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Acts 2:42-47

INTRODUCTION: Our new message series is called: “Why Do We . . . ?” We are taking a few weeks to look at why do we do certain things as a church. Why do we practice baptism and the Lord’s Supper? Why do we have church membership? Why do we give? Why do we sing together on Sunday mornings? Last week we looked at baptism, and this week we will look at church membership. We will look at a number of Scriptures this morning that speak to this topic, but let’s begin with the description of the church that we find in Acts 2:42-47. [Read and pray.]

A man had been stranded on a desert island for fifteen years when some rescuers finally found him. He had built a number of structures on the island during that time so he gave them a tour. “This building here is my primary residence where I live, and eat and sleep. This one over here is my washroom where I shower and bathe. And this is my storage hut where I keep all my food and supplies.” The rescuers were quite impressed. There were two structures remaining, so he went on to the next one. “Now this building,” he said, “is very important to me. This is my church. This is where I go every Sunday to read my Bible, to worship and to pray.” “And the other building?” the rescuers asked. “Oh,” he said, “that’s where I used to go to church.”

So today we are talking about church membership, joining a church, being a part of the fellowship, belonging to a family of believers. Some people don’t like the word membership, because they think it sounds like you’re joining a club. But church membership is not like joining a gym or a local association. Church membership goes much deeper than that. Church membership means publicly identifying with and committing yourself to a local body of believers.

I often hear the same questions from people about church membership. “Why should I commit to the local church? Isn’t it enough that I just believe in Christ? I don’t have to join the church to be saved, do I? Why can’t I just attend the church and its activities?” And I would answer those questions: “No, you do not have to join the church in order to be saved. Yes, you can just attend the church and its activities. And yes, I am glad that you believe in Christ, but you are missing out on much of what Christ has for you if you do not commit yourself to the local church. Christ loves the church. Christ died for the church. Christ is active in the world today through the church. Christ is committed to the church, and so if you are not committed to the church, then we need to look at that.

This morning I want us first to look at three biblical reasons for church membership, and then we will look at how we approach church membership here at Plantation Community Church.

I. Biblical reasons for church membership

   A. Identify with Christ through the local church (Ephesians 5:23)

Why should you commit to church membership? First of all, to identify with Christ through the local church. Ephesians 5:23 says that “Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior.” (Ephesians 5:23) So, if you want to be part of Christ’s body, you have to be a part of the church.

Last week we looked at baptism, and we saw that baptism is God’s way for you to identify with Christ. Church membership is God’s way for you to identify with the church. When you are baptized, you are saying, “I belong to Christ.” When you become a church member, you are saying, “I belong to Christ’s body.” Baptism means publicly identifying with Christ. Church membership means publicly identifying with Christ’s church. And so baptism and church membership go together. They are the two biblical ways that you visibly and publicly identify with Christ and his church.

Now it is important to understand two different ways the word “church” is used in Scripture. Sometimes the Bible uses the word church to refer to all persons who belong to Christ everywhere whether living or dead. We call this the universal church. When we say the apostle’s creed, and we say, “I believe in the holy, catholic church,” that’s what the word “catholic” means there. It doesn’t mean catholic with a capital “C” as in Roman Catholic, but simply catholic as in universal – the universal church of Christ consisting of all believers in Christ at all times and in all places. So sometimes the Bible uses the word church to refer to the universal church.

But far more often the Bible uses the word church to refer to the local church – a local body of believers in a specific time and place. So we have the invisible or universal church, and then we have the visible or local church. Now in Scripture, this Christ is the head and you are the body imagery from Ephesians 5 is applied to both these uses of the word church. Christ is the head of the universal church, which is his body; but Christ is also the head of each local body of believers as well.

I like the way R. B. Kuiper explains this in his book, The Glorious Body of Christ: “He who believes in Christ is united with Christ. Faith binds him to Christ. He is a member of Christ’s body, the invisible church. But the visible church is the outward manifestation of that body. Every member of the invisible church should, as a matter of course, be a member of the visible church . . . The Scriptural rule is that, while membership in the church is not a prerequisite of salvation, it is a necessary consequence of salvation.” (R. B. Kuiper, The Glorious Body of Christ; pp. 111-112; quoted in Mack, To Be or Not To Be, p. 21)

It’s funny, so many people are more than willing to identify themselves with a certain sports team or a political party or even a clothing brand, and yet they are not willing to identify themselves with Christ through commitment to the local church. You see, anyone can attend church. Here at Plantation Community we welcome everyone who wants to come and learn more about God and Christ and the Bible. But until you commit yourself in membership to the local church, you are not truly identified with that church. You may attend there, but you have not joined in membership with the believers who make up that particular body of Christ.

   B. Encourage and serve one another in the local church (John 13:34)

A second biblical reason for church membership is this: You should commit to church membership in order to encourage and serve one another in the local church. There are fifty-eight of what we call the “one another” commands in the New Testament. John 13:34 is a good example. Jesus said, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” (John 13:34) Other verses tell us to encourage each other, to serve one another, to forgive one another, to honor one another, and so on. Fifty-eight times in the New Testament we are commanded to do these things. And guess what? The vast majority of these commands are given within the context of the local church. In other words, here are fifty-eight commands of Scripture that we can only truly obey as part of the local church. Of course we can love and serve one other outside of the local church as well. But the primary context in which we practice these commands is within the local body of Christ.

Local church membership is all about accountability and belonging. It’s not enough to just belong to the universal church, because you can’t do the things the church is supposed to do as the universal church. I can’t encourage and serve all believers in all places at all times. But I can encourage and serve the members of my local church. God gave us local church bodies where we can meet together, worship together, grow together, and serve together. When you join membership in the local church, you have a place where you belong.

That’s not to say that you cannot minister for Christ or serve within the body without first being a member. There are a number of you here today who have loved and served this body of Christ in wonderful ways over the years even though you have never joined as a member. And I thank God for your service to Christ and his church. But there are some ministries in the church that you cannot fulfill without first becoming a member. For example, deacons must be church members. Certain leadership roles would require that you be a church member. And the simple act of committing to the church in membership is itself a ministry of love and encouragement to others in the body of Christ. So yes, you can still serve in the church even if you are not a member, but the biblical model is that you commit to the church in membership, and that your love and service to the church flow from your commitment to Christ and his body.

   C. Provide accountability for each other within the local church (Hebrews 3:13; 13:17)

A third biblical reason for church membership is this: You should commit to church membership in order to provide accountability for each other within the local church. Hebrews 3:13 says that we should “encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” (Hebrews 3:13) None of us should think that we are so strong that we do not need the help and encouragement of other Christians. God gave us each other in the church to encourage one other in Christ and to help each other in the daily fight against sin. Life is a struggle, and the Christian life is a battle. We all get wounded in this battle from time to time. Some of us lose our way, and we need the accountability of the local church to set us on the right path again.

The Bible also speaks about accountability to our church leaders. Hebrews 13:17: “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” (Hebrews 13:17) Notice the verse does not say obey all leaders everywhere, but specifically “your leaders.” Once again the Bible assumes that if you are a believer, then you are part of a local church that has clear and defined biblical leadership to which you are accountable.

The New Testament presents the local church as an organized body of believers with recognized membership and leadership. If you just attend church here, but you are not a member, then our church has no real authority in your life. God still has authority, and you are still accountable to the teaching of his word, but you are not truly accountable to this church or its leaders. That means we cannot help you in the same way as someone who is a member.

Now, granted, some people like it that way. They don’t want to be accountable to the church body. In fact I would say that this is the number one reason why people will attend church for years but never commit to membership. They either fear or do not want the accountability. And yet God has designed accountability within the body of Christ to help you, not to harm you. When you are not accountable to a local church, then you are on dangerous ground.

Some people say, “Well, I have seen churches that abuse their authority.” Of course you have. There are good churches, and there are bad churches. There are good church leaders, and there are bad church leaders. But just because there are some bad churches out there does not mean you should not join a good one. That’s like saying, “I had a bad experience at a restaurant once, so I just don’t eat out anymore.” Hey, that’s too bad. There are a lot of good restaurants out there. You are missing out. And there are a lot of good churches out there. You are missing out.

Without the accountability of the local church you are a sitting duck for Satan and an open target for temptation. Why should you commit to church membership? 1) to identify with Christ through the local church, 2) to encourage and serve one another in the local church, and 3) to provide accountability for each other within the local church.

II. How do we approach church membership here at PCC?

Now those biblical reasons apply to all local churches everywhere. So, how do we specifically approach church membership here at PCC? Well, let’s take a look first at the requirements for membership at PCC.

   A. Requirements for church membership

1) You must have a personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Before you become a member of the local body of Christ, you should first belong to the universal body of Christ, and you do that by putting your faith in Christ.

2) You must affirm the church statement of faith. We try to major on the majors here, and so we have a very simple church statement of faith which states the basic teachings of the Bible with regards to God, Jesus Christ, the Bible, man and salvation.

3) You must commit to uphold the church covenant. The church statement of faith states what we agree to believe as church members. The church covenant states what we agree to do as church members. If you want to know more about either of these documents, they are public documents and we would be glad to make them available to you. You can also find on our website.

So that is all that is required for membership. We don’t ask a whole lot from you to join. You don’t have to go to seminary or memorize the New Testament. There are no tests to take or higher levels of holiness to achieve. You do not have to prove yourself worthy to join. We are all sinners saved by grace walking this path together. I like what Charles Morrison said about membership in the church: “The Christian church is the only society in the world in which membership is based upon the qualification that the candidate shall be unworthy of membership.” (Charles Morrison)

So, those are the only requirements in order to join as a member here at PCC. However, once you join with the church, each member does have some serious responsibilities to fulfill. Before joining, you should look carefully over the following list of responsibilities and make sure that you are willing to fulfill the responsibilities of membership. So, what are the responsibilities of church membership?

   B. Responsibilities of church membership

1) Attend church services faithfully. 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.” When you join membership with a church, you commit to worshiping regularly with that church. That doesn’t mean that you won’t be away at times traveling or perhaps home sick. But it does mean that weekly worship with your church family will be a priority in your life. In a normal week you will choose Sunday morning worship over the beach, golf, yard work or sleeping in.

2) Pray for the concerns of my church. Ephesians 6:18 says: “Pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Pray for each other. Each week we publish a list of prayer concerns that is available on your way out of the sanctuary in the leaflet holder on the left-hand side. We have a prayer chain for urgent prayer requests that cannot wait for the weekly update. And we have many opportunities for prayer during the week: Tuesday mornings, Wednesday nights, and at many of our small group and ministry meetings.

3) Graciously accept other members. Romans 15:7 says: “Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you . . .” We come from many different backgrounds – denominational, generational, racial, economic – but we are all united in Christ. Accept those who are different, forgive those who hurt you, welcome newcomers and guests, accept one another as Christ accepted you.

4) Honor Christ in all areas of my life. Matthew 5:14-16 says: “You are the light of the world … let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” This is very important. Our church has no reputation in the community outside of its members. As we said before, anyone is welcome to attend here. So if a person who just happens to attend does not live in a manner honoring to Christ, that is no reflection on the church. But the way our members choose to live their lives directly affects our church’s testimony in the community.

5) Support the church with my finances. 1 Corinthians 16:2 says about church collections: “On the first day of every week, each one of you should set aside a sum of money in keeping with his income.” (1 Corinthians 16:2) God has commanded that we use our money and resources for the good of his kingdom and for the spread of his gospel here on earth. The Bible says that our giving to the church should be regular, proportional to our income and given cheerfully as an act of worship to God.

6) Have a personal ministry in my church. 1 Peter 4:10 says this: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.” (1 Peter 4:10) We have two pastors here at the church, but many ministers. Everyone should find a place of service and ministry within the church.

7) Support the leadership of my church. (Hebrews 13:17) We looked at Hebrews 13:17 earlier which says: “Obey your leaders and submit to their authority. They keep watch over you as men who must give an account. Obey them so that their work will be a joy, not a burden, for that would be of no advantage to you.” (Hebrews 13:17) This brings us back to accountability again, doesn’t it? God is a God of order, and he has put order into the church in the form of spiritual leadership. The church functions best when the leaders lead biblically, and the congregation supports the leadership.

8) Share my faith with others. (Romans 1:16) Paul says in Romans 1:16: “I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes.” (Romans 1:16) The church won’t grow if its people do not share their faith. Someone told you about Christ. Who will you tell?

CONCLUSION: So, those are some of the biblical reasons why we have church membership, and that is how we approach church membership here at PCC. If you are already a church member at PCC, then the application of this message is easy. Look back over the list of responsibilities and see how you are doing. What is one area in particular where you could better fulfill your responsibility as a member of this church?

If you are not a member at PCC, then let me ask you, why not? Do you have a personal faith in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior? Do you affirm the church statement of faith? Do you commit to uphold the church covenant? That’s all it takes to become a member. You are welcome to attend as long as you want without becoming a member, but it doesn’t make sense to keep attending a church that you are not willing to commit to.

I love the story of how Charles Spurgeon became a member in his first church. He was only sixteen years old and a new Christian at the time. Here is the story in Spurgeon’s own words:

I well remember how I joined the church after my conversion. I forced myself into it by telling the pastor, who was lax and slow, after I had called four or five times and could not see him, that I had done my duty, and if he did not see me and interview me for church membership, I would call a church meeting myself and tell them I believed in Christ and ask them if they would have me. (Mack, To Be or Not To Be, pp. 53-54)

If you have been attending for awhile, if you consider this your home church, then let me encourage you to take that next step. We will have a New Members’ class Monday night, February 25 for all those who are interested in becoming members or just learning more about the church. There is a response card in your bulletin that you can fill out and give to me on the way out of church this morning, or you can just call the church office to sign up. Let me encourage you to at least sign up for the class, and then come on February 25 to learn more about the church and becoming a member.

© Ray Fowler

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