Together: Sharing Our Lives

Membership Matters: A Series on Church Membership at Mathiston FBC

Fall 2025

Message Fifteen

12/14/2025

Galatians 6:1-5.

Central Idea: Followers of Christ share their lives to encourage and hold one another accountable as they advance the Kingdom of God.

We live in a “me” centered world. Everything is about me, and everything can be done by me. We view everything through the lens of individualism— my life, my business, my burden, etc.

Question: What does true Christian community offer?

I. Shared responsibility for each other’s spiritual health. [1-3]

Outward focus

Restoring those overtaken by sin

Ministry of intervention

Notice the language communicating the context and manner of which this happens:

Brothers and Sisters αδελφοι— the context = family

With a gentle spirit— with gentleness

Carrying burdens

Ministry of presence

Amidst grief, chronic illness, wayward child, depression, financial strain, marital strife, etc.

How? Providing meals, praying with and for them, helping with responsibilities around their house, sitting with them in silence, other tangible helps.

The law of Christ is the law of love—Galatians 5:14 “For the whole law is fulfilled in one statement: Love your neighbor as yourself.” John 13:34 ““I give you a new command: Love one another. Just as I have loved you, you are also to love one another.”

Membership Matters: Church members take this serious. A member says, “My brother’s/sister’s sin is my concern because it harms them and our shared mission. We have a covenant (agreement) to restore, not reject.”; Likewise, a member says, “Your struggle is my struggle, and I am here to help carry the weight with you.”

II. Owned responsibility for my own spiritual health. [4-5]

Inward focus

Ensuring personal faithfulness so I can encourage collective faithfulness

Before you can care for someone else, you must be sure there are a few things understood:

You must first be spiritual (you who are spiritual, 1b) (cf. Galatians 5:16–18 “I say, then, walk by the Spirit and you will certainly not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is against the Spirit, and the Spirit desires what is against the flesh; these are opposed to each other, so that you don’t do what you want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.” Galatians 5:25 “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”)

You must first examine your own life

We love Matthew 7:1 ““Do not judge, so that you won’t be judged.”

But we often overlook Matthew 7:5 “Hypocrite! First take the beam of wood out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to take the splinter out of your brother’s eye.”

Posture of humility

1 Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has come upon you except what is common to humanity. But God is faithful; he will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation he will also provide the way out so that you may be able to bear it.”

Membership Matters: Church members take their own spiritual health serious. Before encouraging others walk faithfully, they carefully ensure they are walking faithfully. They do the work privately to ensure they are able to be of benefit publicly. They are healthy so they can heal; they get strong so they can carry.

Closing remarks:

For those questioning, “Can’t I do all of this without membership? I can attend and take care of those around me all the same without having my name on a membership roll, right?”

Not effectively. How can you know who is responsible for you and who you are responsible for?

Reminder: The New Testament has several examples of a formal membership process— Paul writes to speicifc churches; Letters of recommendation are sent from one church to another accommpanying traveling members; language is used in the New Testament suggesting there were ways to distinguish those who were part of the church and those who were not.

Membership includes commitment and clarity:

Commitment to those who are part of the church family

Clarity regarding those you are responsible for (other church members)

Response:

What can you do?

If you are not saved, then you should consider today what Jesus has done for you and call upon His name for salvation:

Where you deserved death because of your sin, Jesus offers life instead (Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”)

When you were still in sin, lost, without hope, without purpose, and enemies of God, He sent Jesus to demonstrate His love towards you offering a way to avoid undergoing His judgment (Romans 5:8 “But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”)

What should you do? Recognize your sin, call upon the name of Jesus, and confess Him as Lord of your life and all creation, believing God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9–10 “If you confess with your mouth, “Jesus is Lord,” and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. One believes with the heart, resulting in righteousness, and one confesses with the mouth, resulting in salvation.”)

Following this, you should be baptized and join a local church.

If you are saved, you should consider a few questions:

Am I a member of a local church?

Have I cared for my church family?

You can do this by first knowing who is part of your church family and begin praying for them, calling them, visiting them, etc.

Get a directory

Commit to care more deeply and actively for those you are responsible for.