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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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ECCLESIASTICAL
VIEW OF THE CHURCH: MEMBERSHIP (1Ti 3:15) 12/2/12 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. THE IMPLICATION OF MEMBERSHIP IN THE
EARLY CHURCH A. The question is frequently raised, if not
argued, “Is church membership biblical?” That’s a great question for a Bible
Church to answer. The answer is that, though the term “membership” is not
used in the Scriptures, it is without question implicitly taught. By the way,
just because a certain term is not used in the Bible does not mean that it is
not taught in the Scriptures. Take for example the terms “Trinity,”
“Rapture,” or “Doctrinal Statement.” These terms were not used by biblical
authors yet there is no question that they were taught in the Scriptures. B. So then, where and how is church
membership implied in the Scriptures? We refer back to the second sermon in
this series, “Ecclesiastical View of
the Church: The Local Ekklęsia (Church).” In that
study of the Scriptures, it was explained that the Local Church was “the
local gathering of true believers (the Living Church) for the purpose of
regular and organized worship.” Furthermore, we
observed the plain distinctions in the NT concerning the Local Church. They
were: 1. It existed as an organized establishment. 2. It possessed organized leadership. 3. It included authoritative accountability
(church discipline). 4. Its purpose was to corporately worship
and pray. 5. Its purpose was to teach and instruct. 6. It was involved in ministry. 7. It included spiritual gifts. 8. It included giving and meeting needs. 9. It included the ordinances. C. True, some of these might be possible to be carried out to some
degree outside the Local Church, but the impetus of Scripture is that these
were to be accomplished in and through the Local Church (Ac 16:5; 1Ti 3:15) 1. (Note on 1Ti 3:15: The phrase “in the household of God” (en
oikō theou) refers to the Living Church and not a building (cp. Ga 6:10; Ep 2:19; He 3:6; 1Pe 4:17), but the context of the conduct in the “household of God” was
carried out within the framework of the Local Church.) D. Nevertheless, the fact remains that, most if not all these
distinctions could only be exercised if there were some form of organization
and rules. This form of organization and rules implies and constitutes what
we understand as today’s church membership. E. Though no paper was signed like today’s
membership, we can observe at least some of the ingredients of membership
such as: 1) Authentication of Belief, 2) Authority of Leadership, 3) Accountability
of Conduct, 4) Assessment of Ministry, and 5) Application of Care. II. THE INGREDIENTS OF MEMBERSHIP IN THE EARLY CHURCH A. Authentication of Belief 1. Nothing could be more sure than for the fact that anyone who
was a part of the early church had to profess faith in Christ (1Co 1:2; Ep
1:15-16; Col 1:1-4; 2Ti 1:5). 2. They also would have had to be baptized
since immediate baptism was the standard protocol of the early church. 3. They would have had to have been in
agreement with the apostles’ kerygma and doctrine to be a part of the early
church (1Co 1:21; 1Ti 3:16). 4. Though the early church may not have
signed a piece of paper for membership, they would have professed their
faith, obeyed in baptism, and would have been in common agreement to the
apostles’ doctrine. Otherwise, they would have no vital place in the early
church. 5. This authentication is the very essence
of church membership today in the Local Church. Without the professing faith
in Christ, believer’s baptism, and agreeing with a church’s doctrinal
statement, the Local Church ceases to be the Living Church. B. Authority of Leadership 1. The early church not only had appointed leadership within the
church, but that leadership was recognized by its members (Php 2:12; 1Th
5:12; Tit 1:5; He 13:7, 17). This certainly fits the qualification of
membership. 2. If a believer in the early church was not
submissive to its leadership in the most obstinate degree, then they were not
in that church very long (2Th 3:14). 3. The question begs to be asked, “If one is
not a member of a church, is there really any submission to its leadership
when they can just simply stop coming or go to another church? The reality is
that some will not become a member of a church because of that precise
reason; they do not want to be under any authority at all. 4. One of the main reasons there is
spiritual leadership in a church is to warn and guard against false teaching
(Ac 20:28; Tit 1:9). 5. Every believer is to be under the
authority of the Lord and His Word. It is the aspect of church membership
that helps assure the purity of the Word in the lives of all believers. C. Accountability of Conduct 1. Timothy was to instruct the household of God how they were to
conduct themselves (1Ti 3:15). For the sake of the testimony of the Lord (Php
1:27), the early church was accountable for its conduct. According to Jesus
(Mt 18:17) and the apostles (1Co 5:12-13), the church was to seek to restore
the spiritual condition of a sinning believer (Ga 6:1), which could include
church discipline (1Co 5:1-2; 2Th 3:6; 1Ti 5:20). 2. If a believer is not a member of a
church, what body of believers keeps them accountable? Realistically, in a
worst-case scenario, can a church exercise church discipline upon a
non-member? Not really. Unlike the early church where there were no other
churches to attend. Today a sinning brother will simply venture over to
another church that simply does not recognize the biblical precedence of
church discipline. That is a popular strategy by many churches to obtain more
members, that is, if they even have church membership. It may be popular but
it is disobedience to the Lord’s plan for the believer’s accountability.
Accountability is a positive incentive to live as we ought to before the
Lord. 3. This is a strong argument for church
membership because many doctrinal statements include accountability and the
biblical procedure for discipline. D. Assessment of Ministry 1. The early church’s purpose was to be involved in ministry, to
encourage it, and oversee it (1Co 14:3; 2Ti 4:5; Ep 4:11-12). However, the
early church was prudent is taking caution in who they sent out and used for
ministry (Ac 8:14; 15:22, 27). 2. Does ministry take place outside the
church (evangelism, testimony, defense of the faith etc.)? Certainly. Yet the
NT shows that ministry was to be under the oversight of the church. Imagine a
self-appointed disciple having his own agenda, his own self-tested
credentials, and independent ministry. To whom is he accountable? What if he
has some doctrinal error? Depending on how misleading his doctrine is, it
could bring the response of the church against that teaching. 3. Should anyone be able to teach in the
church regardless of where they stand on salvation or doctrine? Absolutely
not. It is the oversight of the church to assess salvation, doctrine,
spiritual gifts, and ministry of individuals. Church membership takes all
this into account so that doctrine and ministry is conducted according to NT
teaching in the household of God. This area of church membership cannot and
must not be compromised. E. Application of Care 1. The early church had the responsibility of caring for its
flock spiritually and physically (Ro 1:11-2; Ac 6:1-2; 1Co 16:1-3). 2. Does this mean the church never edifies
or helps someone outside the church? Certainly they do, but Scriptures are
clear that those within the church were a priority for the church (Ga 6:10).
Furthermore, the absence of church membership and involvement in the church
can limit the church from carrying out its responsibilities to some
believers. 3. Is it possible that some who refuse
church membership desire all the care and perks from the church yet are
unwilling to be committed and involved in that same church? 4. Church membership is a co-commitment by
the members and the church to carry out their Scriptural commitments to the
Lord and each other. |
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