Church Membership part 3
Notes
Transcript
Announcements
Connect
Food Bank
Worship Conference
Prayer - Patersons and Harmanings
Jared, Katcha, Hugo, Sophia - missionaries in Czech Republic
Mike, Amber, Ellery, Thea - Pastoral Care Team with Cadence International, missions organization sharing the gospel with American military around the world.
Harmanings -
-We would have a good start to the school year.
-Be good representatives of Christ and His Gospel as we work with unchurched Czech and international students and families.
-We can be financially healthy and make new connections with people and organizations that would want to partner with us.
Patersons
Transitions in Leadership: Pray for our former Director of Communications as she moves into her new role at Fuller Seminary, and for our new Director as she steps into her position with Cadence. Ask God to guide both transitions and strengthen the team during this season of change.
Fall Events & Ministry Needs: Pray for preparations for the Cadence Leadership Summit (Sept 22–26) and October Candidacy. Ask God to bless our new president as he leads his first CLS, and for wisdom and strength for all involved in the planning and execution.
Pastoral Care & Staff Health: Pray for Gene as he hands off leadership and transitions to a reduced schedule, and for me as I step into the new role. Also, lift up staff and leaders who are struggling with depression or burnout—asking God to renew their passion, energy, and joy in ministry.
Family & Health: Pray for healing for Amber’s foot, Ellery’s ongoing visual and auditory struggles, and Thea’s recovery from tonsil surgery. Ask God to provide encouragement, wisdom for doctors, and financial provision for needed treatments.
Intro - We are the church
Earlier this week I was talking with a friend who just asked what we’re going through on Sunday mornings and I said we’re doing a series about how we are the church
And he said, what a great time - considering all that’s happening in our culture - to be talking about that with the church.
I think he’s right - it’s super valuable for us to be talking through who we are as a church.
From school shootings to Charlie Kirk’s death, there is a lot going on right now, as it always feels, I suppose.
A lot of pain.
A lot of uncertainty.
Fear.
And as followers of Jesus, it’s good for us to recenter ourselves and ask - who are we? Why am I here?
And another important question - where do I go from here?
What’s next?
What’s next is informed by what story we live by
What narrative guides us? Whose narrative will we believe?
Some will interpret the last couple of weeks with one narrative, while others will tell a completely different story.
Where do we fit into that story?
The amazing thing that we hold to here at Gateway is this: the true story, the real narrative is not about us.
It’s about God.
It’s his story.
It’s the old story that God made the world, his good world was made sick with sin, but God promised a cure, a Savior. And this Savior was the God-man, Jesus the Christ, who came to heal us from sin by dying in our place on the cross. He proved that he was the Son of God by rising again and now he reigns as king of the earth and will come again one day to judge the living and the dead and renew all things.
It’s not about us - but God has invited us - the church - to join.
As the church, we are a part of God’s plan to make things right.
As Jesus himself said we are
Salt
Light
A city on a hill.
So we’ve talked about the last couple of weeks that we are the church.
We saw in Acts 2 that we are created by God through his Spirit
That happens as we preached the gospel from God’s word
And people respond to the gospel through repentance and baptism
And then those people devote themselves to each other
And that’s why as a church we practice local church membership - a mutually recognized commitment between the church and the believer - to be cultivate that kind of people as we see in Scripture.
That’s our heart with church membership at Gateway - to be faithful to Scripture by cultivating a culture where people devote themselves to each other, especially in an age of fractured individualism where we can easily run off and do DIY faith.
But as we read last week in 1 Cor 12
DIY faith - just me and Jesus - spirituality apart from the church is like being an amputated limb.
Because we are the body.
A Christian separated from the church is like an amputated limb - they are not free, they are severed from the source of life, and they will die.
The church is unified and diverse. We are the body of Christ - one body with many members.
And local church membership supports that by making it visible. Just like baptism is this public decision to show my relationship with Christ, membership is this public decision to show I am a part of the body of Christ and to support one another.
We are the church
The goal of this series is to remind us of that.
To motivate us to devote ourselves to one another because we are the church.
The way we cultivate that love and devotion here at Gateway is through local church membership.
Church is more than a place you attend.
It’s more than a performance you get something from.
It’s people - the body of Christ himself - that we devote ourselves to out of response to the gospel.
Just as baptism is this outward sign - a decision, a public sign that you are with Jesus - so membership is this decision - an outward sign that I am with Jesus.
Because I believe that in this day and age that I live in - it’s important to tell people as clearly as I can, that I am with Jesus. And I love his church.
If you’re not a member and you’re like oh my goodness he’s talking to me and I feel targeted
This is for everyone
If this is your first time here or you’ve been attending just for a little while - we’ll talk about this later - please take some time to get to know us.
You wouldn’t marry someone you just met - I hope.
You want to take time before you make this commitment to a church.
Take your time in getting to know this church before you say - I’m in.
This is not some time share presentation.
We just want you to consider, if you love Jesus and this is your church home, would you join us in membership?
Would you join us in devoting ourselves to the body of Christ?
And if you are a member - ask the Lord this morning - what does it look like to continuing devoting myself to this church?
Maybe it’s person, maybe it’s just a refocusing
This morning we’re looking very practically at what does membership look like at Gateway, and how does one become a member.
6 things on what does membership practically look like at Gateway, and a few brief steps on becoming a member.
Believer’s Baptism
Baptism is an essential part of church membership.
To be a member of a church is to have faith in Jesus. And faith in Jesus is shown through baptism.
Now, not every church agrees on who gets baptized and when they get baptized and how, but we all agree that baptism is an essential part of connection with Jesus and his body.
At Gateway, we see baptism as a sign of faith for those who profess faith in Jesus, and we do that through immersion - going under the water to show union with Christ’s death, and coming out of the water to show we are united to him in his life.
Baptism is a first step in faith.
We read about this in Acts 2.
The church began as people responding with repentance and baptism.
37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The church is made of those who’ve responded to the gospel.
And they repent - they change their minds about Jesus. They go from being against him to wanting to join him.
And they are baptized - the symbol of that repentance.
Baptism is a sign of our unity with Christ.
1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life.
Baptism unites us with Jesus in his death and resurrection.
Our sin dies with him. Our new life is in him.
In Jesus, our identity is more than what we look like.
Where we live.
How much money we make
How we voted
We are in Christ.
His death and resurrection are as much a part of your story as the day your parents met.
Baptism is good news in an age of shaky identity.
Cancel culture
A world where we can craft our identity online but that image can be shattered in a moment.
Baptism is an anchor that reminds us: I am with Jesus.
If you’ve not been baptized, we’d love to talk with you about that.
If you have been baptized, remember you are with Jesus. Now and forever.
Second part of church membership
Sundays
We gather for worship.
2 My soul thirsts for God,
for the living God.
When shall I come and appear before God?
In this Psalm, David is pretty gloomy. If you know the rest of the Psalm he says Why are you downcast O my soul, why so disturbed or in turmoil within me?
David wants to be with God.
Church is more than Sundays, but it’s certainly not less.
On Sundays, we get to be with God and be with his people.
On Sundays we hear God’s word
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
We want the word of Christ to dwell in us richly.
It’s God’s word that brings life.
That’s how it was in Genesis 1, and it’s how he creates new life now.
So we preach from the Bible
Occasionally we do topical sermons like today, but our main diet is from books of the Bible because this is God speaking to us.
If all we did was topical sermons that I wanted to preach, you would only hear a few things from God’s word, the parts that I like to talk about, but I’m convinced we need this whole book.
We sings that teach the Bible.
You are probably not going to remember everything I say this morning - but it’s always helpful if you write things down -
We remember songs.
The band works to serve you and play songs that not only sound good, but are also true.
I want Isabelle and other kids as they sing with us to hear the truths of the gospel and Scripture. And to get them stuck in their heads. So they can make their way deeper into their inner life.
Sundays also matter because we can encourage each other.
24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.
Do we come on Sundays wondering what I will get out of it, or what I can bring to it?
Yes, we get poured into through God’s word and songs, but we are invited to see an opportunity to encourage each other.
Our family listens to a band called the Okie Dokie brothers - they sound a lot better than their name suggests.
But one of their songs says
I’m gonna sing you a good ol’ song, a song that’s true for certain, in this life you can’t get by without going through a little bit a hurtin’
Life is hard. We need encouragement. And, Jesus is coming soon! The end is near! Therefore, what do you say we meet here next Sunday 10am.
Third thing
Discipleship
A disciple is a follower.
We follow someone on social media because we want to hear what they have to say, we respect their opinion, or they entertain us.
I’m not on Instagram but Morgan told me about this guy who has a weekly home maintenance thing, and last week he told me to clean my grill, and so I cleaned my grill.
He has great influence in my life now.
For Jews, a disciple followed a rabbi, or teacher. They lived under his teaching and sought to be with him, become more like him, and do what he did.
So it is with us and Jesus.
This was Jesus’ charge to his own disciples as he finished his earthly ministry:
18 And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 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.”
There is so much to say about this passage:
So much.
So much.
One thing I’ve been thinking about recently is this:
To be a disciple is to be a disciple-maker.
To be a disciple of Jesus is to be a disciple-maker.
There’s no group of disciples that aren’t a part of disciple making.
Every follower of Jesus is to help others follow Jesus.
And what a privilege, because if we really believe Jesus is the WAY to true life, why wouldn’t we want to point others to him?
There are many definitions of how discipleship happens
One is this: doing intentional spiritual good to help others follow Jesus.
At Gateway we value doing intentional spiritual good to others
Prayer, encouragement, teaching the Bible, fellowship, generosity, growing as people of godly character, forgiveness,
Doing intentional spiritual good to help others follow Jesus.
That means that discipleship happens in community.
One of the main ways we do that in terms of church structures is community Groups.
These are friends following Jesus together.
Meeting regularly for prayer, to read the Bible, and do intentional spiritual good to one another.
Here they are - we’d love to have you join one.
So many of you are investing in groups and have been for years and years. Thank you!
Why? Because our world needs Jesus, and as disciples of Jesus, we need each other.
We can’t do this alone.
If you’d like information on community groups, please write that on the connect card and we’d love to help you.
TRANSITION
Giving
6 The point is this: whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 Each one must give as he has decided in his heart, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
We value generosity.
The New Testament doesn’t explicitly command tithing, in my opinion, some disagree on that.
There were 10% tithes in the Old Testament that were under the Mosaic law. And it’s likely the Jewish people gave about 20% of their income each year under the law.
However, we are not under the law anymore. Yet, we are still to be generous.
Not because - doggonit, give away your money!
But because I am united with Christ, I don’t want to serve money. So being generous helps me remember that I want to love Jesus more than I love my paycheck.
Look at what happened in Acts 2!
45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
Probably one of the miraculous things the Holy Spirit did in that community. Following Jesus must affect our finances.
You are a generous church.
You value giving as a means of furthering God’s kingdom - we can afford to gather here and have a place to proclaim the good news every Sunday.
You set me aside for prayer and teaching of God’s word so I don’t have to have a second job.
You support ministries and missionaries.
One of the best parts of our church family is our finance team
Myself, Anne Poppino, and Sam Michel meet once a month to go over church finances.
Anne has done an amazing job in setting things up so it would be extremely difficult for any one person to take money from the church.
I don’t know who gives or how much people give - I just see with them each month how we’re doing financially and we spend time praying asking God to help us be faithful in what he’s given us.
We live in this crazy time in world history, and one of the most counter-cultural things we can do is be people of generosity who value God’s kingdom over our own.
TRANSITION
Serving
Greatness in God’s kingdom means lowering yourself, because that’s what Jesus did.
We see this in Philippians
5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. 9 Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Jesus emptied himself to serve us.
He humbled himself by dying a humiliating death on our behalf.
And because he did that, God lifted him up as the king over all the universe and he is the one to whom every knee will bow.
So the path to greatness is through humbling ourselves and through service.
It doesn’t say therefore, serve in kids ministry or hospitality and serve coffee on Sunday mornings.
But it’s have this mind among yourselves - how can I give myself in service of others?
What can I do to help others follow Jesus?
Maybe it’s setting up coffee so people can be comfortable and welcomed as they gather for worship.
Maybe it’s serving in kids and loving them and pointing them to Jesus and giving parents of a 1-year old a few moments for them to connect with God.
These are the Sunday morning ministry teams we have
Again, these are not the only ways you can serve.
But serving is more about how we do things than what we do.
Being a church member means you have that mindset - how can I support this body? What can I do to help? Because I serve Jesus who is the great king who lowered himself
Finally, and perhaps most importantly.
Unity
We are united and diverse because God is united and diverse.
Unity with one another.
27 Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ, so that whether I come and see you or am absent, I may hear of you that you are standing firm in one spirit, with one mind striving side by side for the faith of the gospel,
We live in divisive times.
One of the greatest witnesses we can have is to dehumanize those we disagree with.
And you’re going to get a chance to disagree with people in a church.
If we are united, then we won’t run at the first sign of conflict.
We will seek to work things out.
Does church membership mean we will never fight and people will never leave? No.
But it’s a way to protect love and protect unity.
Unity with the leaders serving you.
17 Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
What a powerful verse
Pastors and elders are not CEO’s, we are soul shepherds preparing souls for death.
Guiding people to pray and prepare to one day be with Jesus.
I ought to do that with reverence and fear.
And the church submits to leaders as a sign of your love for Jesus, who is the true head of the church.
How can I help my leaders serve with joy? How can I pray for them? How can I live in such a way that makes serving Jesus in this church joyful?
Does this mean that as a member you have to 100% agree with every belief of the church?
No. But as a member you’re saying I’m not going to actively work for division, but I’m going to promote unity and support the leaders God has assigned to watch over my soul.
And again, what a gift from God in this age we live in that we have a system of support in the church where God calls people to watch over your souls.
TRANSITION - So there you have it, 6 values and practical ways that membership gets worked out here at Gateway Chapel.
So the question becomes how do I become a member?
This is not a process that is mandated in Scripture, but it’s a system that makes sense for us and helps us to know you and helps us devote ourselves to each other because of Jesus.
How do I become a member?
Be with us -
Like I mentioned at the beginning - being a member of a local church, like any valuable relationship takes time.
Don’t just come for a few Sundays and jump in. Take your time. Get to know us. Pray. Ask for God’s wisdom.
Meet with us
Let us know that you’re interested in becoming a member.
Fill out the connect card either in paper or following the QR code and say I am interested in talking about membership.
A couple of the elders would take you out for coffee, get to know you more, and then we have a Membership Interest Form that we’d have you fill out that lets you share on paper more of your story, how you came to know Jesus, when you were baptized.
Join us
The elders review those and then we put you before the church to celebrate new members on Sunday mornings as you’ve seen many times before.
So, kind of a different Sunday morning message, but hopefully it’s clarifying for you and either helps you understand a path forward if you want to call this church home, or maybe reclarifies the values of the church that you already call home.
And again, these things are not ‘have-to’s’ but things we get to do.
And in this cultural moment, what an amazing opportunity to represent the crucified and risen Jesus to a dark world.
Paul puts it this way
8 for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
That’s our hope to walk as children of light at Gateway Chapel.
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
We want to have gospel transformation - in light of God’s mercy to us, to be transformed more and more into the image of Jesus. Why? For God’s glory.
