(CM 03) Church Membership in the New Testament
Notes
Transcript
Handout
If our goal is to better understand the value of the local church and church membership, we need to take some time to see what it looks like.
“I can be a Christian without going to church.”
How do you feel about that statement?
First: simply going to church is part of what guides that statement.
If I am only in it for me, then it shouldn’t matter if I go or not.
The bigger question is: how do you answer that?
Or what about church membership?
Is it biblical?
Can it be found in scripture?
Or is it just something made up by the modern church?
What are we looking for?
We are looking for the earliest churches and their members.
We want to see if local churches even exist.
We want to see if they practice what we call membership.
I want us to slow down and really think about what we see in scripture.
The goal is to understand why not just do it because.
1. A look at the church in Jerusalem.
1. A look at the church in Jerusalem.
Where it all started.
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The Jews had gathered in Jerusalem for a festival.
Peter preaches.
So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
1. A look at the church in Jerusalem.
1. A look at the church in Jerusalem.
They were added to the church.
The church was counting people.
They were keeping records.
And this is the birth of the church.
And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
The church was highly valuable to its members.
It was the centerpiece of their lives.
They were meeting in homes (local gathering places)
praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
The church was growing due to people being saved.
The idea of added to their number means they were keeping track.
But many of those who had heard the word believed, and the number of the men came to about five thousand.
1. A look at the church in Jerusalem.
1. A look at the church in Jerusalem.
We would agree that this group does not seemed concerned with how big the church gets.
They are not counting numbers to brag about how large they are.
Yet they have record of how many people are in the Jerusalem church.
Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.
And the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples and said, “It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables.
Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.
1. A look at the church in Jerusalem.
1. A look at the church in Jerusalem.
Here we see a church membership meeting.
They are making decisions for the good of the group.
Continuing through Acts we see that persecution pushed the church throughout the known world.
Paul is converted and begins planting church.
We begin to see more local churches marked off by location and leadership.
2. A clear and consistent picture.
2. A clear and consistent picture.
A. The church’s existence unifies around Christ and the gospel.
A. The church’s existence unifies around Christ and the gospel.
All the way back to the beginning, we see the words “forgiveness of sins” and “Jesus is Lord”.
Then Paul preached it.
Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand,
and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures,
that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve.
A. The church’s existence unifies around Christ and the gospel.
A. The church’s existence unifies around Christ and the gospel.
Paul preached Christ and a clear gospel message.
For what we proclaim is not ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake.
The church is only here because of what Jesus did for us.
We exist together because the gospel makes us one.
For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.
A. The church’s existence unifies around Christ and the gospel.
A. The church’s existence unifies around Christ and the gospel.
This is what brings us together.
Some have grown up in church.
Some have been recently saved.
God brings us together from all walks of life and varied backgrounds.
Once we receive Christ our past is the past.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
A. The church’s existence unifies around Christ and the gospel.
A. The church’s existence unifies around Christ and the gospel.
B. Christians are united to individual but interconnected churches.
B. Christians are united to individual but interconnected churches.
In the beginning every believer was added to the Jerusalem church.
There are some transitional events - pioneer missions type of things.
Like when Philip explained the gospel to Ethiopian eunuch.
Otherwise there are no examples of Christians being separated from churches.
As Christians spread, they planted churches.
Other churches sent people to help them.
Now those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose over Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch, speaking the word to no one except Jews.
But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists also, preaching the Lord Jesus.
And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord.
The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose,
B. Christians are united to individual but interconnected churches.
B. Christians are united to individual but interconnected churches.
The churches continued to communicate and partner with other churches but were identified by their local community.
They were sending people.
They were sending money.
Churches were thriving in their communities but they were also missions minded.
Who’s responsibility is it to plant new churches?
Who’s responsibility is it to help when a church is struggling?
It is the local church’s responsibility for both.
That means it is your responsibility.
C. Christians collectively refer to themselves as churches.
C. Christians collectively refer to themselves as churches.
We see this in the way they talked about themselves.
And Saul approved of his execution. And there arose on that day a great persecution against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.
Devout men buried Stephen and made great lamentation over him.
But Saul was ravaging the church, and entering house after house, he dragged off men and women and committed them to prison.
The church was located in Jerusalem.
The report of this came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
The church is in Jerusalem hearing from the church in Antioch.
Two individual churches working together.
About that time Herod the king laid violent hands on some who belonged to the church.
We see the idea of belonging to a church.
So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.
When he realized this, he went to the house of Mary, the mother of John whose other name was Mark, where many were gathered together and were praying.
Peter went to Mary’s house where some of the Jerusalem church was gathered.
This seems to be a regular meeting place.
and from there they sailed to Antioch, where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work that they had fulfilled.
And when they arrived and gathered the church together, they declared all that God had done with them, and how he had opened a door of faith to the Gentiles.
This church was in Antioch and they gathered together.
So, being sent on their way by the church, they passed through both Phoenicia and Samaria, describing in detail the conversion of the Gentiles, and brought great joy to all the brothers.
This is the church in Antioch.
When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and the elders, and they declared all that God had done with them.
C. Christians collectively refer to themselves as churches.
C. Christians collectively refer to themselves as churches.
We see local churches.
We see those churches working together.
They used the term church to identify with a group of gathered believers.
D. Christian possess a special power and corporate identity when gathered.
D. Christian possess a special power and corporate identity when gathered.
About a man living in open immorality.
When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,
you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
Together the church has the power to make decisions when they are gathered as one.
For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part,
D. Christian possess a special power and corporate identity when gathered.
D. Christian possess a special power and corporate identity when gathered.
There seems to be a special identity when they gather.
They are more a church when they are together rather than apart.
E. The local church shapes the lives of its members.
E. The local church shapes the lives of its members.
During the birth of the church in Jerusalem…
And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.
And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles.
And all who believed were together and had all things in common.
And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need.
And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts,
E. The local church shapes the lives of its members.
E. The local church shapes the lives of its members.
People were baptized
Then added to the church.
Then they gathered to hear the apostles’ teaching.
Then they began to orient their lives other members of the church.
Their meals
Their praying
Their financial decisions
This was not unique to the earliest church.
Antioch was extremely generous to the church in Jerusalem years later.
Or Lydia’s generosity to traveling missionaries.
Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
Show hospitality to one another without grumbling.
As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:
E. The local church shapes the lives of its members.
E. The local church shapes the lives of its members.
F. Leaders are made responsible for specific Christians.
F. Leaders are made responsible for specific Christians.
Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly;
F. Leaders are made responsible for specific Christians.
F. Leaders are made responsible for specific Christians.
The shepherds know who their flock is.
G. Christians are responsible to submit to specific leaders.
G. Christians are responsible to submit to specific leaders.
Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
What leaders to christians submit to?
Let the elders who rule well be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in preaching and teaching.
G. Christians are responsible to submit to specific leaders.
G. Christians are responsible to submit to specific leaders.
Christians know who is worthy of double honor.
Clearly Christians know who their leaders are!
H. Membership is exclusive.
H. Membership is exclusive.
When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus,
you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
H. Membership is exclusive.
H. Membership is exclusive.
This man is to be kicked out for his sin.
The phrase deliver him to Satan is a powerful glimpse of the church.
The church offers us safety from the world.
To deliver him to Satan was to remove all protection.
He is out on his own.
God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”
H. Membership is exclusive.
H. Membership is exclusive.
There is a definite inside and outside of the church.
3. The church IS its membership.
3. The church IS its membership.
Putting everything together we’ve seen tells us to be a christian is to belong to a church.
Nowhere in the New Testament do your see people repent, believe, get baptized and wander around without a local church.
If there were not local church with committed membership we wouldn’t have most of the New Testament.
Church membership is everywhere in the New Testament.
No we do not have a Sunday School teacher giving a definition of church membership.
But everyone, insiders and outsiders, understood what it meant when Christians referred to “the church”.
You can’t talk about a local church without talking about its members.