Sermon Tone Analysis

Membership

A. It is a privilege to welcome new members into the church!

1.

I have had opportunity to do so many, many times over the almost 12 1/2 years that I have been pastor here.

2. To God be the glory!

Every time we welcome new members, I pray that you long-time members receive encouragement in YOUR membership.

2. And that those who have not formally joined the church will be encouraged to apply for membership.

C. Why is church membership important?

1. Membership shows that you understand and want to obey God’s design for the Christian life.

i. BIBLICAL Christianity ALWAYS involves individual Christians being a part of a local Body of believers.

ii.

The Bible does NOT provide for Lone Ranger Christians.

3. Biblical Christians understand that God has placed them, He has led them to a particular place in the Body of Christ.

i. 1 Corinthians 12:18, 27 (NASB95) But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.

27 Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.

D. To what end?

Ephesians 3:10 reminds us that: His [God’s] intent was that now, through the church, the manifold wisdom of God should be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly realms.

E. So, church membership is something more than Facebook Christianity.

You know, where we accumulate a list of superficial acquaintances so that we can boast about how popular we are.

Where most often we indulge in shallow platitudes instead of deep Bible truth.

Church membership calls us to go higher and deeper in the Lord.

To share the messiness of an in-person instead of a virtual world.

G. Through the local church we fulfill Jesus’ command in:

1. John 13:34–35 (NASB95) “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.

35 “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Bring Members Forward

A. So, this morning New Life Family Church has the privilege of welcoming, loving and COVENENTING WITH 2 new ADULT members.

1. Brother Barry & Sister Linda Wagner, would come forward?

2. Please face the congregation.

B. Would the Board: Madeline, George, Jay and Michelle come and join these new members?

C. As New Life Family Church welcomes these new members, I want to remind us that we are not an orphanage but rather a Family.

1. Jesus said in John 14:18 (NIV) I will not leave you as orphans; …

D. In an orphanage:

1. Orphans are not related.

2. Their common bond is merely that they all reside at one location — the orphanage.

E. But, in A Family:

1. It’s NOT that way!

2. The family is BLOOD-related.

The BLOOD of Jesus.

3.

And here at New Life we don’t merely meet at a physical location, we are united by the blood of Jesus.

F. So it is our privilege to receive into the membership of this church family, __2__Adult members who have…

1. … made proper application and have been approved by the Official Board of the church and are now ready to receive the right hand of fellowship by this congregation.

G. Our new members, and we as a church are going to remind each other of our responsibilities and privileges.

1.

Our FAMILY COVENANT together.

H.

I will begin with our newest members:

1.

I am going to read a statement and ask that if you agree with it that you say, “I do.”

I.

Here goes:

Having been led by the Holy Spirit to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, and desiring fellowship with people of like precious faith, and now in the presence of God and this assembly you are entering into a covenant relationship with these members of the Body of Christ.

K. So, do you promise that with the help of the Holy Spirit you will:

1. walk together with the other members of this church in Christian love?

2. work for the advancement of this church?

3. help it pursue holiness and a deeper knowledge of Jesus?

4. promote its prosperity and spirituality?

5. sustain its worship, doctrines and disciplines?

6. contribute regularly and cheerfully to the support of its ministries and activities?

7. If so answer: I do.

L. Do you promise to:

1. maintain your personal devotions?

2. seek the salvation of the lost?

3. avoid sin by avoiding the very appearance of evil?

4. seek that love which thinks no evil?

5.

If so answer: I do.

M. Do you further promise to:

1. watch over the other members of this church in Christian love?

2. to remember each other in prayer?

3. to aid each other in distress and sickness

4. to be courteous and forgiving to one another even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you?

5.

If so answer: I do.

N. Church, please stand.

Do you promise to:

1. watch over Brother and Sister Young AND Brother & Sister Smith in Christian love?

2. to remember them in prayer?

3. to aid them in distress and sickness?

4. to be courteous and forgiving to them even as God for Christ’s sake has forgiven you?

5.

If so answer: I do.

O.

We therefore, as the Church of Jesus Christ and members of His Body, now receive you, into our fellowship and communion, recognizing that God has already added you to His Church.

And we pray that the blessing of the Lord be upon you always.

P. Prayer with the Board.

Q. ALL come and welcome!

Intro to Message

A couple of days ago Gallup released a poll that shows belief in God (I’m not not necessarily talking about Christianity) has fallen to an all-time low:

Gallup says: A large majority (81 percent) of Americans say they believe in God, based on the poll conducted May 2-22, but that number has dipped 6 points from a consistent 87 percent from 2013-2017.

Over 90 percent of Americans said they believed in God from 1944 to 2011, the number stabilizing at a high of 98 percent from 1944 through the 1960s.

But that number has dropped considerable with about 17 percent of American adults telling Gallup that they do not believe in God, while the remaining 2 percent said they were unsure.

The Gallup Values and Beliefs poll found that the decrease in theism has been driven by young adults and those on the political left.

Both groups’ belief in God has dropped by 10 percent or more compared to the 2013-2017 average for their demographics.

Recent polls show that while high rates of theism remain with only a modest decline, traditional religious structures (church) are declining faster, according to Gallup.

Gallup has found that Americans are much less likely to attend church, become members of a church or rate themselves as confident in organized religion than to simply believe in God’s existence.

Jesus, speaking of the end times, said in:

Matthew 24:10 (NASB95)

10 “At that time many will fall away ...

I believe that a decline in a belief in God indicates the decreasing influence of Christians in their world.

That we are not the salt and light Jesus called us to be in Matthew 5:13-16

The reason we are ineffective in our world is because we have become disconnected, untethered from the Word of God.

We no longer view this world through the lens of the Bible.

We don’t have a Biblical worldview.

We tend to be more earthly oriented than heavenly oriented.

That is born out by some other stats of which I just became aware: