Membership a Necessity?

Church Membership

Many people believe that it is unnecessary to be a member of the church in order to please God and eventually go to heaven. The people who advocate this idea have apparently failed to examine the teaching of the Bible on the subject or they would not make that claim. As one searches the Written Word of God it soon becomes apparent that God is the builder of the church of Christ (i.e., it is referred to as the Body of Christ, Acts 2:47). Once a person realizes this fact it is utter foolishness to continue to advocate the concept that membership in the church is unnecessary. Please observe that without being a member of the church of Christ a person deprives themselves of a proper relationship with Christ.

BODY:

1.     Jesus built the church,

Matthew 16:18, “And I say also unto thee, that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.” (KJV)

2.     Jesus cleansed the church,

Ephesians 5:26, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,”

3.     Jesus purchased the church with His blood,

Acts 20:28, “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.” (KJV)

4.     Jesus washed the church,

Ephesians 5:26, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,”

5.     Jesus loves the church,

Ephesians 5:25, “Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;” (KJV)

7.     Jesus sanctified the church,

Ephesians 5:26, “That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word,”

8.     Jesus is the foundation of the church,

Colossians 1:18, “And he is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things he might have the preeminence.” (KJV)

9.     Jesus glorified the church,

Ephesians 5:27, “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” (KJV)

10.   Jesus is head over all things to the church,

Ephesians 1:22-23, “22 and hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, 23 Which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all.”

11.   Jesus adds all the saved to the church,

Acts 2:47, “Praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.” (KJV)

12.   Jesus will save all that belong to the church,

Ephesians 5:23, “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the savior of the body.” (KJV)

CONCLUSION:

How can a person suggest that membership in the church is unnecessary after examining the twelve points that we have provided above? It is evident that no one will be saved in the last day that is not a member of the church for which Jesus died. Since the day of Pentecost (i.e., Acts 2:12-47 — the establishment of the church), no one will make it on that last day without being faithful servant of our Lord, Jesus Christ, cf., John 12:48.

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Atheist Churches

A House (of Athiests) Divided

As I’m sure you’ve seen in the headlines in the last couple of years, churches for atheists are gaining quite a following. Sure, they maintain their staunch belief that God doesn’t exist, but they see the value in the community aspect of the churches around them, and they want a part in that. They describe themselves as “a secular urban oasis, where atheists could enjoy the benefits of traditional church – the sense of community, the weekly sermon, the scheduled time for reflection, the community service opportunities, the ethos of self-improvement, the singing and the free food – without God.” In a twist that seems inevitable and contains more than a little irony, though, turmoil is starting to develop among their churches. Splits are beginning to occur, and there is division among the leadership about which direction the atheist church “Assembly” movement should take going forward from here.

On the surface, their division is mainly focused on how atheistic they should be. Some believe that atheism should be their main emphasis, while others maintain that the movement should focus on all anti-religious people (agnostics, humanists, skeptics, etc.). They’ve missed a crucial point though, and it’s one we can be guilty of missing as well. The sense of love, caring, and community that they set out to achieve doesn’t exist without the love of Jesus Christ. If we don’t have the same attitude in ourselves that He possessed as He gave up heaven, came to earth, and went to His death on the cross (Philippians 2), our own opinions, selfish desires, and stubborn wills can only end in division. The churches the atheists model themselves after don’t work simply because a bunch of people come together with common goals, interests, lifestyles, and beliefs. Rather, they work because they have one key factor in common – the love of Christ that is shared in common because of the promise of His blood. When that key element is removed as in an atheist church or when we stop reminding ourselves of it in the church (as the Philippian church had), unity can’t be found.

The very foundation of the church and every good thing that it does is the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. From those we derive our distinguishing marks – the love that we hold in common (John 13:35) and the doctrine that sets the guidelines for how we live, act, and worship (John 14:15). Atheist churches have no hope because they are missing these key elements. These principles don’t just affect atheist churches, though. Splits, division, and sharp disagreement occur in the church as well. Ephesians 4:1-3 reminds us that we must be diligent to preserve our peace and unity that come from the Spirit. As the church can become fractured into small cliques and sects when we look out for ourselves first or don’t show the love of Christ in all things, we have to be all the more diligent in this day and age to prove ourselves united in Him.

The only way for humans to ever become truly unified in one mind and purpose is through the love of Jesus Christ. Is that love alive, working, and evident in your congregation? Your life?  My life? I hope we’ll all take some time to think on these things.

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Faith Comes by Hearing

I read a sign the other day that read, “Faith is caught, not taught.” I thought about that for a few seconds and remembered the words of Paul in Romans 10:17: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Thus, I believe the one who wrote the expression would be at odds with the apostle Paul, who emphasizes the need of teaching. In fact, the context of this passage expressly points this out: “…and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher?” (Rom. 10:14). In other words, hearing the taught instructions of the word of God is essential to acquiring faith. Let us see how the Bible emphasizes hearing instruction.

First, note the swift hearers: “Wherefore, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath” (James 1:19). This word “swift” describes something that is quick, fleet, running fast, as if a person is really putting forth some effort to hear. Thus, we need to be running fast to hear, which reminds us of what Jesus said in Matthew 5:6: “Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.” Therefore, one should be swift to hear the taught truth of the word of God, and will likewise respond accordingly.

Second, note the structured hearers (Matt. 7:24-27). When Jesus concluded His great Sermon on the Mount, His conclusion was a parable of two structured houses on different foundations. He compared the individual who hears and obeys to a wise man whose structure was on a solid foundation, but He compared the individual who hears and does not obey to a foolish man whose structure was on a shaky foundation—sand. Thus, the intended lesson is quite clear—we are to hear with the intention of obeying!

Third, note the soiled hearers (Matt. 13:1-23). In this infamous parable, Jesus narrates a sower who scattered seed on four different types of soil, each discussing the way people hear the gospel. Some would hear without understanding and quickly lose whatever benefit they gained (Matt. 13:19). Some would hear joyfully, but lose what was gained by tribulation or persecution (Matt. 13:20-21). Some would hear, but lose what was gained by “the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches” (Matt. 13:22). Some would hear with “an honest and good heart … [and] keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience” (cf. Luke 8:15). This latter soiled hearer is the type of hearer that God desires.

Therefore, Jesus said it best when he stated, “It is written in the prophets, And they shall be all taught of God. Every man therefore that hath heard, and hath learned of the Father, cometh unto me” (John 6:45).

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Reality Check

Image is everything! The problem we have is that the image we have of ourselves is not usually reality. Reality is defined as “the state of things as they actually exist, as opposed to an idealistic or notional idea of them.” The man who sees himself as a “humble servant” may, in reality, be seen by those around him as an arrogant hypocrite. The woman who sees herself as a stalwart and faithful child of God may, in reality, be a lukewarm and divisive enemy of the truth. While we may see ourselves as the valiant salmon swimming mightily upstream we may, in reality, be a dead, stinking carp floating down the river.

Not only is self-image a problem for so many but an inordinate obsession with how others view us is equally disconcerting. We hear people say all the time that they “don’t care what anybody else thinks.” This is simply not true because we all care about what someone thinks! The real problem for the vast majority of people is that “who we wish be approved of” is misplaced.

The truth is we want to be seen as righteous but want to live whatever kind of lives we so choose. This has lead to the myriad of arguments like “You can’t judge me,” or “God wants me to be happy.” Friends, when will we stop the nonsense and start asking ourselves “How does God see me?” and then have the courage to be honest with that appraisal and then do something positive about it?

What will be the results of this kind of “reality” check?

  1. We will truly repent of our sins (Acts 26:20). People don’t repent and turn to God because they have a warped sense of reality. They do not see themselves as God sees them. If we saw ourselves the way God sees us we would be on our knees begging His forgiveness!
  2. We will be more evangelistic (Matthew 28:18–20). If we saw ourselves as God sees us we would be less worried about hurting peoples feelings and more worried about the fact that they were lost!
  3. We will speak the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). This goes hand in hand with the previous point but with one distinction. We would be direct, but loving; faithful, but patient; sound, but compassionate. Screaming, “Turn or Burn!” doesn’t convert anyone.
  4. We will be more benevolent and less selfish (Philippians 2:3; Galatians 6:10). If we see ourselves as God sees us we would be appalled at how selfish and stingy we are. We would realize that everything we have belongs to Him and should be used for His glory. It is just stuff, it is temporal, and in relation to eternity is really pretty inconsequential.
  5. We will be obedient and faithful (Hebrews 5:8–9; 2 Thessalonians 1:8; Revelation 2:10). If we saw ourselves as God sees us we would obey the gospel of Jesus Christ and we would live faithful Christian lives in hope of eternal life through His Son!

God sees everything and He sees us as we actually are. “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, keeping watch on the evil and the good” (Proverbs 15:3). We ought not kid ourselves into thinking that when God looks at us He necessarily sees good. But we should consider how God defines evil and that “the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil” (1 Peter 3:12).

Look into the mirror of God’s Word and see yourself as God sees you. What do you see? A sinner in need of God’s saving grace? A saint that needs to be more focused and faithful to the will of the Father? A dead, stinkin’ fish? God loves you and He sent His Son to die for you. How will you respond?

Obey Him and be faithful!

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The Church as Community

A 2006 Barna survey suggested that only eighteen percent (18%) of people professing to be born again Christians “firmly embraced the idea that spiritual maturity requires involvement in a community of faith.”

Only 17% of adults said that “a person’s faith is meant to be developed mainly by involvement in a local church.” Even the most devoted church-going groups – such as evangelicals and born again Christians – generally dismissed that notion: only one-third of all evangelicals and one out of five non-evangelical born again adults endorsed the concept. Only one out of every four adults who possesses a biblical worldview (25%) agreed with the centrality of a local church in a person’s spiritual growth. [1]

Such a survey makes one wonder whether or not there is any value in the concept of a spiritual community.

In the six years that I worked with the Berryville church of Christ, I spent five and a half years getting up on Tuesday morning and going to the local community center to do volunteer work.  My role was primarily sitting at the front desk, greeting visitors, and answering their questions.  It was a good opportunity for me to get to know the people in the community as well as conduct evangelistic efforts for the church.  From this practical experience, I learned that there is value in the concept of community.

“It is not good that the man should be alone” (Genesis 2:18).

We consider community to be essential to the life of a healthy person.  When community becomes disparate, we invent new ways to be social.  The advent of social web sites offers the experience of a community in a mobile world that geographically divides friends and families over vast areas.

We have institutions that reflect our need for community.  The existence of government implies our social nature and our desire to maintain orderly communities.  The foundation of society, the family, is a social entity.  It is part of God’s created order, the primal community.

“Upon this rock I will build my church” (Matthew 16:18).

Christian societies have three basic social structures: the family, the government, and the church.  The family’s emphasis is upon raising children to be successful adults.  The government’s emphasis is upon maintaining order.  Though only spiritual truths may successfully guide these institutions, the role of community in both of these institutions is primarily physical in application; that is, it pertains to this world.  Neither geographically delimited governments nor physical family relationships will persist in eternity (Revelation 20:1; Matthew 22:30).

The church, however, provides a community experience that is primarily spiritual in nature and which will continue beyond this world (Revelation 22:3-4).  The Old Testament addressed community in terms of “carnal ordinances” (Hebrews 9:10); the New Covenant addresses community in terms of spirituality and spiritual development (2 Corinthians 3:6).  Humanity’s need for community is at least one premise behind the formation and maintenance of Christ’s church.

Our need for community transcends the physical need of survival.  Animals may display such a physical need for community, but humans are above and beyond the animal world.  Community is the basic outlet for our expressions of love and freedom (Matthew 22:39; Galatians 5:13).  It is the place where one may demonstrate true altruism (Luke 6:35).  A community is also needed in order for absolute humility to be practiced (Philippians 2:3-4).

“Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together” (Hebrews 10:25).

In that regard, human community is fundamentally a spiritual need.  When we use community in a mere physical way, we reduce ourselves to the level of beasts.  By recognizing the spiritual aspects of community, however, we are enabled to become something better and higher; something spiritual.  Such a need can be satisfied only in the midst of like-minded individuals who foster an environment that nurtures such growth – the church!

In God’s eternal wisdom, he foresaw man’s need for spiritual community and set out to establish the church (Ephesians 3:10-11).  This fundamental spiritual need for community underscores the instruction of Hebrews 10:25 not to forsake the assembly.  Why anyone would forsake their need for a spiritual community or deem it unnecessary speaks to carnal motivations.

[1] http://www.barna.org/barna-update/article/12-faithspirituality/267-americans-have-commitment-issues-new-survey-shows

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