What We Believe: The Church, Part Four (041923)

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What we believe about the church.

Turn to and read Acts 2:41-42. Pray.

Over the past several weeks, I believe that I have clearly and plainly shown that the God’s Word teaches that the church is local and visible.

However, there are many in our world, though, who still hold to the incorrect belief that the church is universal and invisible.

This incorrect belief has lead to confusion, a watering down of doctrine, and a de-emphasis on the local church.

Then, last week, we actually began to look at our doctrinal statement:

We believe that the local New Testament church is composed of regenerated, baptized believers, voluntarily united together for the purpose of worship, edification, ordinances, fellowship and service;

Last week, we began to break this down...

The local New Testament church is composed of regenerated, baptized believers...

Acts 2:41 (KJV 1900)

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized...

Acts 2:41 (KJV 1900)

Then they that gladly received his word were baptized:

The local New Testament church is composed of regenerated, baptized believers...

…voluntarily joined together...

It is my opinion, after much consideration, that there has been a de-emphasis on church membership because the incorrect belief that the church is universal & invisible has caused a de-emphasis upon the local church.

The local church isn’t important.

Therefore...

Membership in the local church isn’t important.

The thinking goes this way: Since I’m already part of the church why do I need to become a member of a local church?!?!?

That is a faulty conclusion based upon faulty thinking.

(Another example of the importance of knowing what we believe because our behavior/actions are based upon our beliefs!)

But, some would still argue: There is no Biblical basis for having a formal process of church membership.

In a very general sense, I would agree with that statement. There is no “chapter and verse” that we can go to that says,

“In order for a person to join a local church they need to be saved, Scripturally baptized, meet with the pastor, attend a new members class, be brought before the church family who, by a ‘hearty amen,’ give their approval to allowing the individual to become a member of the local church.”

How, then, can I Biblically justify having a formal process of church membership?

I believe that common sense would dictate that a local church have some formal process of church membership.

Baptists, in Charleston, South Carolina, in 1774, put together a Summary of Church Discipline Shewing the Qualifications and Duties of the Officers and Members of a Gospel Church.

In the section on Receiving Persons to Church Membership, they wrote:

A church thus founded on the Scripture plan ought to observe good order, as in all other cases, so also in the admission of members into their community.

Every well regulated society requires qualifications in its members; much more should a church of Jesus Christ be careful that none be admitted into its communion, but such as are possessed of those prerequisites pointed out in Scripture.

The Bible’s instructions concerning church discipline, as seen in what Paul instructs the Corinthians to do in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, implies the necessity of church membership. (How can you remove someone from the church if they were not already a part of the church?!?!?)

1 Corinthians 5:12 KJV 1900

For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? do not ye judge them that are within?

However, I believe that there is much better Biblical justification for having a formal process of church membership so that we don’t need to get to the point of church discipline.

Acts 9:26 KJV 1900

And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.

Assayed -Attempted

Join - To glue or join together; to unite

Paul attempted to glue himself to the disciples; to the local church which was in Jerusalem.

However, Scripture records for us that the disciples were afraid of him and did not believe that he was a disciple. In other words they doubted his testimony of salvation.

In other words, the disciples said, “Saul does not belong here. We will not allow him to become a part - a member - of this local body of believers.”

This whole episode points out several truths which have a bearing upon a church having a formal process of membership:

The local church is the pillar and ground of the truth.

1 Timothy 3:15 KJV 1900

But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.

By refusing to allow Saul to unite with them, the disciples were, in a very real sense saying, “Saul doesn’t believe the same as we do. He doesn’t agree with us. He shouldn’t be a part of our local church.”

I believe that it should come as no surprise that, when an individual joins a local church, they are publically testifying that they are in agreement with that church’s statement of faith.

Illustration:

Some time ago, we had two individuals - friends - who began attending SCBC. (One of them had attended SCBC as a child.) Over the course of time, I had the opportunity to sit down and talk with them about Biblical truth. They no longer attend SCBC. Why? Because they did not agree with one aspect of our statement of faith.

The pastor of the local church has a great responsibility as the under-shepherd.

1 Peter 5:1–2 KJV 1900

The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;

The disciples, in initially not allowing Saul to unite with the church in Jerusalem, understood that they had a responsibility (given to them by God) to take care of (oversight) the flock of God and they initially felt that, if they allowed Saul to join their church, that that would not be a good fulfillment of their responsibility.

With this, I believe that one of the best Biblical justifications for having some type of a formal process of church membership is given by the Apostle Paul himself:

As the Apostle Paul is making his way back to Jerusalem, he has the opportunity to speak with the leadership of the church in Ephesus and this is what he says:

Acts 20:28–30 KJV 1900

Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.

The Christian Law Association, which is an organization which has been faithfully serving churches with sound legal counsel for over 50 years, has stated:

Make it difficult to get in; easy to get out!

I don’t take membership in a local church lightly and I don’t want anyone else to take membership in a local church lightly either.

The Christian Law Association has also stated that:

The most common source of trouble for a church is non-attending members.

The CLA goes on to say:

Churches…should set a membership standard which provides you with the solid legal authority to refuse to accept or retain members who are openly living in sin or who do not subscribe to your statement of faith.

Setting this standard will protect your church from people who are openly living in sin and want to make a cultural or political statement by tryin to join your church.

I wish that this wasn’t the case but, certainly Paul’s words to the leadership of the church in Ephesus, are just as true today - if not more so - then they were in the first century.

So, while a formal process of church membership may not be explicit within the pages of Scripture, I believe that is implicit and that it is certainly Biblically prudent so as to protect this local church and its testimony as the pillar and ground of the truth!

We believe that the local New Testament church is composed of regenerated, baptized believers, voluntarily united together for the purpose of worship, edification, ordinances, fellowship and service;

I will likely come back to the last part of this:

…for the purpose of worship, edification, ordinances, fellowship and service;

However, I need to hasten on to the next part:

That the officers of the local church are pastors and deacons whose qualifications, claims and duties are clearly defined in the Scriptures;

Tonight, briefly, I want to touch on the matter of deacons.

Turn to and read Acts 6:1-7.

W.B. Johnson was a Baptist preacher and pastor in South Carolina and Georgia during the later part of the 18th century and the beginning of the 19th century.

In 1846, he wrote a book on Church Polity. In it he wrote:

There are two kinds of service which are essential to the prosperity of every church.

These are spiritual and temporal.

The spiritual service has respect to the moral condition of the church, the walk of the members, and the general state of all the spiritual interests of the flock.

These…are assigned to the bishopric [the pastor].

The qualifications of deacons look not so much to the intellectual capacity of rulers, spiritual guides, feeders of the flock, teachers, as to trustworthiness, capacity for business, excellence and stability of character.

As the term deacon means servant, as contradistinguished from ruler or teacher, whatever temporal service the interests of a church may require, should be committed to the hands of the deacons.

He went on to write that...

the spiritual prosperity of the church is intimately connected with these temporal interests.

We see all of this illustrated for us in Acts chapter 6.

Acts 6:7 KJV 1900

And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith.

It’s that time of year again, as we look forward to our annual business meeting, for the church family to nominate men to be consider to serve as deacons.

Mention document that was printed out.

Beginning Sunday, we will welcome nominations of men to serve as deacons. One change: When you give your recommendation for deacon, please include why you are nominating that individual.

that the mission of the church is the faithful witnessing of Christ to all men as we have opportunity in the local community and to the uttermost part of the earth;

that the local church has absolute right to self-government, free from the interference of any individuals or organizations, religious or political;

that the one and only superintendent is Christ, through the Holy Spirit;

that it is scriptural for true churches to cooperate with each other in contending for the faith and for the furtherance of the Gospel, with each local church as the sole judge of the measures and method of its cooperation;

and that on all matters of membership, policy of government, discipline, benevolence, etc., the will of the local church is final.

(Acts 2:41-47; Romans 1:7; Colossians 1:2; Acts 20:28,31; I Peter 5:1-5; Titus 1:5-8)

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