Church Membership?
Acts 2:37-41
What is Church Membership?
1. It is not simply putting your name on a list
2. It is not being born into a Christian family
3. Two ways of understanding the ‘Church’ in the New Testament:
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- Universal Church – the Church as God sees it
- We become members of the Universal Church through Spiritual re-birth
- Every member of the Universal Church enjoys wonderful spiritual benefits
- Universal Church – the Church as God sees it
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- Local Church – the Church as we experience it
- We are ‘added’ to the local church after we repent of sin and are baptized in water
- The New Testament assumes that every born-again, baptized believer will join a local church
- Local Church – the Church as we experience it
Is Church Membership Biblical?
1. Acts 2:41 describes membership in a Local Church
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The Baptism in verse 41 is water Baptism
- We enter the Universal Church through Spirit Baptism (ie. The permanently indwelling Holy Spirit)
- We join the Local Church after the ordinance of Water Baptism
- The activities described in verses 42-47 demonstrate beyond question that the 3000 Pentecost converts were “added” to the Local Church in Jerusalem
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2. Biblical images used to describe the Local Church require the concept of formal Church Membership
- Flock – Church elders cannot “shepherd the flock of God” if they are uncertain which sheep belong to the fold (1 Peter 5: 1-5)
- Body – A functioning body composed of many parts implies ongoing, formal commitment from all the members (1 Corinthians 12)
3. Church Discipline cannot be put into practice apart from formal Church Membership
- Matthew 12 and 1 Corinthians 5 both speak of putting an unrepentant person out of the Church and considering him as an unbeliever.
- Since unbelievers were welcome to attend worship, “removal” must indicate the suspension of a distinct formal association (ie. Church Membership)
Why Should I Be a Member of a Local Church?
1. The idea of a ‘Lone-Ranger’ Christian who does not formally associate with a local body of believers is utterly foreign to New Testament Christianity.
2. Critical Importance of Church Membership
- The Church is not a mall for consumers – avoid the temptation to ‘shop and hop’ by committing to one Church family!
- We are commanded by the Lord to meet regularly with other believers (Heb 10:24-25)
- God wants us to be accountable to Church leaders and to other believers and this can only happen in a covenanted community!
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