"Why Church Membership?"

ASK 2015 “Where in the Bible does it say anything about Church Membership? Why insist on it?
When it comes to what we do as believers…we desire…to be in line with Scripture. How to be His people, but also how to be His Church.  Principles/precepts that are just as current/relevant today as when first written. Some do not believe in Church membership i.e. not Biblical or expected by God. But when we take a close look at the Scripture we see that it is.

At Fellowship we take membership very seriously. We do not demand it, but rather encourage it.  I firmly believe it is one of the ways that God uses to grow us into maturity…and conforms us into His likeness.  That of course is the end result/goal. To be like Jesus. And so this morning I want to share with you some of the Biblical evidence that supports Church membership. Each serve as a strand of the the grand tapestry…church.

• If you are a MEMBER…let this remind you of the value/purpose of your membership here at Fellowship…
• If you are NOT A MEMBER…let this encourage you to seriously consider membership in a local church.

Seven Pieces of Evidence for Church Membership…there is no explicit imperative that says “you must be a church member”. Yet these points would make no sense if there was no such thing as church membership.

1. JOINING & ADDING WAS PART OF THE EARLY CHURCH…Acts 5:12-14 “And through the hands of the apostles many signs and wonders were being done among the people. And they were all with one accord in Solomon’s Porch. Yet none of the rest dared join them, but the people esteemed them highly…And believers were increasingly added to the Lord, multitudes of both men and women.”  (Also note delineation of v.11)

• So here in the early church a distinction is made…there are those in Solomon’s Porch (Herod’s Temple pic)…all together with one accord…and also those faced with the decision of whether or not they would join the church in Jerusalem. They chose not to join them. But esteemed them highly (great respect)
• This was not just an informal getting together of believers it was public and organized.
• Now before you think this is kind of a vague reference let’s consider another text.

2. THE EXAMPLE OF CARING FOR WIDOWS…1 Timothy 5:9-12  
Here Paul gives Timothy (Ephesus) instructions on how to care for the widows in the church.

• To “be taken into the number” means to be enrolled.  Enrolling widows on the list of those receiving support from the church. Then adds characteristics of these godly women. “…wife of one man, good works, lodged strangers, washed feet of, relieved the afflicted, followed every good work but refuse the younger ones…” 
• What roll…a list of who gets support…what listing of persons would this be if it wasn’t for the local church.
• Now I know it is not conclusive evidence for formal church membership…but you must admit it is hard to imagine the Church keeping a list of widows and not having a master list of who belongs to the church.

3. JESUS TEACHES ACCOUNTABILITY…Matthew 18:15-17
In this passage Jesus is giving His disciples step by step instruction on how to resolve interpersonal conflicts between brethren.  NOTE: It is very clear and a very important part of the fellowship of believers.

• Church membership is implied by the way the church is supposed to discipline its members. 
• Matthew 18:15-17  “the church” appears to be the final court of appeal in matters of church authority as it relates to membership.
• If there is no church membership, then how can you define the group that will lovingly care for this matter? Who is the group who will come alongside an unrepentant person…and who will render the final judgment about his standing in the community.  
• Can you imagine if just anyone showed up claiming to be a Christian that they could be part of the group that mediates the problems?
• Here is another implication but really…“the church” must be a definable group to handle such a weighty matter. You know who you mean when you “take it to the church.” An organized body needs to be that group.

4. THE FACT THAT INSIDE AND OUTSIDE THE CHURCH EXISTS… 1 Corinthians 5:12-13

• 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 Paul giving Corinthians instruction to deal with sexual immorality within the church. implies this where he deals with the necessity of putting someone out of the church. He says, “For what have I to do with judging those also who are outside? Do you not judge those who are inside (the church)? But those who are outside God judges. Therefore put away from yourselves the evil person.”
• There are two implications that we cannot escape here from what Paul tells the Corinthians: The first is there is an “in the church” group and an “outside the church” group. Both are definable.  The second implication is that someone can be removed from being “in the church.” So how do you remove somebody from the church if no membership does not exist? Those inside the church are accountable to those inside the church.

5. THE NECESSITY OF SUBMITTING TO LEADERSHIP…

• Church membership is implied in the biblical requirement of Christians to be submitted to church leaders. 
• The point here is that without membership, who is it that the NT is referring to who must submit to a specific group of leaders? Some kind of expressed willingness or covenant or agreement or commitment (that is, membership) has to precede a person’s submission to a group of leaders. (ex.Coach)
• Consider the way the New Testament talks about the relationship of the church to her leaders.
• Hebrews 13:17 “Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch over your souls, as those who must give an account.”
• 1 Thessalonians 5:12-13 “And we urge you brethren, to recognize those who labour among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake.” 
• 1 Timothy 5:17 “Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honour, especially those who labor in the word (preaching) and doctrine (teaching).”
• So a question to ask at this point is “How does leadership lead and how is submission going to work if there is no membership defining who has made the commitment to be led and who has been chosen as leaders? 
• If we ignore membership, how do we take these commands to submit and to lead seriously and practically.

6. THE EXAMPLE OF SHEPHERDS CARE FOR THEIR FLOCK…
Church membership is implied in the way the NT requires pastor/elders are to care for their flock. Of course elders can extend their love to anyone and everyone, and should, within the limits of their ability. But the question is whether the Bible tells elders that they are to have a special responsibility and care for a certain group…as in a group of members. 
Consider where Paul tells the elders how to care for their flock. Acts 20:28

• This verse does not say elders cannot care for unbelievers or those who are not yet members. But it does make clear that their first responsibility is to a particular group the flock. 
• How are they to know who their flock is? Who are we as elders and pastors responsible for? For whom will we give an account to God?

Look at 1 Peter 5:2-3 The way Peter speaks to the elders here is even more on the point.

• “those entrusted to you/those in your charge” implies that the elders knew who they were responsible for. 
• This is just another way of talking about membership. If a person does not want to be held accountable by a group of elders …they will resist the idea of membership. 
• And they will resist God’s appointed way for them to live and be sustained in their faith.

7. THE METAPHOR OF THE BODY…

• 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 Church membership is pictured in the metaphor of the body. 
• The original meaning of the word “member” is member of a body, like hand, foot, eye, ear. That’s the imagery behind the word “member” in v.12 “Just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”
• So the question this imagery raises for the local church that Paul is describing in 1 Corinthians 12 is: Who intends to be treated as a hand or foot or eye or ear of this body? There is a unity and organic relationship implied in the imagery of the body.  You cannot simply be part of the body…

So for these seven reasons and more we believe membership is a NT expectation for all believers. 

• If we desire to GROW in our faith and service…each of us should be a member of a local body of believers.
• If we want to TAKE SIN SERIOUSLY in our own lives…sin brings reproach on the name of Christ.
• We should declare ourselves SUBJECT TO the body so if we stray…we would be subject to discipline.
• We should take our position UNDER CHURCH LEADERSHIP and God given authority to care for us..
• And we should FIND OUR PLACE IN THE WHOLE AS A BODY… as a member of a local body of Christ.
• Your gifts are an organic part of the ministering body!

That is God’s plan for us and for this church. That’s what we mean by church membership. 

All of these aspects of membership are rooted in the truth that the local church is an expression of the universal church. Part of what it means to belong to the body of Christ is to belong to a body. The Church... both the LOCAL and the UNIVERSAL Church are a blood-bought gift of God’s grace…

Let me close by urging you to pray and to think this through for your own life. There is no such thing as the “Lone-Ranger Christians” …that would be a contradiction...because becoming a Christian means being united to Christ, and union with Christ expresses itself in union with a local body of believers. This is why the issue of membership is so important.

Are you an accountable member of a local church? Church membership is a blood-bought gift of God’s grace.  It is LIFE SUSTAINING…FAITH STRENGTHENING…and JOY PRESERVING… More than we realize, it is a life-sustaining, faith-strengthening, joy-preserving means of God’s mercy to us.