01 Why Should You Become a Member of CBC

March 17, 2024

Chris Freeman

Title: Why Should You Become A Member of CBC? Text: Various; Acts 2:41-47 FCF: We often struggle appreciating the significance of church membership. Prop: Because loyalty and fidelity to one body of believers is the biblical ideal, we must join in church membership to a local church. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible once again, this time to Acts chapter 2. I’ll be reading in a moment beginning in verse 41 from the New English Translation which you can follow in the pew bible on page 1231 or in whatever version you prefer. We left off our discussion of baptism pointing to the nature of the church. That the church simultaneously speaks of both the visible and the invisible. The local and the universal. Today four people have expressed desire to become members of our church. They have been examined by the Elders and we have determined, to the best of our human ability, that they are regenerated people. We’ll be presenting them later to you, so you can covenant with them. But for now, Please stand again with me to give honor to and to focus on the Word of God. Transition: But, if these folks are regenerated, that means they are already members of the invisible church. And if they are a member of the invisible church… we might wonder why they must join CBC as church members? Well, let us start very basically. What is church membership? I.) [Slide 2] What is Church Membership? a. Defining our terms is a good place to start. b. Church means gathering. We are the assembly. Church can mean a particular building or meeting place, but that is a modern usage of the word. The biblical usage refers to a group of people. c. Membership then is almost a redundant term. To be a member is to join a gathering. d. So, if you are in the church, you are a member of the church. e. So, what is this assembly? i. Acts 2:41 and 47 indicate that there was some numerical tracking of those who had repented and been baptized in the name of Christ. ii. Throughout the book of Acts this continues as we are told often that the church expanded and even several times given a number to their expansion. iii. But it is clear that the church was keeping track of not only the numerical value of those who were believers but even the people themselves. iv. Acts alone has several examples of named individuals known to the church as a whole. f. And as we attempted to delineate in our earlier discussion about our spiritual Baptism which occurs at conversion, we recognize this as the beginning of our joining with the invisible assembly. g. [Slide 3] Summary of the Point: So, to answer our question, “What is Church Membership” we must, on one level, define it as the necessary consequence of God saving someone and uniting them to Christ by faith. They join all others who have also been united to Christ by faith. They are, once saved, a member of His assembly. Transition: But this doesn’t quite satisfy our question, does it? We see churches today, including our own, asking people to join their rolls, join their constitution, to join not just the invisible global church but also the visible local church too. What are they asking? What is local church membership? II.) [Slide 4] What is Local Church Membership? a. Local church membership is the visible expression of the invisible reality. b. The local church is also an organizational necessity in a global church. c. Throughout the New Testament the scriptures refer to local assemblies far more often than they speak of the universal church. d. Indeed, each letter of Paul, Peter, James, Jude, John, and whoever wrote Hebrews, is given to specific churches in specific places. Certainly, those letters were intended to be passed around to the universal church – but their original audience was individual, local churches. e. Churches of a city, an island, or a region. Churches where there were Elders keeping watch over that particular church in that particular area. Elders who were not overseeing churches in other areas. f. This concept and organization of the local church is assumed throughout the New Testament. g. [Slide 5] Summary of the Point: So, in the New Testament it is assumed that the church will gather locally with one another and be overseen by local leaders. Leaders who know your name, your needs, and have responsibility and authority over you, individually. Meaning that it was not enough to simply be a member of the invisible church. You must join yourself to your local church too. Transition: But joining ourselves to a local church does not necessarily include submitting to being included on a roll, agreeing to a covenant, and submitting to a constitution… does it? Is joining a local church as a member as we define it today, a command from God? III.) [Slide 6] Is Joining a Local church as a member, as we define it today, a command from God? a. The short answer is no. There is no command to join a local church as a member as we have defined it in our modern era. b. But as I have already argued – church membership is a redundant expression. c. We have no examples in scripture of people coming to Christ and refusing to join a local assembly of believers or joining a local church and attending services only. There are exactly 0 examples of this happening. d. So, although the short answer to this question is no – it is a VERY nuanced no. e. Let me add some further nuance to that no… f. In Acts 2:42 the church devoted themselves to certain practices. What did they devote themselves to? i. They devoted themselves to the apostles teaching ii. To fellowship iii. To the Lord’s Supper iv. And to the prayers. g. The word I want to key in on this morning is the word fellowship. i. This word for fellowship means partnership or union. It is used to speak of sharing in activities or privileges and is often associated with marriage. ii. Just as two become one in a marriage and enter a partnership or a holy union – so also the church is many members but one body. iii. Fellowship then, is not eating together around 8 foot plastic tables at the church potluck. iv. Fellowship isn’t even attending church or doing a church work day. v. Fellowship is family. Fellowship in unity. Fellowship is oneness. Fellowship is loyalty. Fellowship is identity. vi. Therefore, to be continually devoted to fellowship evokes a strong loyal commitment to love, honor, respect, submit, and humble ourselves toward one another. Knowing that we are one in Christ. h. Friends, this sounds an awful lot like what we at CBC call church membership. i. As a natural result of them joining the universal church, they devoted themselves to grow in unity with those around them of like faith and practice. j. Adding one more layer to this onion, in verse 47 the bible says that this body who devoted themselves to these things were experiencing the good will of the people outside the church. i. Although this verse teaches a lot of things, I want to camp on this one thought. ii. This partnership, this union, this loyalty they had for one another… was public. iii. It was not only public to the church itself but even those outside the church recognized that they were partnered with the church. iv. Everyone knew… not that they went to this gathering… but that they were partnered with this gathering. k. Friends, I don’t have a smoking gun verse that proves that you must join our church as a member. But I can find no discernable difference between what the church devoted themselves to in Acts 2 and what we call church membership here at CBC. l. [Slide 7] Summary of the Point: Modern church membership is nothing more than a fleshed out and localized expression of the devotions of the early church in Acts 2. Transition: So now that I have defended the concept of church membership and why each believer should join themselves to a local assembly of believers… let me tell you why from another angle. Not just because the early church did. But let me tell you what the benefits are… specifically of joining CBC. IV.) [Slide 8] What are the benefits of becoming a member of CBC? a. Before I get to any of the benefits of joining our church as a member. Let me issue one disclaimer. i. Although I have and will continue to strive to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that joining our church as a member is not optional… ii. I don’t want you to rush into it either. iii. In each of these benefits there is a correlating responsibility. iv. So, if you are new to our church or have only been coming for a short time, I’d encourage you to take your time in evaluating whether or not you’d like to partner with us. Don’t rush into this. v. Although it certainly is the right decision, we would want you to make that decision fully aware of all that you are getting into and the responsibilities you are taking on yourself. vi. So, with that quick disclaimer, let’s look at the 3 major benefits of becoming a member of CBC. b. [Slide 9] The first benefit you receive by becoming a member of CBC is shepherding and oversight from the Elders. i. In Hebrews 13:17 – Elders are charged with the responsibility to watch over the souls of their flock. ii. Acts 20:28 Paul tells Ephesian Elders to watch over their flock faithfully. iii. Although we as Elders certainly watch over the greater flock of CBC, ie members and regular attenders, there is a certain and necessary priority given to those who are members. iv. Rather than considering this a slight to non-members, consider it instead as a perk given to members. v. In Hebrews 13, the same passage as before, the church is commanded to pray for and submit to their Elders. 1. Ultimately Christians must submit to Christ. But Christ has installed Elders in His church to oversee and care for His church until He returns. We are stewards. 2. As a member it is fairly easy for you to understand who you must submit to in our church. Via Christ and our Constitution (in that order), you must submit to the Elders in every area that the Lord has given them authority. 3. As a non-member… do you have to submit to the Elders? Can I be candid with you? Here is my answer… I have no idea. It seems like you should submit to the Elders of the church you are attending… but you haven’t partnered with the church… so, should you? I really don’t know. 4. And that is why you should join the church as a member. 5. To receive spiritual care and oversight from the Elders which necessarily includes you praying for and submitting to the Elders. c. A second benefit to joining the church is to grow in spiritual maturity i. Not only is there a group of godly men overseeing you and shepherding you – but they are not alone in that endeavor. The whole of the church is being trained by the Elders to do the work of the ministry which is to build up the body of Christ. ii. So how does the church do this? 1. [Slide 10] First, by teaching sound doctrine and pointing out false teaching. a. The New Testament warns of false teachers going about seeking to cause ship wreck to the faith of believers. b. The advice often repeated is to heed the teaching of the apostles. To hold fast to the message they have heard. c. The Elder’s primary duty is to preach and teach the Word of God, which is the apostles’ teaching. Both in word and in deed. To rightly divide the word of truth. d. Not only this, but the church covenant binds all of us to watch out for one another and keep each from false teaching. e. We do this first by teaching the truth and growing one another in the knowledge and maturity of Christ. And second by pointing out false teaching and false teachers. f. We are all on the hook for each other’s spiritual growth. g. Are these benefits available to non-members? Sort of. h. But just like your commitment to the church is vague, the responsibility of the Elders and the rest of the church to you is equally vague. i. You haven’t covenanted with us… We don’t know where you stand. We know where we stand and where everyone who is a member stands. You are a wild card. 2. Second, the church sees to the spiritual growth of its members by loving and serving one another. a. Hebrews 10 commands us to spur one another to love and good deeds. b. The New Testament speaks of spiritual gifts as spiritually empowered abilities that enable us to minister to the body of Christ. To grow each other in maturity and Christlikeness. c. As a member we promise one another in our covenant that we will fulfill this and we also inherit the promise from others that they will do this for us. d. Not just the Elders but every single member. e. If you are not a member, you haven’t promised this to us. And while we won’t keep these from you – we must give priority to those who have actually partnered with us. Those whom we have promised to support get our first priority. 3. Third, the church assures the spiritual growth of its members through church discipline. a. As the church we hold the keys to the kingdom to bind and loose, to judge, to receive regenerate new members and to excommunicate those who appear as though they are not regenerate. b. This assures the spiritual growth of our membership because we assume that true believers do not live in unrepentant sin. c. And we promise our members that they cannot be partnered with us as one of us if they continue in unrepentant sin. d. Our promise as members… is to pursue them until it is clear that they want their sin more than they want to be partnered with us. e. Our promise is that we will hold one another accountable to a righteous standard. Not of perfection, but of repentance and faith. f. A non-member in unrepentant sin can simply walk away. You can join another church. And I can tell you this… the pastor at your next church will not call me to ask if we are pursuing you. He just won’t. g. But a member here will be called to restoration or they will be excommunicated with the hope that they will return and repent. d. [Slide 11] A third benefit of joining CBC as a member is joining in global evangelism. i. Even though we are a small church we have missionaries all over the world. ii. You heard about that this morning. iii. As a member you partner not only with us locally, but with them globally. iv. As a non-member, you can send them money sure, you can even pray for them… but they are partnered with us. So, partnering with us in membership is the fullest expression of partnering with them. e. [Slide 12] Summary of the Point: Although there are clear responsibilities mixed in among these benefits, you can easily see that joining this church only serves to make you more like Christ. You will be served and you must serve. Today, four people are partnering with us by covenant. I’d ask that they come forward to read through the membership covenant.