Foundations of the Christian Life. Chapter 19 - Church Membership.

Foundations of the Christian Life.
Chapter 19 - Church Membership.


As we saw in the last chapter the laying on of hands was used in the NT as part of the “package deal” of salvation. It signified two things:

(a) The giving and receiving of the Spirit, which we shall look at in subsequent chapters.

(b) Submission to the Authority of Christ, as represented by the (Apostles or) Church Leaders, and hence joining the Church.

In this chapter I want to look at the aspect of being a member of the Church.

GETTING THE BIG PICTURE.

God has saved us - YES! But what does this mean?

In the Bible, salvation is two pronged - it is a salvation FROM something, and a Salvation TO something.
We must be clear - God did not just save us FROM our sins, he also saved us TO bring us into his mighty plan. Saving us from our sins is only the necessary prerequisite to entering into his plan. Ultimately it is his plan that is important to him. If we do not want to be part of his plan he will not save us from our sins. We should not get so fixed on the prerequisite that we fail to see the intent of God in his plan.

God, since before time began, had a plan - to have a people for himself. This was his purpose in creating Adam. Adam fell from that plan by his disobedience and took all mankind into a place of rebellion against God’s plan. Christ has redeemed us so that we can be part of God’s plan again.
God’s aim then is corporate – it is to have a group of people who relate to him and to each other. The Apostle Paul talks about this in his letter to the Ephesians in some depth.

Ephesians 1:9,10.
“And he made known to us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure, which he purposed in Christ, to be put into effect when the times will have reached their fulfilment- to bring all things in heaven and on earth together under one head, even Christ…”

Ephesians 1:20-23.
“…(that power) which he (God) exerted in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly realms, far above all rule and authority, power and dominion, and every title that can be given, not only in the present age but also in the one to come. And God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way.”

* God’s plan is to bring all things into a unity under one head, Christ.
* But Christ is the head and we, the church, are the body.
* The church is the fullness of him, and it is this fullness that will fill everything in every way.

Ephesians 3:10,11.
“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, according to his eternal purpose which he accomplished in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

* We are chosen to be God’s people.
* Through us God wants to manifest his wisdom and power in the ages to come.

God's eternal plan is the Church.
God's plan is going to be fulfilled, but it will only happen in and through the Church. The essence of that plan is to bring all mankind into unity. It follows that we must therefore make a committal to other people who have likewise committed themselves to God’s plan, i.e. to the Church, every bit as deep and meaningful as our committal to Christ. He gave his life for us, we ought also to give our lives for each other.

To stress this corporate nature of God’s call Paul uses several pictures of the church in Ephesians, all of which stress our corporateness.
We are:
* God’s Family (I:5)
* Christ’s Body (1:23)
* God’s Army (6:10ff)
* God’s Temple (2:21)
* God’s City (the New Jerusalem),
* A holy Nation (2:12,19)
* God’s household (2:19)
All these depict the fact that we are saved into a corporate experience. We are saved individually - no one else can make that decision for us - but once we are saved our individuality comes under fire. We are placed by God into Christ, that is into his corporate body, and we need to learn to walk in step with the people of God if we are to move on in God. If we do not we will miss out on his plan for our lives.

It follows logically from this that, if God wants to bring all things to a unity through the Church and that is his ultimate plan, then if we want to be part of his plan we must be united with the Church.

It is often said, "You don't have to go to Church to be a Christian". Technically this is true, but this statement reveals a gross misunderstanding of the message of Christianity, and what God has done for us and wants for us. Yes you can believe in Christ and never go to church and you will still go to heaven. But going to heaven is not what Christianity is all about. Rather it is about being part of a body of people on earth who are doing God’s will together. And together achieving more than they could individually. Hence to be a Christian DEMANDS from us a committal to the Church. Failure to be so committed only shows we do not understand what salvation is all about.

There are two aspects to this joining to body of Christ:
(1) We are made members of the Body of Christ, the Church Universal.
(2) We are then to work out our membership of the church at the level of the local church.

Note: When I talk of the Local Church in this study I am in no way trying to define what shape or form that Local Church should take. The important thing is that a Christian be related to a group of other Christians who do things together in the way the Bible describes. Where this group meets – in a home or in a building of some other sort – is not important. Neither does size matter. Some people prefer a home sized church, others a mega-church. That is personal preference. The issue in this chapter is simply the principle of “meeting together”.

Hebrews 10:25.
“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 we see the day approaching.”


MEMBERS OF THE BODY OF CHRIST, THE CHURCH UNIVERSAL.

The Bible links the conversion experience with being in the Church.

(1) REPENTANCE is submission to Christ as Lord, as head of our lives. Submission to the HEAD implies a committal to His Body.

Ephesians 1:22,23 (above).

Christ is the Head of the Church, which is his Body. To be submitted to, i.e. under, the Head automatically means one is in the Body. The reverse is also true - to be committed to the Body is to be under the Head. It also follows that to be not involved in the Body in any way is to be not under the Head, i.e. not under Christ's Lordship, i.e. in rebellion.

In fact the only tangible way we have of showing commitment to Christ is by our relationship to His Body, the Church. To say "Jesus is my Lord" is to say "I am committed to the Church".

(2) In BAPTISM we are "baptised into Christ", i.e. we become part of his corporate Body.

Ephesians 1:22,23 4:1-6.

Therefore, Paul says, we should live a life worthy of our call - i.e. be what we are - members of his Body.

(3) The LAYING ON OF HANDS means we are identifying with and submitting to the Church, and being accepted into it by those who have spiritual responsibility for the well being of the Church (see the chapter on Laying on of Hands).

(4) The GIFT OF THE SPIRIT makes us members of Christ's Body.

1 Corinthians 12:13.
"For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body- whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free- and we were all given the one Spirit to drink."

The problem in our individualistic society is that we all want to do our own thing, and the Body of Christ is suffering from a bad case of disjointed bones and torn muscles. All of the bones are out of joint from the neck down (Psalms 22:14). As a result the Body is sick and weak, unable to use the strength of the Head or do his commands. This is a prime reason why we do not see miracles and healings today - the power is short-circuited.

Conversion is individual - you have to do it for yourself - but once you have made that choice you are automatically part of the Body of Christ and are required to find your place in that Body and function correctly in it.

MEMBERS OF A LOCAL CHURCH.

It would be easy at this point to say: "I am a member of the Church Universal, therefore I don't need to join a Local Church".

To do this would be a sort of metaphysical philosophising which is Anti-Christian. Christian truth is never just an idea, but always has a practical outworking, an obedience, that can be done in the here and now. Without this obedience the idea is nothing less than a deception. As James says in his letter, Faith without the appropriate works of faith is meaningless and is nothing less than deception.

To say "I am a member of Christ" requires us to have a practical outworking of that. Membership in the Body of Christ has to be brought down to a real personal experience, and this can only occur at the Local Church level. There must be a local "Body of Christ " that you are committed to, that you can point to, where you have made that commitment a reality. Each Christian must commit himself to a Local Church in the realisation that submission to Christ's Lordship requires such a commitment as a practical outworking.

Significantly Paul does not write any letters to the Church (Universal), nor even to any Christians isolated by themselves. Rather every letter in the NT is addressed to Christians who make up a Local Church. The NT knows of no other type of Christian. The truth of the epistles can only be experienced by Christians relating to the Local Church. The proper context for working out all Biblical truth is in the body of believers.

The Fact is this: If we do not belong to a Local Church and are not totally committed to that Church then our experience as a Christian will be strictly limited. God has given us the Church for our benefit. It is part of his total plan for us. We will miss out on the purposes of God for us in this life, and also in the life to come if we do not align ourselves with the Church in a meaningful way.

Without such a local church commitment it can only be assumed that a person has a prior commitment ahead of Christ, i.e. Christ is not really their Lord at all.

BENEFITS OF CHURCH MEMBERSHIP.

(1) Gaining God's Character.

Most childhood learning is by observation and imitation in the family. We are to be conformed to God's character. He is our Father; the Church is his family. In the Church we can learn what it is to be a Christian by seeing it at work in the lives of others. This is the essence of Discipleship - learning by Imitation. God's normal method of producing spiritual growth is by linking us into the Church. Only in extreme cases does he do otherwise.

Hebrews 13:7
“Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith.”

The primary way God has given us to arrive at maturity is by being ministered in to the Body by Godly leaders God has appointed.

(2) Experiencing the Fullness of the Holy Spirit.

Psalms 133.
“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron's beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore.”

This is a picture. Aaron is the High Priest, who is a type of Christ, the true High Priest (Hebrews 6:20). When Christ ascended to heaven he was given the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:33) which was poured out on his head. From there it flows down onto the Body. We are his Body.

It is only as we are submitted to the head, i.e. come under Him, and become a committed part of the Body, that we are in the place where the oil (the Holy Spirit) is flowing down to. The Church is the sphere of the Holy Spirit's activity in its fullness. That fullness is not available to anyone who isolates himself from the Church - and that means a local church!

(3) Having Heightened Spiritual Zeal.

Hebrews 10:23-25.
“And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds.”

In a fire, one ember keeps another hot. A hot ember taken from the fire soon cools down. To maintain our spiritual glow we need to be in close contact with other hot Christians in a committed relationship.

(4) To Be Used By God.

Ephesians 4:8,12
“This is why it says: "When he ascended on high, he led captives in his train and gave gifts to men." …to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up…”

God has given the Body Spiritual gifts. They are for one purpose only - to build up the Body of Christ and bring every member in it to maturity. The spiritual gifts are the only thing God uses to build his Church - he is not interested in our natural abilities.

Hence if we want to experience God's power and be used by him we need to be in the context of his Body, the Church. Beware of those who want to flaunt spiritual gifts but who are not rightly related to a local church. The only exception to this rule is in the case of those gifted by God to be used in a missionary situation.

(5) Protection in Spiritual Warfare.

Ephesians 6:12ff Describes the armour of God. The Shield is of particular importance. The Greek word indicates that it is the large Roman shield which, when going into battle, were interlocked with the shields of those on either side to create an impenetrable wall.

The Church is in spiritual warfare. It is God's front line of attack. If we stay with the rest of the army we are safe. Lone Rangers are easily picked off. This is particularly true with respect to deception. People who do not submit to the Church for correction invariably go into deception.

(6) To Find Purpose in Life.

We have already touched on this. God’s eternal plan is to bring all things together into Christ – that is the head, Christ himself, and the Body, the Church. This is ultimate meaning. It is what will last forevermore. Thus we can find purpose in this life by being related to Christ’s body. It’s amazing how many Christians lose purpose when they cut themselves off from the Body. It usually is not long before they lose interest in Christianity altogether. We all need a purpose bigger than ourselves – and God gives us this in the Body of Christ – but what is more he gives us abilities we don’t have in the natural so we can be party of his plan.

Let’s just look briefly at the last part of Hebrews as the writer there unfolds some points that are very practical.

Hebrews 10:25.
“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 we see the day approaching.”

Context of Hebrews:
We need to understand the flow of the Book of Hebrews here. This statement comes at a crucial point in the book and is really like a hinge on which the rest of the book hangs.

Ch 1-6 Christ is superior to all previous forms of approach to God. There is a promise of entering God’s rest and we enter it through Christ.
Ch 7-9 Christ has brought a new covenant – a new relationship based on different requirements.
Then here in ch 10 he gives this strong warning about gathering together. This is the outward expression of the new relationship we have with Christ.
Ch 11 he talks about the nature of faith.
Ch 12, 13 he gives us some practical advice on how to maintain this relationship of “coming together” and walk in faith.

So the call to “gather together” is really the hinge on which the book rests. The first half of the book up till then lays down the theory behind our Christian walk, and the subsequent chapters give practical instruction on the how to – but this little phrase and admonition is the link that joins it all together. Really what he is saying is that the promises made in the first part of the book cannot be ours’ unless we remain committed to each other in meaningful fellowship. But if we do that then we will need the practical advice that follows to work it out.

The writer here gives a very strong warning – we need to keep fellowship and relationships going or we will put ourselves in the position of endangering our faith – we will place ourselves in the position where we could make a shipwreck of our faith.

The important thing about a shipwreck is that the wreck is invariably unsalvageable. The ship has to be written off. And we are in danger of doing that to our faith if we do not walk according to the truth.

The Writer to the Hebrews in the final chapters gives us some keys on this “gathering yourselves together” and what it entails.

Things that stop us gathering together:
1. Shame - Sin. Hebrews 12:1. 1 John 1:7-9.
2. Fear - Persecution Hebrews 12:2-4.
3. Ignorance - God’s Discipline Hebrews 12:5-11. God puts us through tough times to teach us so we grow up. But we don’t understand the tough times as being God at work in us.
4. Roots of Bitterness. Hebrews 12:15. The tough times involve people who offend us. We need to forgive.
5. God’s shaking of everything. Hebrews 12:26-29. God wants to make us strong and not wishy washy. So he has to shake us. 1 Peter 4:17. God can and does periodically shake his church in order to purify it for his purposes.

What Gathering together means:
1. Hospitality. Hebrews 13:2. 1 Peter 4:9. More than just a meal, it involves housing the homeless, the visitor, the alien.
2. Visiting the prisoners, the suffering – especially those suffering because of Christ Hebrews 13:3.
3. Do good and share. Hebrews 13:16.
These three cause us to jump out of our own selfishness and encounter the real world of suffering people. In sharing in their suffering we partake of the sufferings of Christ and are perfected thereby.
4. Obeying your leaders and submitting to them. Hebrews 13:17.
This deals with the root of rebellion in our hearts. It’s easy to obey when you agree with the leaders decisions, it is harder (and rebellion is manifested) when they make a decision you disagree with. The church is not a democracy but has leaders appointed by God (Eph 4:11) which we are called on to recognise.
God will allow leaders to make decisions you don’t agree with to test your heart and purify it. Leaders are accountable to God (Hebrews 13:17, James 3:1) not to those they lead - Accountability works upwards not downwards. But we are accountable to God also – to submit to the leaders he has appointed.

Unless God deals with the selfishness and rebellion of our hearts we can never “gather together” in the way he intends.

Practical: WHAT COMMITTAL TO THE LOCAL CHURCH MEANS.

(1) Actually Joining the Local Church.

Each Local Church has its own way of accepting members - a ritual one must go through. Some rituals appear to be more scriptural than others, but the ritual itself is not important (that is why the Bible does not have a ritual - it is left up to the local situation to devise a way that suits). There is no set ritual in Scripture so we have no grounds for objecting to any form. We need to recognise that the ritual is only a human institution, and in that it is neither good nor bad, it is simply necessary.

What is important is that:
(i) A Christian knows where God wants them to be committed.
(ii) The he/she commits themselves to that local Church IN THE WAY THAT CHURCH RECOGNISES.
(iii) That the Local Church knows who the people are committed to it so that can care for them.

The spiritual principle is one of committal. If we see this as being true then we will not have any problem with any particular form of ritual. My observation has been that those who have a problem with committal to Christ have a problem with committal to a local church. There is nearly always a root of rebellion against authority which stops them getting committed. This rebellion is usually rooted in bitterness. But as soon as committal to Christ is really sorted out the issue of committal to the church becomes a non-issue.

A commital to a PARTICULAR Local Church means staying put in one place. Imagine if we tried in our families changing houses – and parents – every few weeks because we didn’t like some aspect of them – would we end up mature? No we would end up broken. Wholeness is only to be found in long term relationships and committal.

(2) Commitment means Submission to the God-given Leadership and Structure of that Local Church.

God had given leaders. The Church is not a leaderless society, nor is it a democratic election. God appoints leaders (Eph 4:10ff ) by gifting certain people. Our task is to recognise them and submit to the authority God has invested in them.

Submission is not a mindless bowing to their every word, but is an attitude of respect. Every Christian is still responsible before God for their own spiritual walk, but the Elders of the Local Church have a corporate care, for which they should be given respect, and we should co-operate with them. God holds them accountable for their care, we should not make their job difficult for them.

1 Peter 5:1-6.
"To the elders among you, I appeal as a fellow elder, a witness of Christ's sufferings and one who also will share in the glory to be revealed: Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers- not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away. Young men, in the same way be submissive to those who are older. All of you, clothe yourselves with humility toward one another, because, "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble." Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time."

The Greek word for “submit” is a combination of two Greek words and means “to arrange under”. It suggests that leadership is vested in the leaders and they have the responsibility before God to make decisions of leadership for the group. The members of the group, by implication, do not have that responsibility nor that right. Their responsibility is to accept the decision of the leaders and arrange themselves in such a way as to enable the leaders decisions to be carried out.

Failure to submit to God’s appointed leaders amounts to rebellion against God himself (e.g. see Numbers ch 10-14).

(3) Commitment Means Involvement.

There is a basic minimum involvement that we should “arrange ourselves” into:

(i) In the main celebration meeting. This is where the local body becomes its greatest reality.

(ii) To other meetings where possible.

You should be involved in a smaller group of some description where you are being challenged to grow.
This is a cell group in which you can really get to know people and learn to grow together. This may be a home group, youth group, women's group, etc., or some specialist ministry or training group. However it must be a group that builds relationships and encourages spiritual growth.

(iii) To Prayer. This is spiritual warfare and the leaders particularly need prayer support – particularly for decision making.

(iv) To Helping.

Every Church has jobs that need to be done - on the physical and the spiritual level.

(a) Give Aid - be a willing helper on the physical level.
(b) Give time - be available when needed.
(c) Give money - every society has its costs and dues.
(d) Give yourself - the essence of a strong Church is relationships.

(v) To discovering your spiritual gifts and using them in the context of that local church.
We are all members of Christ's Body, the Church Universal, but what does it mean in terms of actual things we do in the Local Church:
Discovery and expression of your spiritual gifts within the context of that Local Church or it's outreach, with the aim of building up the Local Church.

Homework:

James 1:22-27.
Think about the following questions:

1. Use the Transformer scriptures daily. Read out both the scripture and the prayer with it. Memorise the scripture.

2. Ask yourself, “Am I experiencing the full flow of the Holy Spirit as I expect it should be?” If not then ask, ”Is this because of my attitudes or actions towards the church?” “Is there selfishness or rebellion in my heart?”

3. Are you experiencing some hard times, or perplexing times leaving you with questions you can’t answer? Ask God: Are you disciplining me? Are you shaking me?

4. Do you feel you are in full fellowship? Look at the 5 reasons we stop fellowshipping and ask God if any of them are true for you.

5. Do you feel like life has no purpose? Maybe God wants you to commit to a greater level. Ask God if there is something you should commit to now that you haven’t been committed to before.

6. Are you doing the things that “gathering together” means in Hebrews?


TRANSFORMER VERSE.

Church Membership.
Hebrews 10:23-25.
Let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 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.

PRAYER.
Father God I thank you for the new and living way you have made into your presence through Christ Jesus.
Cleanse me today so that I can draw near to you in a pure heart. Reveal to me attitudes of sinfulness, selfishness and rebellion that you are wanting to change in me. Reveal to me any roots of bitterness in my heart towards your people. Cleanse them from me I pray.
Father God I pray that you will show me if there is any way I need to commit again to the gathering together.