Attachment

Doxology:

This is my Bible. It is God’s Holy Word. It is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide its words within my heart, that I might not sin against God. Amen!

Scripture Reference: Hebrews 10:19-25

Context

For 2 1/2 months, we have been asking the same question:

“Why Are We Here?”

Why do we come to this place?

So far, we have seen that we come to this place for the purposes of Evangelism, for Praise and Worship, for Fellowship, for Discipleship, and for Prayer.

Today, we move on to the last of the reasons for why we are here, and this last topic is one that we are going to spend some time on. We need to spend some time on it, because there are simply a lot of questions that people have regarding it.

This last topic is that of Covenant Family, or what many like to call, “Membership”.

What is membership? When did it start? Is it even biblical? If I am adopted into the family of God through the blood of Jesus, why do I need to be a member of a local church? Am I not already a member of the family through Christ? If I attend a local church faithfully, support that local church regularly with my finances, and pray for that local church daily, why should membership stand in the way of me being able to serve within that same local church?

These questions, and more, are questions that have to be answered within the church today. Bad experiences, church hurt, hypocritical Christians, and many more things have simply left a bad taste in a lot of people’s mouths when it comes to locking arms with a local body. For all of these reasons, these people love Jesus, but they are leery of the local church.

So why Membership?

The simple answer: because that is the biblical example set by the first century church.

In Acts 2, they knew that 3,000 souls were saved and added to the church on that day, because they were keeping count. Every person was accounted for. They knew not only that it was 3,000 people, but they knew also who those 3,000 people were.

In Acts 4, it says that 5,000 more men were added to the church. They knew this because someone was keeping count. It mattered who belonged to the church and who didn’t. Those who came to faith in Christ were numbered among the believers and added to the church.

When Paul wrote his many letters in the NT, he would send those letters to the churches by way of people from the local church he was currently serving in, and then tell those who were receiving the letter to also receive the deliverer. Romans 16, 1 Corinthians 16, Ephesians 6, and Colossians 4 are all examples of where Paul does this.

Romans 16:1–2 NKJV

1 I commend to you Phoebe our sister, who is a servant of the church in Cenchrea, 2 that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you; for indeed she has been a helper of many and of myself also.

This is monumental on several accounts:

Paul entrusted the greatest theological work of all the Scriptures, and some might even argue all of literary existence, to this woman and had her deliver it to the church in Rome. That in and of itself is mind-boggling.

It gives us a glimpse into the early church and how it operated. Paul is vouching for this woman. He says, “Hey, I know her. She has served alongside me in the church. I have seen her in action, and “she has been a helper of many and of myself also. She’s as solid as they come.”

And it would also seem that Paul did not send her there just to deliver a message, but to check on some other things as well. We don’t know what those other things are, but Paul says, “assist her in whatever business she has need of you.” In other words, “I have asked her to check on a few things while she is there, so please aid her in those things.” Paul is asking the church in Rome to accept her as a sister in the faith on his behalf, even though she is not a member of their church. Paul knows that they know him, but he also knows that they do not know her.

This is where the whole idea of getting a letter of recommendation from someone’s previous church comes from before you accept them into your membership. When someone wants to join the church, you ask them, “Have you been a member anywhere else?” If they say, “Yes!” You then ask them for the name and address of that church. You send off to them what is called a request for a church letter. This lets them know that people who were previously members of their church are moving their membership to your church, but it also serves as a measurable means of accountability. If those people were not good servants of that previous church, that is when they are supposed to respond and say, “Hand on a minute, there are a few things you might need to know before you accept into your membership.

This right here, as well as the few other spots I mentioned is where that concept comes from. It’s biblical.

If the person has never been a member of another church, then you receive them through water baptism. If they have already been baptized, then you accept them through what is called a statement of faith, where they get up in front of the church, share their testimony and let the current body know that they are indeed children of God.

Lastly, it lets us see that even in the earliest days of the church, each and every believer had a home church that they belonged to. This was not just Phoebe, a servant of the church. This was Phoebe, a servant of the church in Cenchrea.

Cenchrea is where she planted her roots.

Cenchrea is the mission field to which her heart yearned for. Those are the people whom she wanted to see saved and transformed by the blood of Christ.

The leadership of the church at Cenchrea is who she has entrusted with her spiritual growth and development.

It is the leadership at Cenchrea that she has submitted herself to and agreed to allow them to hold her accountable in her Christian walk.

It is the church at Cenchrea that she has committed her money, her time, and her service to. This is the church that will commission her for service and ministry.

My friends, that is church membership. It is not just signing your name to a list. It is not just gaining a vote in the business meeting. It is not just succumbing to a background check in some cases.

Committing yourself, or your family, to a local church is done for the purpose of four main things (and there could be more if we wanted to be exhaustive):

Attachment (Belonging to a family)

Advancement (Spiritual Growth and Development)

Alignment (Learning to Stand for Spiritual Truth)

Accountability (Submission)

In the NT church, there was no such thing as a rogue Christian. Every believer belonged to a specific congregation except for those like Paul, who were apostles and traveled constantly to either plant new churches or aid those already in existence.

Family Matters: Attachment (Title Slide)

Hebrews 10:19–25 NKJV

19 Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, 20 by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh, 21 and having a High Priest over the house of God, 22 let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Content

***Walk through Hebrews 10:19-23, focusing on verse 23 as the transitional verse.

In one sense, it would seem that all we need is God. It is He who created us; It is He who watched over us; It is He who loved us enough to secure our victory over sin and Satan at Calvary; It is He who rose again; It is He who ascended to the Father; It is he who sits at the right hand of the Father making intercession for you and I now. Whom else do we need.

The author of Hebrews here says plainly, hold fast the confession of your hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. And He is...Amen!! God is faithful.

1 Corinthians 1:9 NKJV

9 God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of His Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

God is faithful. You can depend on Him. His words are true and trustworthy. His promises are sure and steadfast. All of that is true, and I hope that you believe it all, and trust it all.

But....that does not mean that you were intended to or purposed to go through this life only pursuing a relationship with God alone. That should be the most important relationship to you, but it should not be the only relationship.

From the very beginning, we see this truth that is conveyed by God Himself that we are to do life with others.

Genesis 2:18 NKJV

18 And the Lord God said, “It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him.”

God created Adam first and placed him in the Garden of Eden. Adam was not flawed in some way, or lacking in another. There was nothing wrong with Adam. God did not make a mistake when He created Adam. Everything that God created was very good.

And mind you, Adam had God. Adam was not separated by God, but rather knew God on a personal level that you and I could only dream of. Yet when God sat back and surveyed the actions of Adam, He realized that it was not good for Adam to be alone. He needed another; someone he could talk to and sympathize with; someone he could understand and relate with fully; someone like Him. So God created Eve.

***Family

Deuteronomy 6:4–9 NKJV

4 “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one! 5 You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your strength. 6 “And these words which I command you today shall be in your heart. 7 You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, when you walk by the way, when you lie down, and when you rise up. 8 You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. 9 You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates.

*Teach your children to love good and hate evil.

*The family is to be united under one authority, and that is the authority of God. He is what we unite to, and as we all choose to live out His will, we will do so unity.

***The giving of the Law

***The Church

Acts 2:42–47 NKJV

42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers. 43 Then fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. 44 Now all who believed were together, and had all things in common, 45 and sold their possessions and goods, and divided them among all, as anyone had need. 46 So continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

This was a family. It was more than just acquaintances. They loved one another, sacrificed for one another, prayed for one another, and were united with one another. But just like with the family, their unity was based upon an authority that came from outside of the family. Their unity came as they sought to live out the will of God in their lives.

That is exactly what we see here in the verses that we are looking at today. The author of Hebrews starts by saying:

Hebrews 10:23 NKJV

23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful.

We are to have a confidence within us to live out the will of God in our lives consistently. But watch what he says next:

Hebrews 10:24–25 NKJV

24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

How do we maintain that confidence? How are we to continuously move forward in our faith? By attaching ourselves, or joining ourselves with a family of believers who will lovingly exhort one another. That means to lovingly encourage one another.

Family Matters!!!

See you need a family network that will stir up the love of God in your heart. You need a family network that will motivate you to good works. You need a family network that will exhort you along the way.

Christ is our Savior, and absolutely nothing or noone can or should replace the fact that He is your number one. That is not what your family does. They do not try to steal that number one position in your heart. Rather, they remind you of who should be there. They care for your spiritual condition with the Lord, and hope that you will do the same for them.

Galatians 6:2 NKJV

2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 NKJV

11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

Colossians 3:16 NKJV

16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.

Romans 12:10 NKJV

10 Be kindly affectionate to one another with brotherly love, in honor giving preference to one another;

Ephesians 4:2–3 NKJV

2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love, 3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.

1 Peter 4:8–10 NKJV

8 And above all things have fervent love for one another, for “love will cover a multitude of sins.” 9 Be hospitable to one another without grumbling. 10 As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.

One of the reasons for joining a church in membership is attachment. It carries a sense of belonging. God settles in your heart that this is where you and your family belong. This local body of believers is right where God wants us. This is what our personal family needs, so we are locking arms with a much larger family.

And in so doing, you connect with them and they connect with you. You feel at home in that place. And then when you leave that place and someone asks you, “Where do you go to church?”, you can proudly say, I belong to the family of Allons Baptist Church, or if you are watching this online, that would be whatever family you belong to. You proudly bare that name and represent that name when you go out. You talk to others about your family. You wear the t-shirts that proudly broadcast the name of the church, or the ministries that the church is involved in.

You do all of these things, and you do them proudly because God has given you a peace that these are your people. These are your core brothers and sisters in Christ. It is this group of people who challenge you to grow and be developed spiritually. It is this group of people who constantly point you to Jesus.

That is the first reason for membership: Attachment; Connection; Family

Commitment

I know that there are some of you here today, many of you who are here today, that are not members of this church. That’s ok. I want you to take your time making that decision, because I want it to be the right decision for you and your family.

But if you have been wrestling with that decision within your family, and today, God has spoken to you that this is where you belong, that Allons Baptist Church is the place that your family needs to get plugged in, here is how it works.

First, come to me and let me know. I want to sit down with you and have a conversation. I want to hear your testimony, your salvation experience, and how you have served God in other places before coming here. I want to know if you have been baptized before. I want to know what it is about ABC that calls to you and makes you feel at home.

Second, we are going to get you into the first available “New Members Class”. This class is going to cover all of the essential information that you need to know about Allons Baptist Church.

After you complete that class and still want to lock arms with us here at ABC, it will be brought up at the following business meeting to be voted in.

But let me shift gears for a moment. I want to take just a moment to talk to you about a different kind of membership. Maybe, you have never truly trusted Christ as your Savior, and become a member of the family of God. Let me ask you a question: What are you waiting on?

If you are here this morning and you have been seriously contemplating this idea of submitting yourself to God, let me tell you, there is no better day than today to do it.