I AM A CHURCH MEMBER
I Am A Church Member • Sermon • Submitted
0 ratings
· 1,654 viewsNotes
Transcript
Handout
This morning we are beginning a new series on what it means to be a church member.
This is a 6-part series that Pastor Jake and I will be doing, where we will dive into what it truly means to be a part of the body of Christ.
We will be following the outline of a book written by Thom S. Rainer called, “I Am A Church Member: Discovering the Attitude that Makes the Difference.”
Opening Illustration
Opening Illustration
I grew up in the village of Stirling, AB.
We didn’t have a lot in our small town, but one thing we did have was an outdoor swimming pool!
It was only open for a couple months in the Summer, and for only $1 you could come in and enjoy the pool during their open swim times. Now the price has gone up to $5.
They had change rooms, a hot tub, a pool with a shallow end and a deep end, and a diving board. They even had swimming lessons available as well for an extra cost.
It was close enough to our home that we could walk or bike there. I loved going there, and would often go there with my family and my friends. It was the highlight of our summers.
All I had to do was give my loonie, and I had access to all the amenities the pool had to offer.
I didn’t have to do anything else! I didn’t have to clean the floors, repaint the walls, organize the calendar of events, be a lifeguard, clean up the pool toys after everyone leaves, check the pH levels in the pool…
I just give my dollar… and ENJOY!
Sadly, this is how many people today view church membership.
When you pay your dues you get perks.
We see this in almost every area of life. We have memberships, and subscriptions, we exchange money for goods and services.
In all of these examples, we simply pay the fee, and we get the product or we get served.
This way of thinking then naturally makes it’s way into the church.
Speaking about this mindset, Thom Rainer says…
“For them, membership is about receiving instead of giving, being served instead of serving, rights instead of responsibilities, and entitlements instead of sacrifices.”
As we are going to see over the course of the six part series, this is not biblical membership as God designed for the church.
but before we begin, we must start with the question…
What is church membership?
What is church membership?
Jonathan Leeman explains it well…
Church membership is a formal relationship between a local church and a Christian characterized by the church’s affirmation and oversight of a Christian’s discipleship and the Christian’s submission to living out his or her discipleship in the care of the church. — Jonathan Leeman
The church body says to the individual, “We recognize your profession of faith, baptism, and discipleship to Christ as valid. Therefore, we publicly affirm and acknowledge you before the nations as belonging to Christ, and we extend the oversight of our fellowship.”
Principally, the individual says to the church body, “Insofar as I recognize you as a faithful, gospel-declaring church, I submit my presence and my discipleship to your love and oversight.”
It is a mutual relationship between a church and an individual.
Is church membership biblical?
Is church membership biblical?
Membership is never explicitly mentioned in the Bible, so is it something we should practice?
That is a wonderful question that is fair to ask.
It is true that the Bible never flat out tells us to be members of a church, but the testimony of the Bible, as well as church history, help us to see membership as a biblical concept.
1. In the OT, God sets forth rules for His people, the Israelites.
When God instituted the rules for the passover in Exodus, he said, “no foreigner shall eat of it” (Ex. 12:43), but then God said,
If a stranger shall sojourn with you and would keep the Passover to the Lord, let all his males be circumcised. Then he may come near and keep it; he shall be as a native of the land. But no uncircumcised person shall eat of it.
You had to be a “member” of Israel to participate.
2. In Acts 2 we find the believers gathering together in one place, and after the coming of the Holy Spirit and Peter’s sermon we read,
So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
and in Acts 2:47
Acts 2:47 (ESV)
And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
They clearly kept records of those who were a part of the church.
3. In his letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 5), Paul addresses a man committing sexual immorality, and the Corinthians for supporting him.
Paul says in 1 Corinthians 5:2
1 Corinthians 5:2 (ESV)
Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
For him to be removed from among them assumes that they had to have accepted him into the church at some point.
4. The teaching of the NT only makes sense in a church of Christians who are committed to one another.
When Paul would go into different cities spreading the gospel, he would take those who believed and formed churches.
Given how much Paul and the other NT writers talk about false teachers coming in, they must have had some sort of system or process for people becoming a part of the church.
After setting up a church in the city Paul would then put leaders in place, and set up a structure of leadership to lead and guide the church.
These leaders would have needed to know who was in their flock, and since part of their responsibility was to keep false teachers out, it would make sense for them to have ways of ensuring the people in the church believed and adhered to certain truths of Scripture.
After forming churches and setting up leaders, Paul then continued to instruct them how they should live with one another.
Paul commanded them to love one another, pray for one another, forgive one another, rebuke one another, patiently warn one another, continue meeting together, watch out for false teachers in the church… and many others…
The point is, all of these commands only make sense if they are lived out in a community of believers who are committed to the same God, the same set of beliefs, and to one another.
5. Besides the testimony of Scripture, we see that church membership has been practiced throughout church history.
This is a way that churches have operated for centuries… it is not a recent invention.
For all of these reasons, we can have confidence that membership is a biblical concept.
When we become members of a church, we are committing to a body of believers for:
our own personal, spiritual growth,
the spiritual growth of others,
to bring praise to God, and
to become equipped to live our lives as salt and light in the world to the glory of God.
Now that we’ve seen a basic definition of church membership, and that it is a biblical concept, we are going to begin to learn what it means to be a biblical member.
This title for the first chapter in Thom Rainer’s book is called…
I Will Be a Functioning Church Member (1 Cor. 12:12-31)
I Will Be a Functioning Church Member (1 Cor. 12:12-31)
The main focus of this chapter, and this sermon, is going to be that true, biblical membership, means that we are actively involved.
In order to see this, please turn with me in your Bibles to…
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
For the body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty,
which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.
1 Corinthians 12:29–31 (ESV)
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts.
The first thing we need to understand about membership, is that…
1. Membership Means We Are All Necessary Parts of the Whole (1 Cor. 12:12-13)
1. Membership Means We Are All Necessary Parts of the Whole (1 Cor. 12:12-13)
In this passage, Paul explains how the church is like a body…
For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit.
We think of our own bodies in terms of the individual parts, as well as the whole.
So it is with the church.
We have the church as a whole, and yet each of you is an individual part of that body.
Speaking about this Thom Rainer says…
“Do you get the difference? Members of a church comprise the whole and are essential parts of it. The apostle Paul would carry the body metaphor further and explain that members are individual parts of the body.
Some are eyes; others are ears. Some are feet; still others are hands. That is why he concludes: “12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ” (1 Cor. 12:12).” — Thom S. Rainer "I Am A Church Member" (p. 12)
As part of the body of Christ, each one of you is necessary, even if you don’t think you are…
Paul goes on to say…
If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body.
Even if you think you’re not a part of the body, that doesn’t change the fact that you are necessary.
You’re necessary and important even if someone else doesn’t think you are…
The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”
In the same way that each part of our physical bodies is important and necessary,
each part of the body of Christ is important and necessary.
If we have placed our faith in Jesus Christ,
we are one of his children,
we are one of his people,
we are a part of the body of Christ,
we are members of his church.
As such, each and everyone of us is a necessary part of the whole.
The second thing we need to understand about membership is that…
2. Membership Means We Are Different but We Still Work Together (1 Cor. 12:17-20)
2. Membership Means We Are Different but We Still Work Together (1 Cor. 12:17-20)
When we think of a body, there are many different parts, but they all work together for the good of the body.
Even the most insignificant task can prove how much we need all parts of our body.
GETTING A DRINK OF WATER
Let’s imagine I’m working outside on a hot day.
Our bodies need water to survive. It keeps us alive.
So God created an alarm system to go off in our brains to tell us we need some water.
Our brain then thinks of where to get it, and then tells our body to go and get it.
Along the way, I need my heart to pump my blood,
my organs to continue functioning,
all the muscles in my feet, legs, waist, arms to work together to get me to the water, and lift it to my mouth,
and then it goes into my body which uses it to regulate my body temp, lubricate joints, carry nutrients and oxygen to cells, among many other things.
This is just scratching the surface of the complexity of our bodies and how it works together for a task as basic as drinking.
One way that we work together is…
We work together to build one another up
We work together to build one another up
So it is in the church. We must all work together for the good of the church as a whole.
Each of you has a specific giftedness that is beneficial.
If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
A body has many parts that work together for the good of the whole body.
So it is in the church.
We don’t all have the same function or gifts.
We all have different abilities while working together for the good of the church as a whole.
So if you’re not serving, the church is going to suffer!
Think back to our illustration of getting a drink of water.
If my arm or foot is broken, or if my eyes don’t work well, or if my stomach won’t keep liquids in, it’s going to be a lot harder for me to get the water that I need, or get the benefits from the water.
So it is in the church.
If you are not using your unique skills, abilities, and spiritual gifting, that means that this body is struggling to get something that it needs!
“With a country club membership you pay others to do the work for you. With church membership, everyone has a role or function. That is why some are hands, feet, ears, or eyes. We are all different, but we are necessary parts of the whole.” — Thom S. Rainer "I Am A Church Member" (p. 12)
We all must do our part or else the body suffers.
Another way we work together is…
We work together to support one another
We work together to support one another
As part of the same body, we share in life’s experiences, disappointments, failures, and successes.
If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
Again, as we think about our own bodies this makes sense. If I hurt my arm, twist my ankle, or get a cut, my whole body begins working together to take necessary steps to work towards healing.
Maybe that’s getting a bandaid, or driving to a hospital. And then during the recovery process as the body heals.
Meanwhile, inside your body your cells are working together to restore your body to health.
This is a picture of what it should be like in the church, the body of Christ.
When one part suffers, we all begin to work together for the healing of that part of the body. WHY?
Because they’re a part of MY body!
It’s in my best interest for them to be healed, because when they’re not at their best, then neither is everyone else.
When they can’t function at the level they could, then the rest of the body suffers.
So far we’ve seen that membership means…
We Are All Necessary Parts of the Whole; and,
We Are Different but We Still Work Together
Next we see that…
3. Membership Means Everything We Say and Do Is Based on a Biblical Foundation of Love (1 Cor. 13)
3. Membership Means Everything We Say and Do Is Based on a Biblical Foundation of Love (1 Cor. 13)
The love chapter (1 Cor. 13) is commonly used at wedding…
“While there is nothing wrong with using the love chapter in these contexts, its original meaning was to demonstrate how church members relate one to another.” — Thom S. Rainer "I Am A Church Member" (p. 13)
As Paul wrote to the Corinthians, after explaining in chapter 12 that they each had a unique spiritual gift, and that they were apart of the body of Christ, the church, where they were to use those gifts for the benefit of the church…
He then goes on in chapter 13 to show that love is the most important aspect of our relationship with one another.
The Corinthians had messed this up! They were exalting those with certain gifts, which created dissatisfaction in others with the gift they were given by the Holy Spirit.
Paul seeks to correct this thinking by showing them that once we get to heaven, gifts will be of no benefit. They will no longer be needed.
Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away.
Therefore we should seek to love one another above all, since love will continue into eternity.
Paul says that if we serve the church with our gifts, but do it without love, it is totally meaningless!
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.
If we use of our gift without love, then we are doing it for our own personal benefit. We are doing it to be recognized by others.
But when we do it out of love, our desire is to see someone else grow and be strengthened.
This is an attitude of the heart, which oftentimes makes its way out in our emotions and actions.
Paul teaches us the attitudes of the heart that we ought to have in using our spiritual gifts in service to one another…
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth.
We are familiar with these verses… but if we followed these truths in our churches, it would be life-changing!
“Church membership is founded on love. Authentic, biblical, unconditional love.” — Thom S. Rainer "I Am A Church Member" (p. 14)
When we truly love one, another, we desire to use our gifts, our skills, our abilities for the good of the body as a whole.
Each member of the body of Christ is a necessary part of the whole,…
each member is different and unique, working together with the other members for the good of the whole,
Each member is motivated to serve the body by love…
Our final point this morning is that…
4. Church Membership is Functioning Membership (1 Cor. 12:12-26)
4. Church Membership is Functioning Membership (1 Cor. 12:12-26)
If we want to remain a part of a country club or other sort of membership/subscription, we simply have to keep paying the dues.
But to remain a biblical member of a church, we must give and serve.
The key word here being biblical!
Oh sure, you can remain a member of a church doing nothing, giving nothing, and serving nowhere…
“But please understand. That type of membership is not biblical membership. That approach to membership is man-made, man-centered, and man-maintained. It is totally contrary to what the Bible teaches. It has no place in our churches.” — Thom S. Rainer "I Am A Church Member" (p. 15)
We’ve already read how Paul instructed the Corinthians about the various parts of the body in 1 Corinthians 12:12—26.
Each of these parts is supposed to function.
when they do, they bring significant benefit to the body.
When they don’t, the body suffers as a result.
We are all different, with different gifts and abilities that will be different, but we all must be functioning parts of the body.
“One of the ongoing questions you should ask yourself and God in prayer is: “How can I best serve my church?” You should never ask yourself if you should be serving your church.” — Thom S. Rainer "I Am A Church Member" (p. 16)
Again, as we think about our physical bodies, we understand this. No part of our body gets to take a day off. And if ever, there is a time where one of our body parts ceases to function, then we are in for big trouble.
This truth applies to the church as well. If you are a member of the body of Christ, then you have a role to play in his church and building his kingdom. To be unwilling to serve in the church is to bring Harm to the body of Christ.
Closing
Closing
It is common for churches to keep a roll of their members. This is a running list of those they believe would calls a church home.
Thom Rainer estimates that church rolls are over-inflated By 3x.
“What that means is, if your church has three hundred members on its rolls, it probably only has a hundred real biblical members. Only one-third are functioning members. Only one out of three gives abundantly and serves without hesitation.” — Thom S. Rainer "I Am A Church Member" (p. 17)
Our hope with this series of sermons is that you would understand:
the benefit that you get out of being connected to a body of believers; and also understand,
the benefit that you bring to a body of believers.
If you are a member of LEMC, we hope that you have felt the benefit of being connected here.
We also want you to know that if you are not functioning in this body, it is missing out on something that it needs badly!
Our desire as leaders is for the body to flourish, and so we want to encourage you to prayerfully consider how God would have you best serve LEMC.
If you are not a member of LEMC, we understand there are many different reasons you may be holding back.
Those may be legitimate reasons, but we also want to challenge you to help you understand that if you are not connected to a body, then you are probably not getting the support and help that you need,
and you are also missing out on the meaning and purpose that you can bring to a body of believers.
Will you pledge to be a biblical member the way God designed it?
on your paper…
The First Pledge
I am a church member.
I like the metaphor of membership. It’s not membership as in a civic organization or a country club. It’s the kind of membership given to us in 1 Corinthians 12: “Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it” (1 Cor. 12:27). Because I am a member of the body of Christ, I must be a functioning member, whether I am an “eye,” an “ear,” or a “hand.” As a functioning member, I will give. I will serve. I wil minister. I will evangelize. I will study. I will seek to be a blessing to others. I will remember that “if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it” (1Cor. 12:26).
We are willing to do this when we understand what God has done for us.
In His amazing grace, Jesus Christ took our place…
___________________________________________________________
Sign and Date
Questions for Study
Explain how country club membership and church membership are so different. Give scriptural references to support the differences in church membership.
Explain why church membership is a biblical concept, using 1 Corinthians 12 as your biblical foundation.
How is the “love chapter,” 1 Corinthians 13, related to church membership? Explain using all 13 verses of the chapter.
How are the different parts of the body (ear, nose, mouth, hand, foot, eyes, etc.) related to church membership? How do the parts play out in your church?
In relation to church membership, why is it important for members to know and use their spiritual gifts? Relate your answer to 1 Corinthians 12.
“One of the ongoing questions you should ask yourself and God in prayer is: “How can I best serve my church?” You should never ask yourself if you should be serving your church.” — Thom S. Rainer "I Am A Church Member" (p. 16)
