Context for unity, church membership...

Take your bibles and turn to .

Brothers and sisters, please open our bibles to .

We are seeking to do a series of message on our life together as a church family.

This morning we’re going to consider the idea of church membership and how it gives assistance to the progress of church unity.

There are some of you who’ve been long time attenders and I can promise you that I’m not here to guilt into seeing it my way.

One of my goals is to perhaps draw your attention to some scripture from perhaps a differing angle to help you see things from another perspective.

This is

I want this message to really serve all of us, but especially you. May it edify the whole body of Christ.

Before we read the Scriptures, let’s pray...

Let me make a couple of introductory remarks concerning church membership.

First of all, this isn’t a salvation issue.

Scripture no where commands nor gives and explicit exhortation to “join a church.”

Joining a church doesn’t save you! It has no contribution to salvation.

We are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.

Also, one might argue that this issue of church membership is just a matter of semantics.

Why do I need to put my name on a list?

Can’t I be a part of the church just by

showing up,

listening to the sermons, and

talking to people?

Those are the sort of issues we’ll consider today as we talk about church membership.

Last week we talked about how God has chosen to display His manifold wisdom and glory through the church.

We thought about the significance of unity, and of God’s people relating to one another in ways that display God’s glory.

In this message, we’ll see that it is church membership that provides the context for that unity.

Church membership is going to provide the context necessary for a healthy church culture.

Church Membership—The Context for Unity. (2008). 9Marks Journal, 5(3), 11.

And I’m going to make the case that commitment to a local congregation is one of the basic ingredients of a healthy, unified local church.

Some of the other things stressed at our church like:

praying together

submitting to godly leadership

and others — all assume that we share some level of commitment to one another.

So the message is import to both prospective members and those who are already members,

this gives you a helpful biblical frame work to help you

think carefully about the responsibilities and privileges associated with being a member of a church.

So this morning let’s focus on two main points.

First, we will see from Scripture that God calls Christians to commit to a local church body, to do so formally, and even—yes—to be members of that body.

Second, we will look at how the commitment of church membership helps assist the progress of unity in the church.

Second, we will look at how the commitment of church membership facilitates unity in the church.

SO is church membership in the NT?

Finally, we will think about how we should talk to non-members about the importance of church membership.

Church Membership—The Context for Unity. (2008). 9Marks Journal, 5(3), 11.

SO is church membership in the NT?

SO is church membership in the NT?

Point #1. Does Scripture teach us about membership?

If you’re looking in your concordance for the phrase “join a church” or “sign this church card” (which are all man made sayings) you’ll search in vain.

However, the New Testament does call Christians to be committed to a particular local church.

Not only so, it also expects that this commitment will be a formal one, so that

everyone will know who has made that kind of commitment and who has not.

It’s About Commitment

One of the most prominent themes in the entire New Testament is Christians’ calling to love one another.

Jesus could not have put it more plainly when he said

12 "“This is my command: Love one another as I have loved you.” ()

The apostle John then reminds us in one of his letters,

23 "Now this is his command: that we believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another as he commanded us.” ()

Paul says in Romans

"Love one another deeply as brothers and sisters. Outdo one another in showing honor.” ()

The love that Christians are called to have for one another isn’t just a feeling, either.

It is love that works itself out in concrete actions.

Look at all the different ways the New Testament describes how Christians are to love each other:

• tells us to rejoice with those who rejoice, and to weep with those who weep.

• tells us to bear with one another.

• says we are to be kind to one another, and forgive one another.

• says we should encourage one another, and build one another up.

• tells us to exhort one another.

• says to stir one another up to love and good works.

• tells us to confess our sins to one another, and pray for each other.

• says we are to show hospitality to each other, and use our gifts to serve one another.

And of course there are other passages, too.

The point is that all those actions require relationships.

You can’t encourage, exhort, and stir others up to love and good works if you’re just casually running into them at church once a week.

You need to have real and vibrant relationships in place.

In fact, doing all that requires an understanding that you are sharing life together,

that you are open to

you are open to hearing exhortation, encouragement, and even rebuke from one another when it’s necessary. Put simply, it requires commitment.

hearing exhortation,

encouragement, and

even rebuke from one another when it’s necessary.

Put simply, it requires commitment.

Who’s In and Who’s Out

The commitment Christians make to one another in the church is not just casual and “understood.”

Throughout the New Testament, it seems to be a formal one.

Church Membership—The Context for Unity. (2008). 9Marks Journal, 5(3), 12.

In other words, the early church knew who was a part of their community and who was not.

They had a very clear understanding of who was inside the church and who was outside of it.

In , Paul rebukes the Corinthian church for not expelling a man who is in serious sin.

In verses 11 to 13, he writes, 11 "But actually, I wrote you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister and is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. 12 "For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? 13 "God judges outsiders. Remove the evil person from among you.” ()

Church Membership—The Context for Unity. (2008). 9Marks Journal, 5(3), 12.

Church Membership—The Context for Unity. (2008). 9Marks Journal, 5(3), 12.

11 "But actually, I wrote younot to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister and is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. 12 "For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? 13 "God judges outsiders. Remove the evil person from among you.” ()

11 "But actually, I wrote you not to associate with anyone who claims to be a brother or sister and is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or verbally abusive, a drunkard or a swindler. Do not even eat with such a person. 12 "For what business is it of mine to judge outsiders? Don’t you judge those who are inside? 13 "God judges outsiders. Remove the evil person from among you.” ()

Notice how Paul refers to those “inside the church” and those “outside the church.” ‘But how does he know who’s in and who’s out? How does the church distinguish between those who are part of it and those who aren’t? The answer is that they must have known very clearly which people had formally committed themselves to the church, and which had not.

That is really the only way that Paul’s exhortation to “remove” the sinful man makes any sense.

How could the church “put out” someone who had never been “put in?”

How could they expel someone from their fellowship if they had no clear understanding of which people were already in their fellowship?

They couldn’t, at least not with any meaning.

The church could only legitimately remove from its fellowship those who had

formally committed to the church,

identifying themselves with it.

Later, in (if we can turn there together [we’ll come back to 1 Corinthians in a second]), we find that the church had indeed followed Paul’s advice and expelled the man.

He apparently repented of his sin sometime after that, because Paul says in 2:6 that,

Church Membership—The Context for Unity. (2008). 9Marks Journal, 5(3), 12–13.

6 "This punishment by the majority is sufficient for that person.” ()

Look at that sentence carefully, and especially the word “majority.”

That is important because you can’t have a majority of anything unless you know who gets counted and who doesn’t.

Church Membership—The Context for Unity. (2008). 9Marks Journal, 5(3), 13.

Paul must be talking here about a majority of a well-defined whole

—that is, a majority of those people who were known to be committed to the church.

(Perhaps they even had a list.…)

Can you flip back to ?

So, where does the term “membership” come from anyway?

does the term “membership” come from anyway? Why do we call this formal commitment a person makes to the church “becoming a member?” Many people assume that the church has just borrowed the term from other organizations—the Rotary Club or Columbia Records, for instance. But in reality, it’s the Rotary Club that has borrowed “membership” from the church!

Why do we call this formal commitment a person makes to the church “becoming a member?”

Many people assume that the church has just borrowed the term from other organizations

—the Rotary Club or Columbia Records, for instance.

But in reality, it’s the Rotary Club that has borrowed “membership” from the church!

The idea of being a member of a church comes from the apostle Paul,

when he describes the local church as a “body” and each person within it as a “member” of that body.

Yep, he actually uses that word! Look at what he says in

12 "For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. 13 "For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink. 14 "Indeed, the body is not one part but many. 15 "If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. 16 "And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. 17 "If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 "But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted. 19 "And if they were all the same part, where would the body be?” ()

12 "For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. 13 "For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and we were all given one Spirit to drink. 14 "Indeed, the body is not one part but many. 15 "If the foot should say, “Because I’m not a hand, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. 16 "And if the ear should say, “Because I’m not an eye, I don’t belong to the body,” it is not for that reason any less a part of the body. 17 "If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 "But as it is, God has arranged each one of the parts in the body just as he wanted. 19 "And if they were all the same part, where would the body be?” ()

So I tell people this exact verse. God arranges each of the parts in the body as He wants them.

Then look at what he explicitly says to the local church in 27 "Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.” ()

The image Paul uses here is a profound one.

27 "Now you are the body of Christ, and individual members of it.” ()

Each of the members in the body is dependent on all the others.

Church Membership—The Context for Unity. (2008). 9Marks Journal, 5(3), 13.

As Paul puts it,21 "The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”” ()

21 "The eye cannot say to the hand, “I don’t need you!” Or again, the head can’t say to the feet, “I don’t need you!”” ()

Church Membership—The Context for Unity. (2008). 9Marks Journal, 5(3), 13.

No member of the body is independent; each depends in a profound way on all the others.

So in the church at Corinth, there were some people gifted to do certain things, and others gifted to do other things.

Each “member” in the church was different, yet working together they had everything necessary for the building up of the church body

12 "So also you—since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, seek to excel in building up the church.” ()

When you understand what lies behind the word “member,” you see why we put so much emphasis on church membership.

“Membership” is not just a word—it is a description of what we intend our commitment to Christ and to each other to look like.

In that light, it starts to sound ridiculous to talk about being a “member” of Columbia Records, doesn’t it?

But “membership” is the perfect word to describe the deep and practical commitment we share with each other as members of the body of Christ in this local church.

Point #2. How does church membership promote unity?

Church Membership—The Context for Unity. (2008). 9Marks Journal, 5(3), 13.

Let’s think about this together because we know that unity is important to God.

But there are two primary ways that church membership promotes unity!

First and most importantly (this builds off everything we learned last week),

church membership defines the group of people with whom we seek unity.

Simply stated, church membership unifies because it requires members to be Christians.

We unite with people who have repented of sin and trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation.

It is astonishing how often this truth is ignored in churches today.

Itis astonishing how often this truth is ignored in churches today. And as you can imagine, this has drastic consequences for church unity. When churches are filled with unregenerate, non-Christian people who hold offices and teaching positions, the result is almost always a church that is full of strife and division. That’s why, when we interview a prospective member of this church, we ask him to tell us how he became a Christian and also to explain briefly the gospel of Jesus Christ.

And as you can imagine, this has drastic consequences for church unity.

When churches are filled with unregenerate, non-Christian people who hold offices and teaching positions, the result is almost always a church that is full of strife and division.

That’s why, when we interview a prospective member of this church, we ask him to tell us how he became a Christian and also to explain briefly the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When a church allows into membership people who do not give evidence of faith in Christ,

they are left having to force unity on a group of people who are not indwelt by the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit.

When a church allows into membership people who do not give evidence of faith in Christ, they are left having to force unity on a group of people who are not indwelt by the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit. Church membership fosters unity because it makes the nature of our task clear. We are to demonstrate the glory of God’s wisdom by uniting in the local church with a specific group of people—those who are fellow believers in Jesus Christ.

Church membership fosters unity because it makes the nature of our task (of unity) clear.

We are to demonstrate the glory of God’s wisdom by uniting in the local church with a specific group of people—those who are fellow believers in Jesus Christ.

The second way that church membership fosters church unity is by calling us to commit to the entire church, not just a part of it.

In the first three chapters of 1 Corinthians, Paul rebukes the Corinthian church for its quarreling and divisiveness.

Some were claiming to be followers of Paul, others of Apollos, and still others of Peter. Paul tells them in starting in v4 "For whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not acting like mere humans? 5 "What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given.” ()

Church Membership—The Context for Unity. (2008). 9Marks Journal, 5(3), 14.

Church Membership—The Context for Unity. (2008). 9Marks Journal, 5(3), 14.

If some of us decided that we were only going to attend church on the Sundays when the pastor is preaching because we like his sermons best,

4 "For whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not acting like mere humans? 5 "What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given.” ()

and others of us decided that we would only attend when the Steve and Reed is preaching, or

brother Bob, because we prefer his sermons, we would quickly become a divided church.

Similarly, if we commit to a small group of friends who are like us in some way,

rather than to the church body as a whole, the church will become divided.

4 "For whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not acting like mere humans? 5 "What then is Apollos? What is Paul? They are servants through whom you believed, and each has the role the Lord has given.” ()

As believers, our primary commitment must be to the congregation at large, not to a smaller cluster of friends.

We want to encourage Christians to invest energy in relationships with everyone that God brings to this church,

not just with people who are similar to us in age, occupation, race, ethnicity, or even interests.

Far from being based on any of those things, our unity is grounded in our shared love for Jesus Christ and his gospel.

So how can we encourage Christian friends who are not members of a church?

I close with an appeal to us all.

Church Membership—The Context for Unity. (2008). 9Marks Journal, 5(3), 14.

I close with an appeal to us all.

Church Membership—The Context for Unity. (2008). 9Marks Journal, 5(3), 14.

First and foremost, we should go out of our way to make people feel welcome in our church.

Not just at the door even. But even afterwords.

13 "Share with the saints in their needs; pursue hospitality.” ()

Share with the saints in need (those inside the church) pursue hospitality.

The word “hospitality” means kindness to strangers.

So the next time you’re trying to decide who to talk to after church, or who to invite over for lunch, remember your calling to be a friend of strangers.

How can we help others to see the significance of committing themselves to a local church?

Church Membership—The Context for Unity. (2008). 9Marks Journal, 5(3), 14.

Three brief points:

9Marks Journal, Volume 5, Issue 3, 2008 II. Church Membership in the New Testament

No member of the body is independent; each depends in a profound way on all the others. So in the church at Corinth, there were some people gifted to do certain things, and others gifted to do other things. Each “member” in the church was different, yet working together they had everything necessary for the building up of the church body

9Marks Journal, Volume 5, Issue 3, 2008 III. Church Membership Promotes Unity

First and most importantly, church membership defines the group of people with whom we seek unity. Simply stated, church membership unifies because it requires members to be Christians. We unite with people who have repented of sin and trusted in Jesus Christ for salvation.

It is astonishing how often this truth is ignored in churches today. And as you can imagine, this has drastic consequences for church unity. When churches are filled with unregenerate, non-Christian people who hold offices and teaching positions, the result is almost always a church that is full of strife and division. That’s why, when we interview a prospective member of this church, we ask him to tell us how he became a Christian and also to explain briefly the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When a church allows into membership people who do not give evidence of faith in Christ, they are left having to force unity on a group of people who are not indwelt by the life-changing power of the Holy Spirit. Church membership fosters unity because it makes the nature of our task clear. We are to demonstrate the glory of God’s wisdom by uniting in the local church with a specific group of people—those who are fellow believers in Jesus Christ.

1. First, not joining a church is dangerous.

We are sinful people, and therefore we simply cannot trust ourselves.

By joining a church, we ask others to hold us accountable to live as Christians and, if necessary,

even to discipline us if we are not living as Christians. is instructive:

"Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but one who hates correction is stupid.”

When we commit to a church by becoming a member,

other members can help us guard against our own self-delusion and hold us accountable.

2. Second, joining a church brings glory to God.

Perhaps you’ve had conversations with Christians who reject the idea that we need to join the church.

And perhaps these friends appear to be strong Christians.

They are active witnesses for the gospel, they read Scripture regularly, and they pray frequently.

All these things are good, but by refusing to join a church,

a person betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of God’s plan for displaying his glory.

As we discussed some last week, God displays his glory through the church.

God’s plan is not about us as mere individuals.

It is far larger and grander than that.

God wants people to unite around his Son, the Lord Jesus Christ

—people who have many different faults and peculiarities,

people who may be very different from you, people who may not always even be your favorite people,

but people with whom you have Christ in common.

That’s what Paul means in where he says that it is through the church that God’s manifold wisdom is made known.

3. Finally, joining a church identifies us with Christ.

In , the risen Jesus appears to Saul as he is heading toward Damascus to persecute Christians.

Do you remember what Jesus says to him?

He doesn’t say “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting those Christians?”

He doesn’t even say “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting the church?”

He says, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?”

Jesus so closely identifies with the church that he refers to the congregation of Christians at Damascus as “me.”

If Jesus himself so completely identifies with the church, shouldn’t we do the same?

CONCLUSION

We started this class by asking why anyone should bother with church membership.

I hope that by now you have a good understanding of why membership is so important.

We are not called to live the Christian life as isolated individuals,

but rather as members of Christ’s body—that is, as members of a local church.

That is not just some arbitrary requirement, either.

When we commit our lives to one another in the church,

we are given the encouragement and accountability we need,

and God is glorified by the amazing spectacle of people from utterly different backgrounds uniting solely for the sake of his Son Jesus.

Ultimately then, church membership is both for our good and for God’s glory!

Church Membership—The Context for Unity. (2008). 9Marks Journal, 5(3), 15.