church?" First, because of the example of the early , Christians. Those who believed were baptized (Acts 2:41). Second, all who professed faith were considered members of the local church where they served, and all who were baptized were considered part of the local body of Christ. Since, all who professed Christ were baptized and considered a part of the fellowship, there was a strong tie between baptism and church membership. The third reason is the symbol which baptism gives of the identification in the death, burial, and resurrection, of being with Christ (Romans 6:4, Romans 6:5). Therefore, a Christian should give testimony by being placed in water as a sign of being identified in the death and resurrection of Christ. In the Bible narrative, all of those who professed faith were baptized before they were added to the church. Just as Spirit baptism places us in the body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13), so water baptism identifies us with the local body, the church.

Knowledge and agreement with doctrine. There was no written doctrinal statement required for identification with an assembly during the New Testament as far as we can tell. Yet, the necessity of doctrinal purity is self-evident. In the early church the power and reality of the message of Jesus Christ swept the world. Whereas unbelievers might have doubted the message, Christians experienced the assurance of the indwelling Christ individually (Galatians 2:20) and corporately (Matthew 18:20). Immediately after conversion, a new Christian was taught "the apostles’ doctrine" (Acts 2:42). Any who rejected the gospel was rejected by the church (Titus 3:10). While no verse can be found to demand conformity to scriptural teaching for church membership, it can be argued that any cause (doctrinal heresy) that was serious enough to expel a person from the church is also a biblical ground to deny him church membership in the first place.

Moral conformity. Jesus said, "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?" (Matthew 5:13). The church ought to represent God’s standard of morality in the life of its members. While the New Testament church did not give a moral prescription for new members, it was generally accepted that those who had repented of their sins were expected to live for God (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Obviously, a person cannot become perfect at conversion, but he should turn from all known sin in his life. As he grows in biblical knowledge, he will become aware of other sins from which he will also turn. Since we never become perfect in this life, let us ask the question, "How much moral conformity is required for church membership?" A person must repent of those sins that he knows and must meet the minimum standard of the Christians in his new local assembly. There is no prescription in Scripture that gives the standard to join a church, but any sin that would be serious enough to cause expulsion from a church, would be serious enough to keep a person from joining its fellowship.

CONCLUSION

God established the church to help carry out his plan of redemption. If we are not members of a church in our town, we are preventing God from both blessing us as he desires and from using us to our fullest potential in his service. While some practice "free-lance Christianity" by faithfully attending several churches, such persons rob themselves of spiritual growth. If we are not faithfully involved as a member of a good church in our area, that is something we need to remedy.

DAILY READINGS Monday: Acts 2:37-47 Tuesday: Acts 3:12 - Acts 4:4 Wednesday: Acts 4:5-22 Thursday: Acts 4:23-37 Friday: Acts 5:1-16 Saturday: Acts 5:17-32 Sunday: Acts 5:33-42