Let me address this in a
round about fashion. Id like to address just what the local church is and the
importance placed upon it by the Bible and the Lord Jesus Christ. Once you
understand how vital the church is, I believe you will be in a better position
to consider the question posed in this Thinking Cap. Church membership is
formally identifying yourself with a local congregation and locating your
worship of God and service with those Christians.
A. What is the basis of church membership?
While not explicitly
commanded in the New Testament, it is obvious that new believers identified
themselves with a local congregation in the early church. In Romans 16, Paul
gives explicit greetings to people who are part of the church at Rome, many of
whom have worked with him in the past but now live in Rome. Many of the letters
of Paul (Romans, I & II Corinthians, Philippians, etc.) are written to
specific congregations of Christians. Jesus Christ always assumed his followers
would live in community, and indeed said, Where two or three are gathered in
my name, I am there among them (Matthew 18:20).
B. Church Membership is the example of the Bible.
1. In Acts 2:38-41, Peter
preaches a gospel message, and many respond and are then baptized. The same day
there are added unto them about three thousand souls. (vs.41) Note: The
example is that when people get saved and baptized, they are then added to that
church.
2. In I Corinthians 5:1-13,
the Corinthian Church is rebuked for letting one of its members continue in
open sin.
a. Verse 2 says that the church should have been mourning over this mans sin,
that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you (removed
from the church).
b. Verse 7 says, purge out (remove) therefore the old leaven.
c. Verse 13 says again, put
away from among yourselves that wicked person. Note:
You cannot be put out of a group unless you are a member of it. You cannot be
put away from something of which you are not a part. So this indicates that
the early church practiced church membership.
3. Jeremiah
tells us that the heart of man is sinful and deceitful (Jer. 17:9-10). To
safeguard ourselves and to enable us to live lives that are glorifying to the
Lord, we must be under spiritual accountability. Children are accountable to
the parents. Wives are subject to husbands. Husbands and families should be
submissive to the authority of the local church. How else can the pastor be
held accountable for the souls of those in the local church (Heb. 13:17)?
C. What are the requirements of church membership?
I believe that membership in
a local church assumes:
1. That one is a believer in
Jesus Christ,
2. That the individual has
been baptized by immersion after receiving Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior,
3. That one is willing to
place himself under the spiritual authority of that local church and its
leadership, and
4. That one is willing to
commit to the work and service of the church.
There is a two-way
commitment in church membership. A person commits to serve God in a particular
local church, and that particular local church commits to encouraging him and
caring for him as a member of that church's family.
D. What are the ingredients of church membership?
1. Service
The Christian life is
manifested in service to God and to our neighbor. We cannot love someone
without being willing and eager to serve them. We serve God by worshipping him,
by living a life faithful to his will, and by giving testimony to our belief in
Him through our words and actions. We also serve God by serving in the
community of the people of God, the church. To be a member of this community is
to serve in some way in the church's efforts to glorify God. (Mark 10:42-45)
2. Prayer
Prayer is an integral part
of the Christians life. Because of what Jesus Christ has done for us, we have
been given access to God the Father through the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:18).
The primary way in which we exercise this access is through prayer. God wants
to hear from us in prayer! Not only does prayer benefit us, it also pleases
Him.
As part of a larger
community of believers, we also pray for the well-being of the church. We know
that the church is the primary way in which God is revealed to the world, so we
pray that the church would be strong enough and bold enough to be an instrument
for Gods purposes even as it is an encouragement to us.(Colossians
1:9-10; 4:2-3)
3. Attendance
Because Jesus was raised
from the dead on the first day of the week (Sunday), Christians historically
have assembled on this day to worship God. While we seek to live worshipfully
as individual Christians, there is something special
(and indispensable) about the congregations corporate worship. The Greek word
for church, ekklesia, literally means an assembly or
called-out-ones. Thus, the church is not the church unless it gathers together
for worship. (Acts 20:7; Hebrews 10:24-25).
4. Money
Christians are called to
give back to God a portion of our income. For most Christians, our income is in
the form of money, so we give money. We give money to God for two primary
reasons (1 Corinthians 16:1-2; Deuteronomy 14:22; Malachi 3:8-10):
1. To honor God.
We do this by physically demonstrating that He is truly the Lord of our life.
The sacrifice of giving a portion of our income is a powerful gesture and
serves to remind us and testify to others that God is first in our life.
2. To support
the work of the church. The church funds a local ministry staff as well as
domestic and foreign missionaries. It spends money to buy and maintain a
building in which to meet. And it uses funds for worship, education,
discipleship, and outreach materials and programs. Our financial giving enables
the church to pursue Gods purposes in the world.
In the Old Testament, by the
time you added up all of the mandatory giving, and the obedient child of God
was giving close to 30% of his income to the temple. This was obligatory
giving! We live in the age of grace. Jesus issues no specific additional
instructions about giving, other than to give cheerfully and generously and
sacrificially in everything (relationships, money, etc.) (Luke 6:38) Paul picks
up this teaching of Jesus and applies it to giving money for the work of the
church. (II Corinthians 9:6-8) Christian giving should from a heart
filled with grace. It is to be cheerful, generous and sacrificial.
E. How does this fit with Gods overall plan for the
ages?
God ordained three
institutions for mankind. Family (Ge. 2), Government (Ge. 6), and the Local
Church (Acts).
1. We are added to a family
for nurture, training, love and growth.
2. We are a part of a
government for civil order.
3. We are a part of a local
church to carry out His 5 part Great Commission: Evangelism, Adding to the
Church by baptizing the saved, Maturing believers through Discipleship,
Conforming ourselves to Christ, and
Bringing Glory to God.
In
like manner,
1. We say I do to join a
new family by marriage, and in so doing submit one to another (Eph 5:21).... we
don't just live together.
2. We say I belong to the
government as a citizen by participating, paying taxes, and voting, and in so
doing submit to civil authority (Ro. 13:1-4)... you don't just leech off of
society.
3. We say I join to the
local church body for ministry and in so doing submit (Heb. 13:17) to spiritual
accountability.
There
is a dangerous idea sweeping our country that it is not necessary to be married
to enjoy the fruits of living together and family; that it is not necessary to
be a contributing member of government and that it is not necessary to be an
active member of a local body of believers to be in good fellowship with God.
The modern man demands rights and shuns responsibility. That is not only
dangerous, that is just plain unbiblical. Its an ox-cart ... its a Philistine
way of doing things.
F. The Expression of Gods Grace and the
Local Church
Paul begins his letter to
the Thessalonians with an emphasis upon Gods grace, and he closes his letter
in much the same way. When the beginning and the ending of a passage of
Scripture, or in this case the entire book, have the same theme, this is a
literary device called inclusio.
The inclusio sets boundaries for a thought unit in Scripture. It
also is used to describe an important theme included in the material between
the bookends. Thus we can expect that the material contained in I
Thessalonians is somehow related to the bestowal of Gods grace upon the
church. Paul's closing to his letter is not the ordinary way to close a Greek
or Roman letter. Rather than the typical wish for the good health of the recipient,
the grace of which Paul speaks is bestowed upon the church as a group
(In I Thes. 5:28, you is plural, not singular).
The Christian assembly is an
important element in God dispensing His special grace toward individual
Christians:
1. The gathered Christian
community grows in godliness by means of the work of each Christian in the
group helping other Christians in the community grow (Ephesians 4:16).
2. Individuals are kept from
sin by interaction with other believers (Hebrews 3:12-13).
3. The interaction with
other believers provides encouragement for us to continue living for Jesus
Christ (Hebrews 10:24-25).
Titus 3:15 illuminates the
idea that grace comes in a unique way to Christians as a corporate body (a
local church). At first Paul addresses Titus personally. Paul says we greet
you (singular). Next he gives a command to Titus, singular, to greet those
who love us in the faith. Finally, Paul concludes by saying grace be with you
all, plural. He ceases speaking directly to Titus alone, even though the
letter is addressed to Titus specifically. In 2 Timothy 4:21-22, Paul does the
same thing in his address to Timothy. This does not mean that God does not give
His grace to individuals. But there does appear to be a special way in which
God gives His grace to groups of Christians who gather together, functioning as
a body. This emphasizes the importance of the local church. Our involvement
with a local church is an avenue in which God dispenses His grace toward us.
Should it be any surprise
that the happiest, most vibrant Christians appear to be those who are involved
with a local church? God hasn't designed the Christian to be by himself. We need
each other, and this is an avenue through which God blesses us. The connection
Christians have with Jesus Christ is further explanation why involvement with a
local group of Christians is an important avenue for Gods grace.
Grace comes from Jesus, who is
our Lord. Jesus is the unique bestower of grace. According to John 1:16-17, the
coming of Jesus is the height of the realization of Gods grace to mankind.
There was grace and truth under the law given by Moses (Exodus 34:6), but
nothing like the grace which has come through Jesus Christ. A better
translation of the thought in John 1:16 is grace replacing grace. What we
have in Jesus is so much better. Jesus is uniquely qualified to bestow grace.
He is Lord. Jesus was given all authority in heaven and earth because of His
exaltation to the place of authority at Gods right hand (Philippians 2:9-11).
Salvation is due to Gods
grace (Ephesians 2:8). Yet this salvation comes through Jesus, for He is the
one who has the authority to bestow salvation to those who call upon Him for
salvation (Acts 2:21; 4:12). Grace comes because of our relationship with Jesus
(Ephesians 1:6). Because of our unique relationship with Jesus, and His working
in our lives, we grow together in grace.
Ephesians 4:15-16 brings this
whole concept of grace to the local body, from Christ, into perspective.
Jesus is the one who empowers us for spiritual growth, unto whom we grow in
Christ-likeness. Through His powerful working in our lives, we are instruments
God uses to produce Christ-likeness in other members of the local body. Grace
comes from Jesus through each other, as well as for the benefit of each other.
G. What does
this mean?
It means that finding a local church in which
one can fellowship, grow and serve is one of the most important decisions an
individual will ever make. It is a vital ingredient for the personal health and
spiritual maturity of the individual believer. It is a critical resource for
the family. Newcomers to a church
should carefully and prayerfully seek the Lords direction regarding membership
in the church. This process could take a week or a couple months. But in that
period of time, the Christian should be able to make an informed decision. Once
a person makes that decision, he should follow whatever process that local
church has for becoming a member. Since those who serve in a church are
extensions of the church and represent the pastor in areas of ministry, it
would be logical that they have placed themselves under spiritual
accountability to the church body by membership and service.
So,
back to the question at hand. Can you be a good Christian and not go to church?
A Christian? Theologically, yes. But, a good Christian? I don't think so.
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Copyright 2001 by the Gospel Martial Arts Union All rights reserved.