Membership

Joining the Church

Romans 15:7 ESV

7 Therefore welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Can you remember on the issue of Lordship, one of the points was seperation from the world? Well that is the negative end, but there is a positive end too, we are separated from the world and then joined to the church.

Ecclesiastes 3:7 ESV

7 a time to tear, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

We tear ourselves away from the evil of the world and the holy spirits sows us into the banner of God’s unfailing love.

We Must join the church

false belief that you can be a christian by yourself. You want christ but not is church. you want a personal relationship with Jesus, but not the church.

This view is deeply flawed an it is common in todays sinful world.

There are a couple of things that people like this forget and in doing so they actually blaspheme the name of the Lord.

Revelation 19:7–9 ESV

7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to clothe herself with fine linen, bright and pure”— for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. 9 And the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the marriage supper of the Lamb.” And he said to me, “These are the true words of God.”

2 Corinthians 11:2 ESV

2 For I feel a divine jealousy for you, since I betrothed you to one husband, to present you as a pure virgin to Christ.

Revelation 21:9 ESV

9 Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.”

The Church is the bride of Christ. I am not is bride, you are not his bride, the church is is bride.

And if you think that you can have an intimate relationship with Jesus, without being a part of his bride, then what are you and what does that make Jesus?

It makes Jesus an adulterer who is cheating on his bride with someone else. You are saying that Jesus is having an affair with you.

That is perhaps blasphemy of the highest sort.

The Church is God’s habitation

Ephesians 2:22 ESV

22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Read this verse slowly, because there is a word in this verse that somehow our brains dont read.

Many people read this verse and think it says that we are being built up into a swelling place for God by the Spirit. But thats missing a word: TOGETHER!

Together we are the dwelling lace for God, not individually.

Now yes, individually we each have the holy Spirit and yes, each of our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit, but look at what the bible says:

1 Peter 2:5 ESV

5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

We are not individually a spiritual house for ~God, we are individual stones, which when used together, all builds a spiritual house for God.

And it is our place within that corporate structure which empowers our individual lives with the Holy Spirit.

if you are not in the structure made up of many stones, then you have no part of the Holy Spirit who is the builder of that House.

Together We Becomes the Body of Christ

Once again, i am not the body of Christ, you are not the body of Christ. But togther WE are the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:4 ESV

4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call—

1 Corinthians 12:12 ESV

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.

Jesus does not have lots of bodies, He only has one body - and that one body is the Church.

So what are we?

1 Corinthians 12:12–27 ESV

12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

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The Great Spiritual Benefits of Membership

Joining a local Church and faithful attendance provides the Christian with immense spiritual blessings.

Two of the greatest are as follows:

1: Accountability

When you join a church you are saying that you want to be accountable to that Church. That you come under the authority of the pastor and leadership, and that you are accountable to all your brothers and sisters.

Galatians 6:1–5 ESV

1 Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. 2 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. 3 For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. 4 But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. 5 For each will have to bear his own load.

James 5:16 ESV

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.

Luke 17:3 ESV

3 Pay attention to yourselves! If your brother sins, rebuke him, and if he repents, forgive him,

It is our job as your true family to make sure that any sin you venture in will be as unpleasant as possible.

We will rebuke you and even discipline you.

2: Encouragement

1 Thessalonians 5:11 ESV

11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.

Ephesians 4:29 ESV

29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.