A Display of God's Glory/Membership - Revision history

JoyaTeemer at 20:13, 22 September 2008

2008-09-22T20:13:51Z

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	Let’s begin by admitting that the whole idea of church membership seems counter-productive to many today. Isn’t it unfriendly, and maybe even elitist to say that some are in and others out? Can we go so far as to say that it is even unbiblical, and maybe even unChristian? The end of Acts 2 simply says that ''“the Lord added to their number”'' (that is, to the church) those who were being saved. Isn’t that all there is to it? Also, in Acts 8, an official of the Ethiopian government had been traveling in Palestine and was returning home on his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah. Philip was led by the Holy Spirit to intercept him and talk to him; the man believed and was baptized. In that case, wasn’t the Ethiopian automatically a member of the church?		Let’s begin by admitting that the whole idea of church membership seems counter-productive to many today. Isn’t it unfriendly, and maybe even elitist to say that some are in and others out? Can we go so far as to say that it is even unbiblical, and maybe even unChristian? The end of Acts 2 simply says that ''“the Lord added to their number”'' (that is, to the church) those who were being saved. Isn’t that all there is to it? Also, in Acts 8, an official of the Ethiopian government had been traveling in Palestine and was returning home on his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah. Philip was led by the Holy Spirit to intercept him and talk to him; the man believed and was baptized. In that case, wasn’t the Ethiopian automatically a member of the church?
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	Many, many other things flow out of this in a local church. For example, we ask members of our church to sign a statement of faith and a covenant—a statement of how that one will act among us. We expect that members will pray for the church, that they will give financially to support the church, and that they will be involved in ministries of the church. Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, Attendance, Discipline, and Love are something of the heart of local church membership.		Many, many other things flow out of this in a local church. For example, we ask members of our church to sign a statement of faith and a covenant—a statement of how that one will act among us. We expect that members will pray for the church, that they will give financially to support the church, and that they will be involved in ministries of the church. Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, Attendance, Discipline, and Love are something of the heart of local church membership.

-	So, my Christian friend, do not merely attend a church (though you should attend), but join a church. Link arms with other Christians. Find a church you can join, and do it so that non-Christians will hear and see the gospel, so that weak Christians will be cared for, so that strong Christians will channel their energies in a good way, so that church leaders will be encouraged and helped, so that God will be glorified.	+	So, my Christian friend, do not merely attend a church (though you should attend), but join a church. Link arms with other Christians. Find a church you can join, and do it so that non-Christians will hear and see the gospel, so that weak Christians will be cared for, so that strong Christians will channel their energies in a good way, so that church leaders will be encouraged and helped, so that God will be glorified.
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JoyaTeemer at 20:11, 22 September 2008

2008-09-22T20:11:22Z

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	Let’s begin by admitting that the whole idea of church membership seems counter-productive to many today. Isn’t it unfriendly, and maybe even elitist to say that some are in and others out? Can we go so far as to say that it is even unbiblical, and maybe even unChristian? The end of Acts 2 simply says that ''“the Lord added to their number”'' (that is, to the church) those who were being saved. Isn’t that all there is to it? Also, in Acts 8, an official of the Ethiopian government had been traveling in Palestine and was returning home on his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah. Philip was led by the Holy Spirit to intercept him and talk to him; the man believed and was baptized. In that case, wasn’t the Ethiopian automatically a member of the church?		Let’s begin by admitting that the whole idea of church membership seems counter-productive to many today. Isn’t it unfriendly, and maybe even elitist to say that some are in and others out? Can we go so far as to say that it is even unbiblical, and maybe even unChristian? The end of Acts 2 simply says that ''“the Lord added to their number”'' (that is, to the church) those who were being saved. Isn’t that all there is to it? Also, in Acts 8, an official of the Ethiopian government had been traveling in Palestine and was returning home on his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah. Philip was led by the Holy Spirit to intercept him and talk to him; the man believed and was baptized. In that case, wasn’t the Ethiopian automatically a member of the church?

Bhkauflin at 15:04, 18 July 2008

2008-07-18T15:04:35Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 15:04, 18 July 2008
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	Let’s begin by admitting that the whole idea of church membership seems counter-productive to many today. Isn’t it unfriendly, and maybe even elitist to say that some are in and others out? Can we go so far as to say that it is even unbiblical, and maybe even unChristian? The end of Acts 2 simply says that ''“the Lord added to their number”'' (that is, to the church) those who were being saved. Isn’t that all there is to it? Also, in Acts 8, an official of the Ethiopian government had been traveling in Palestine and was returning home on his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah. Philip was led by the Holy Spirit to intercept him and talk to him; the man believed and was baptized. In that case, wasn’t the Ethiopian automatically a member of the church?		Let’s begin by admitting that the whole idea of church membership seems counter-productive to many today. Isn’t it unfriendly, and maybe even elitist to say that some are in and others out? Can we go so far as to say that it is even unbiblical, and maybe even unChristian? The end of Acts 2 simply says that ''“the Lord added to their number”'' (that is, to the church) those who were being saved. Isn’t that all there is to it? Also, in Acts 8, an official of the Ethiopian government had been traveling in Palestine and was returning home on his chariot, reading the prophet Isaiah. Philip was led by the Holy Spirit to intercept him and talk to him; the man believed and was baptized. In that case, wasn’t the Ethiopian automatically a member of the church?
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	You should not join the church in order to be saved, but you should join the church to help you in making certain that you are saved. Remember the words of Jesus in John’s gospel?		You should not join the church in order to be saved, but you should join the church to help you in making certain that you are saved. Remember the words of Jesus in John’s gospel?
-	<blockquote>''“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him…. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in His love…. You are my friends if you do what I command…. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them,” (John 14:21; 15:10, 14; 13:17).'' </blockquote>	+	<blockquote>''“Whoever has my commands and obeys them, he is the one who loves me.He who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love him and show myself to him…. If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father’s commands and remain in His love…. You are my friends if you do what I command…. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them,” (John 14:21; 15:10, 14; 13:17).'' </blockquote>
	In joining the church, we put ourselves in a position where we ask our brothers and sisters to hold us accountable to live according to what we speak with our mouth. We ask them to encourage us sometimes by reminding us of ways that they have seen God work in our lives, and other times to challenge us when we may be moving away from obedience to Him. Your membership in a local church is that congregation’s public testimony that your life gives evidence of regeneration.		In joining the church, we put ourselves in a position where we ask our brothers and sisters to hold us accountable to live according to what we speak with our mouth. We ask them to encourage us sometimes by reminding us of ways that they have seen God work in our lives, and other times to challenge us when we may be moving away from obedience to Him. Your membership in a local church is that congregation’s public testimony that your life gives evidence of regeneration.

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	We believe that baptism is reserved for those who have made a conscious profession of faith in Christ. Because of this, we believe that it is an error of doctrine to practice the baptism of infants. Let me give you five reasons for this belief.		We believe that baptism is reserved for those who have made a conscious profession of faith in Christ. Because of this, we believe that it is an error of doctrine to practice the baptism of infants. Let me give you five reasons for this belief.
-	<blockquote>1) Nobody disagrees with believer baptism. The debated point is infant baptism.<br>2) There are ''no'' clear ''examples'' in the New Testament of infant baptism.<br>3) There is ''no'' clear ''teaching'' on infant baptism in the New Testament.<br>4) The New Testament nowhere teaches a parallel of physical circumcision with physical baptism. In fact, Colossians 2 exactly parallels ''spiritual'' circumcision with physical baptism, that is, the circumcision of the ''heart'' with physical baptism. This would support the idea of baptizing only those who give evidence of being born again.<br>5) Historically, infant baptism is not in the New Testament, and it is not in the ''Didache'', an early secondcentury manual of Christian worship. There is no certain record of it in the first century, or even in the second century. In the third century, there is certain record of infant baptism, but it is not the infant baptism which some of our Reformed Protestant friends teach. It is rather what the Roman Catholic church now teaches— that baptism actually effects our being born again, our regeneration, our salvation. The idea of infant baptism that some of our reformed Protestant friends teach, in fact, does not appear until after other Protestants in the 1520’s have re-introduced the practice of believer baptism. It is really Huldrich Zwingli who pioneers the idea of an infant baptism that is not salvific or regenerating. </blockquote>	+	<blockquote>1) Nobody disagrees with believer baptism. The debated point is infant baptism.<br>2) There are ''no'' clear ''examples'' in the New Testament of infant baptism.<br>3) There is ''no'' clear ''teaching'' on infant baptism in the New Testament.<br>4) The New Testament nowhere teaches a parallel of physical circumcision with physical baptism. In fact, Colossians 2 exactly parallels ''spiritual'' circumcision with physical baptism, that is, the circumcision of the ''heart'' with physical baptism. This would support the idea of baptizing only those who give evidence of being born again.<br>5) Historically, infant baptism is not in the New Testament, and it is not in the ''Didache'', an early secondcentury manual of Christian worship. There is no certain record of it in the first century, or even in the second century. In the third century, there is certain record of infant baptism, but it is not the infant baptism which some of our Reformed Protestant friends teach. It is rather what the Roman Catholic church now teaches— that baptism actually effects our being born again, our regeneration, our salvation. The idea of infant baptism that some of our reformed Protestant friends teach, in fact, does not appear until after other Protestants in the 1520’s have re-introduced the practice of believer baptism. It is really Huldrich Zwingli who pioneers the idea of an infant baptism that is not salvific or regenerating. </blockquote>
	===== Biblical Evidence for Believer Baptism =====		===== Biblical Evidence for Believer Baptism =====

Bhkauflin: A Display of God's Glory/Chapter 4 moved to A Display of God's Glory/Membership

2008-07-18T14:57:48Z

A Display of God's Glory/Chapter 4 moved to A Display of God's Glory/Membership

← Older revision

Revision as of 14:57, 18 July 2008

Kirstenyee at 18:56, 16 July 2008

2008-07-16T18:56:29Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:56, 16 July 2008
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	===== Love =====		===== Love =====

-	Love must be seen in those who are members of the church. In John 13 Jesus told His disciples,''“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another,”'' (John 13:35). Should someone decide that they can appropriately call themselves a Christian without being in committed loving relationships with other Christians, they should carefully consider what we read in I John 4:20, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet	+	Love must be seen in those who are members of the church. In John 13 Jesus told His disciples,''“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another,”'' (John 13:35). Should someone decide that they can appropriately call themselves a Christian without being in committed loving relationships with other Christians, they should carefully consider what we read in I John 4:20, ''“If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen.”'' Given our propensity to deceive ourselves, to over-estimate our own goodness, thank God that He has given us such checks on our own pride and blindness! Giving and receiving Christian love is clearly part of what the Bible teaches that it means to be a member of a church, and we do this in every way from tithing our income for the support of the ministry, to warmly greeting those whom we don’t know.
		+
		+	Many, many other things flow out of this in a local church. For example, we ask members of our church to sign a statement of faith and a covenant—a statement of how that one will act among us. We expect that members will pray for the church, that they will give financially to support the church, and that they will be involved in ministries of the church. Baptism, the Lord’s Supper, Attendance, Discipline, and Love are something of the heart of local church membership.
		+
		+	So, my Christian friend, do not merely attend a church (though you should attend), but join a church. Link arms with other Christians. Find a church you can join, and do it so that non-Christians will hear and see the gospel, so that weak Christians will be cared for, so that strong Christians will channel their energies in a good way, so that church leaders will be encouraged and helped, so that God will be glorified.

Kirstenyee at 18:53, 16 July 2008

2008-07-16T18:53:09Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:53, 16 July 2008
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	If the New Testament uses the image of the church as a building, then we must be bricks in it; if the church is a body, then we are its members; if the church is the household of faith, it presumes we are part of that household. Sheep are in a flock, and branches on a vine. Biblically, if one is a Christian he must be a member of a church. And this membership is not simply the record of a statement we once made or of affection toward a familiar place. It must be the reflection of a living commitment, a regular attendance, or it is worthless, and worse than worthless, it is dangerous.		If the New Testament uses the image of the church as a building, then we must be bricks in it; if the church is a body, then we are its members; if the church is the household of faith, it presumes we are part of that household. Sheep are in a flock, and branches on a vine. Biblically, if one is a Christian he must be a member of a church. And this membership is not simply the record of a statement we once made or of affection toward a familiar place. It must be the reflection of a living commitment, a regular attendance, or it is worthless, and worse than worthless, it is dangerous.

-	Uninvolved “members” confuse both real members and non-Christians about what it means to be a Christian. And we “active” members do the voluntarily “inactive” members no service when we allow them to remain members of the church; for membership is the church’s corporate	+	Uninvolved “members” confuse both real members and non-Christians about what it means to be a Christian. And we “active” members do the voluntarily “inactive” members no service when we allow them to remain members of the church; for membership is the church’s corporate endorsement of a person’s salvation. We need to understand this: membership in a church is that church’s corporate testimony to the individual member’s salvation. Yet how can a congregation honestly testify that someone invisible to it is faithfully running the race?
		+
		+	In our own church, we are constantly trying to notice those who have simply slipped away from attending, and we try to either bring them back, or care for them specially (if they’re in the military or in college, or unable to leave their home due to illness). If someone is able to attend a church, our intent is that they should as soon as possible be taken out of membership here, so that they are encouraged to join where they can regularly attend.
		+
		+	===== Discipline =====
		+
		+	Another clear aspect of membership in a church is one I’ve just mentioned—discipline. From Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18 to Paul’s in I Corinthians 5 and Galatians 6, it is indisputable that one of the functions of a local church family is to draw boundaries which will exclude people who are themselves unwilling to be excluded from membership in the church. For more information on this vital but neglected topic, see the work of Jay Adams, ''Handbook of Church Discipline'' (Zondervan, 1986) and Mark Dever ed., ''Polity: Biblical Arguments on How to Conduct Church Life ''(Center for Church Reform, 2001). Adams approaches the subject from a Presbyterian viewpoint, while the second book is a compilation of ten volumes from early Baptists. Although the two books approach the topic of discipline from different church polities, there is substantial agreement between them. Both works should be useful to any pastor or church leader.
		+
		+	===== Love =====
		+
		+	Love must be seen in those who are members of the church. In John 13 Jesus told His disciples,''“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another,”'' (John 13:35). Should someone decide that they can appropriately call themselves a Christian without being in committed loving relationships with other Christians, they should carefully consider what we read in I John 4:20, “If anyone says, ‘I love God,’ yet

Kirstenyee at 18:42, 16 July 2008

2008-07-16T18:42:36Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:42, 16 July 2008
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	We believe that baptism is reserved for those who have made a conscious profession of faith in Christ. Because of this, we believe that it is an error of doctrine to practice the baptism of infants. Let me give you five reasons for this belief.		We believe that baptism is reserved for those who have made a conscious profession of faith in Christ. Because of this, we believe that it is an error of doctrine to practice the baptism of infants. Let me give you five reasons for this belief.
-	<blockquote>1) Nobody disagrees with believer baptism. The debated point is infant baptism.<br>2) There are no clear ''examples'' in the New Testament of infant baptism.<br>3) There is no clear ''teaching'' on infant baptism in the New Testament.<br>4) The New Testament nowhere teaches a parallel of physical circumcision with physical baptism. In fact, Colossians 2 exactly parallels ''spiritual'' circumcision with physical baptism, that is, the circumcision of the ''heart'' with physical baptism. This would support the idea of baptizing only those who give evidence of being born again.<br>5) Historically, infant baptism is not in the New Testament, and it is not in the ''Didache'', an early secondcentury manual of Christian worship. There is no certain record of it in the first century, or even in the second century. In the third century, there is certain record of infant baptism, but it is not the infant baptism which some of our Reformed Protestant friends teach. It is rather what the Roman Catholic church now teaches— that baptism actually effects our being born again, our regeneration, our salvation. The idea of infant baptism that some of our reformed Protestant friends teach, in fact, does not appear until after other Protestants in the 1520’s have re-introduced the practice of believer baptism. It is really Huldrich Zwingli who pioneers the idea of an infant baptism that is not salvific or regenerating. </blockquote>	+	<blockquote>1) Nobody disagrees with believer baptism. The debated point is infant baptism.<br>2) There are ''no'' clear ''examples'' in the New Testament of infant baptism.<br>3) There is ''no'' clear ''teaching'' on infant baptism in the New Testament.<br>4) The New Testament nowhere teaches a parallel of physical circumcision with physical baptism. In fact, Colossians 2 exactly parallels ''spiritual'' circumcision with physical baptism, that is, the circumcision of the ''heart'' with physical baptism. This would support the idea of baptizing only those who give evidence of being born again.<br>5) Historically, infant baptism is not in the New Testament, and it is not in the ''Didache'', an early secondcentury manual of Christian worship. There is no certain record of it in the first century, or even in the second century. In the third century, there is certain record of infant baptism, but it is not the infant baptism which some of our Reformed Protestant friends teach. It is rather what the Roman Catholic church now teaches— that baptism actually effects our being born again, our regeneration, our salvation. The idea of infant baptism that some of our reformed Protestant friends teach, in fact, does not appear until after other Protestants in the 1520’s have re-introduced the practice of believer baptism. It is really Huldrich Zwingli who pioneers the idea of an infant baptism that is not salvific or regenerating. </blockquote>
	===== Biblical Evidence for Believer Baptism =====		===== Biblical Evidence for Believer Baptism =====

-	Paul’s assumption in his letters seems to be that those who are baptized have experienced new life (Romans 6), those who have had their hearts circumcised (Colossians 2). Baptism, then, is essential for membership in a church because if one were to be admitted by a church, only to refuse such a clear command of Christ, then such an unbaptized person claiming to follow Christ would simply	+	Paul’s assumption in his letters seems to be that those who are baptized have experienced new life (Romans 6), those who have had their hearts circumcised (Colossians 2). Baptism, then, is essential for membership in a church because if one were to be admitted by a church, only to refuse such a clear command of Christ, then such an unbaptized person claiming to follow Christ would simply be immediately disciplined until they either decided to follow Christ’s commands, or stopped having the church’s endorsement of their claim to follow Him. There will never be anything that Jesus calls you to do that will be easier than baptism.
		+
		+	===== The Lord’s Supper =====
		+
		+	Being a member of a church should mean being present at the Lord’s Supper. This means, essentially, that you are continuing on as a Christian. Scripture records Jesus’ commands to His disciples to take the supper of bread and wine as He said in His own words about the bread ''“in remembrance of me.”'' About the cup, He said, ''“do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.”'' We know from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians that this was being done then, and it has continued to be done by confessing Christians since that time. The church’s appearance at the Lord’s Supper is the symbolic appearance of the church as the gathering of those who are feeding by faith on Christ.
		+
		+	===== Attendance =====
		+
		+	Being a member of a church should mean regularly being present at public meetings. Attendance is perhaps our most basic ministry to each other. As the oft-quoted Hebrews 10:25 says ''“Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.”''
		+
		+	If the New Testament uses the image of the church as a building, then we must be bricks in it; if the church is a body, then we are its members; if the church is the household of faith, it presumes we are part of that household. Sheep are in a flock, and branches on a vine. Biblically, if one is a Christian he must be a member of a church. And this membership is not simply the record of a statement we once made or of affection toward a familiar place. It must be the reflection of a living commitment, a regular attendance, or it is worthless, and worse than worthless, it is dangerous.
		+
		+	Uninvolved “members” confuse both real members and non-Christians about what it means to be a Christian. And we “active” members do the voluntarily “inactive” members no service when we allow them to remain members of the church; for membership is the church’s corporate

Kirstenyee at 18:34, 16 July 2008

2008-07-16T18:34:25Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:34, 16 July 2008
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	First, to be a member of a church, you should have been baptized as a believer in confession of your sins and as a profession that you have repented of them and are trusting in Christ alone for your salvation. Scripture records in Matthew 28 Jesus’s clear command to baptize those who become disciples. Throughout the book of Acts, we see that the disciples understood and obeyed this command.		First, to be a member of a church, you should have been baptized as a believer in confession of your sins and as a profession that you have repented of them and are trusting in Christ alone for your salvation. Scripture records in Matthew 28 Jesus’s clear command to baptize those who become disciples. Throughout the book of Acts, we see that the disciples understood and obeyed this command.

-	We believe that baptism is reserved for those who have made a conscious profession of faith in Christ. Because of this, we believe that it is an error of doctrine to practice the	+	We believe that baptism is reserved for those who have made a conscious profession of faith in Christ. Because of this, we believe that it is an error of doctrine to practice the baptism of infants. Let me give you five reasons for this belief.
		+	<blockquote>1) Nobody disagrees with believer baptism. The debated point is infant baptism.<br>2) There are no clear ''examples'' in the New Testament of infant baptism.<br>3) There is no clear ''teaching'' on infant baptism in the New Testament.<br>4) The New Testament nowhere teaches a parallel of physical circumcision with physical baptism. In fact, Colossians 2 exactly parallels ''spiritual'' circumcision with physical baptism, that is, the circumcision of the ''heart'' with physical baptism. This would support the idea of baptizing only those who give evidence of being born again.<br>5) Historically, infant baptism is not in the New Testament, and it is not in the ''Didache'', an early secondcentury manual of Christian worship. There is no certain record of it in the first century, or even in the second century. In the third century, there is certain record of infant baptism, but it is not the infant baptism which some of our Reformed Protestant friends teach. It is rather what the Roman Catholic church now teaches— that baptism actually effects our being born again, our regeneration, our salvation. The idea of infant baptism that some of our reformed Protestant friends teach, in fact, does not appear until after other Protestants in the 1520’s have re-introduced the practice of believer baptism. It is really Huldrich Zwingli who pioneers the idea of an infant baptism that is not salvific or regenerating. </blockquote>
		+	===== Biblical Evidence for Believer Baptism =====
		+
		+	Paul’s assumption in his letters seems to be that those who are baptized have experienced new life (Romans 6), those who have had their hearts circumcised (Colossians 2). Baptism, then, is essential for membership in a church because if one were to be admitted by a church, only to refuse such a clear command of Christ, then such an unbaptized person claiming to follow Christ would simply

Kirstenyee at 18:27, 16 July 2008

2008-07-16T18:27:55Z

← Older revision		Revision as of 18:27, 16 July 2008
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	A fourth reason for joining the church is the edification or building up of the church. Joining a church will help counter our wrong individualism and will help us to realize the corporate nature of Christianity. When you study the New Testament you find that our Christian lives are supposed to involve our care and concern for each other. That is part of what it means to be a Christian. And though we do it imperfectly, we should be committed to do this. We intend to encourage even baby steps in righteousness, love, selflessness and Christlikeness.		A fourth reason for joining the church is the edification or building up of the church. Joining a church will help counter our wrong individualism and will help us to realize the corporate nature of Christianity. When you study the New Testament you find that our Christian lives are supposed to involve our care and concern for each other. That is part of what it means to be a Christian. And though we do it imperfectly, we should be committed to do this. We intend to encourage even baby steps in righteousness, love, selflessness and Christlikeness.

-	In our church’s membership class I often tell the story of a friend who worked for a campus Christian ministry while attending a church in which I was a member. He would always slip in right after the hymns, sit there for the sermon, and then leave. I asked him one day, why he didn’t come for the whole service. “Well,” he said, “I don’t get anything out of the rest of it.” “Have you ever thought about joining the church?” I responded. He thought that was just an absurd question. He said, “Why would I join the church? If I join them, I think they would just slow me down spiritually.” When he said this I wondered what he understood being a Christian to mean. I replied, “Have you ever considered that maybe God wants you to link arms with those other people? Sure, they might slow you down, but you	+	In our church’s membership class I often tell the story of a friend who worked for a campus Christian ministry while attending a church in which I was a member. He would always slip in right after the hymns, sit there for the sermon, and then leave. I asked him one day, why he didn’t come for the whole service. “Well,” he said, “I don’t get anything out of the rest of it.” “Have you ever thought about joining the church?” I responded. He thought that was just an absurd question. He said, “Why would I join the church? If I join them, I think they would just slow me down spiritually.” When he said this I wondered what he understood being a Christian to mean. I replied, “Have you ever considered that maybe God wants you to link arms with those other people? Sure, they might slow you down, but you might help to speed them up. Maybe that’s part of God’s plan for us as we live together as Christians!”
		+
		+	===== 5. The Glory of God =====
		+
		+	Finally, a Christian should join a church for the glory of God. Peter wrote to some early Christians,''“Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us,” ''(I Peter 2:12). Amazing, isn’t it? But then again, you can tell that Peter had heard the teaching of His Master. You remember what Jesus had taught in the Sermon on the Mount. ''“Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven,”'' (Matthew 5:16). Again, the surprising assumption seems to be that God will receive the glory for our good works. If that is true of our lives individually, it shouldn’t come as too much of a surprise to find that God’s Word says that this is also the case with our lives together as Christians. God intends that the way we love each other will identify us as followers of Christ. Recall Jesus’ famous words in John 13:34-35, ''“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. All men will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.” ''Our lives together are to mark us out as His, and are to bring Him praise and glory.
		+
		+	==== IV.Marks of Church Membership ====
		+
		+	Given that we are in a fallen world, and are in at least partial league with it, how do we determine who is and who is ''not'' a member of a particular church? Who is in and who is out?
		+
		+	===== Baptism =====
		+
		+	First, to be a member of a church, you should have been baptized as a believer in confession of your sins and as a profession that you have repented of them and are trusting in Christ alone for your salvation. Scripture records in Matthew 28 Jesus’s clear command to baptize those who become disciples. Throughout the book of Acts, we see that the disciples understood and obeyed this command.
		+
		+	We believe that baptism is reserved for those who have made a conscious profession of faith in Christ. Because of this, we believe that it is an error of doctrine to practice the

Kirstenyee at 18:21, 16 July 2008

2008-07-16T18:21:12Z

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	You should join a local church also for the sake of evangelizing the world. Together we can better spread the gospel at home and abroad. We can do this by our words, as we share the message of the good news with others, and as we help others to do that. A local church is, by nature, a missionary organization.		You should join a local church also for the sake of evangelizing the world. Together we can better spread the gospel at home and abroad. We can do this by our words, as we share the message of the good news with others, and as we help others to do that. A local church is, by nature, a missionary organization.

-	We back this up with our actions as we work to show God’s love by meeting the physical needs of orphans, the sick, children, or the disadvantaged. Through our own fellowship of churches we help spread the gospel around the world, and we provide millions of dollars and thousands of volunteers to help those who have some immediate physical needs like disaster relief, education, and countless other ministries. Even as imperfect as we are, if God’s spirit is genuinely at work in us, He will use our lives and words to help demonstrate to others the truth of His gospel. This is a special role now that we won’t have in Heaven. This is the special privilege of the church now—to be part of God’s plan, to take His gospel to the world.	+	We back this up with our actions as we work to show God’s love by meeting the physical needs of orphans, the sick, children, or the disadvantaged. Through our own fellowship of churches we help spread the gospel around the world, and we provide millions of dollars and thousands of volunteers to help those who have some immediate physical needs like disaster relief, education, and countless other ministries. Even as imperfect as we are, if God’s spirit is genuinely at work in us, He will use our lives and words to help demonstrate to others the truth of His gospel. This is a special role now that we won’t have in Heaven. This is the special privilege of the church now—to be part of God’s plan, to take His gospel to the world.
		+
		+	===== 3. Exposing false gospels =====
		+
		+	God intends us to be together in this way to expose false gospels. It is through our coming together as Christians that we show the world what Christianity really is. In our churches, we debunk messages and images which purport to be biblical Christianity but really are not. Must it not surely be the case that some of those who are not members of evangelical churches are not so because they do not really believe the same evangel? Part of the church’s mission is to recognize and defend the true gospel and to prevent perversions of it. We must realize that part of our task in evangelizing may very well be not only to present positively the gospel of Jesus Christ, but also to dismantle the bad, confusing, distorted witnesses that have raised themselves up as Christian churches, but which in reality confuse the gospel more than they confirm it.
		+
		+	===== 4.Edification of the Church =====
		+
		+	A fourth reason for joining the church is the edification or building up of the church. Joining a church will help counter our wrong individualism and will help us to realize the corporate nature of Christianity. When you study the New Testament you find that our Christian lives are supposed to involve our care and concern for each other. That is part of what it means to be a Christian. And though we do it imperfectly, we should be committed to do this. We intend to encourage even baby steps in righteousness, love, selflessness and Christlikeness.
		+
		+	In our church’s membership class I often tell the story of a friend who worked for a campus Christian ministry while attending a church in which I was a member. He would always slip in right after the hymns, sit there for the sermon, and then leave. I asked him one day, why he didn’t come for the whole service. “Well,” he said, “I don’t get anything out of the rest of it.” “Have you ever thought about joining the church?” I responded. He thought that was just an absurd question. He said, “Why would I join the church? If I join them, I think they would just slow me down spiritually.” When he said this I wondered what he understood being a Christian to mean. I replied, “Have you ever considered that maybe God wants you to link arms with those other people? Sure, they might slow you down, but you