by Paul Tauges
It is our
conviction that every Christian should be an active member of a Bible-teaching
local church. As believers in Christ, we are members of His body and must
discipline ourselves to be actively involved in ministry as a way of life. Here
are some specific reasons why you should be a committed member of a solid,
Bible-teaching local church.
1. You follow
the pattern set forth in the New Testament. Although the word “membership”
itself is not used the principle is present in the New Testament. For example,
most of our NT books are letters that were written to specific groups of people
who had chosen to identify themselves with Christ and each other. The word
“church” is almost always used to refer to a specific group of people who in
some way had committed themselves to serving the Lord and one another in the
same ministry location. Numbers were known (At this time Peter stood up in the
midst of the brethren (a
gathering of about one hundred and twenty persons was there together)...So
then, those who had received his word were baptized; and that day there were
added about three thousand souls...But many of those who had heard the message
believed; and the number of the
men came to be about five thousand. – Acts 1:15, 2:41, 4:4), rolls were kept (A widow is
to be put on the list only if she
is not less than sixty years old, having been the wife of one man. – 1 Timothy
5:9), servants were selected
(So
the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples
and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to
serve tables. Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good
reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge
of this task. But we will devote
ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”
The statement
found approval with the whole congregation; and they chose Stephen, a
man full of faith and of the Holy Spirit, and Philip,
Prochorus, Nicanor, Timon, Parmenas and Nicolas, a proselyte
from Antioch. – Acts
6:2-5), discipline was
practiced (For what have I to do with
judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the
church? But those who are outside,
God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves. – 1 Corinthians
5:12-13), worship was
corporate (Therefore if the whole church assembles together and
all speak in tongues, and ungifted
men or unbelievers enter, will they not say that you are mad? – 1 Corinthians
14:23), and shepherds knew
for whom they were responsible (Obey your leaders and submit to
them, for they keep watch
over your souls as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with
grief, for this would be unprofitable for you. – Hebrews 13:17). If you are a part of the body of
Christ by virtue of repentant faith in Jesus Christ then you should want to
make that association visibly known through church membership.
2. You have a
greater opportunity to use your spiritual gifts. At the moment of your
conversion the Holy Spirit came to live inside of your body (Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy
Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? – 1 Corinthians
6:19). When He did this, He brought along
the spiritual gift(s) that He sovereignly chose for you to possess for the
blessing of the church (But to each one is given the manifestation of the
Spirit for the common good. – 1
Corinthians 12:7, 11). As we
use our gifts, we are being good stewards of the manifold grace of God (As each one
has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another
as good stewards of the manifold
grace of God. – 1 Peter 4:10).
Can you use your spiritual gift without joining a church? Yes, but in most
churches many ministry opportunities are limited to church members only. This
is as it should be. Unity in doctrine, purity of life, and submissive
accountability to one another and leaders are necessary for a healthy Christian
life. The process of becoming a member also gives the existing leadership the
opportunity to discern one’s agreement in doctrine, ministry purpose, and
goals; thus enabling them to know where best you may serve.
3. You become
a more committed part of a spiritual family. Joining a local church
demonstrates a certain level of commitment. It shows that you want to be more
than a bystander, that you want to be involved in ministry in a more
significant way. Joining a local church is like entering into a covenant
relationship with other believers in order to love them as an active part of a
spiritual family (Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from
God; and everyone who loves is born
of God and knows God. – 1
John 4:7). We also need the
spiritual oversight and soul care of faithful shepherds (Obey
your leaders and submit to them, for they keep watch over your souls as
those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be
unprofitable for you. – Hebrews 13:17).
4. You ensure
a balanced Christian life. By nature we all have the tendency to gravitate
toward extremes. God’s design for the church—as a multi-faceted body whose
members are interrelated and interdependent—provides the ideal atmosphere for
balanced Christian growth. As we sharpen each other, our continual contact with
other believers promotes balance. In his book, Spiritual Disciplines within the
Church: Participating fully in the body of Christ, Donald Whitney writes, “No
one develops the proper spiritual symmetry just by listening to Christian
radio, watching Christian television, or reading Christian books. You can’t get this kind of maturity merely by
participating in a group Bible study. Unless you’re an active part of a local
church, your Christian life and ministry will be imbalanced.”
5. You avail
yourself of the wisdom of a multitude of counselors. God never intended for us
to live our lives independent of others, or “above” them. He desires for us to
develop relationships of accountability with other Christians. According to
Proverbs 11:14, in the abundance of counselors there is victory. The local
church is a great place to find wise counsel and direction from spiritual
leadership and older, more mature believers (But
as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine. Older men are to
be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in
love, in perseverance. Older women likewise are to be reverent in
their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved
to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love
their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be
dishonored. Likewise urge the
young men to be sensible; in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with
purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech
which is beyond reproach, so that
the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. – Titus
2:1-8). These relationships
will help guide you in the many decisions that you face in life so that you may
discern God’s good and perfect will.
6. You
experience the joy of serving others. God has re-created us in Christ Jesus for
the purpose of bringing glory to Him by bearing fruit (For
we are His workmanship, created
in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them – Ephesians 2:10. Every
branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more
fruit. – John 15:2). The fruit of the Spirit is primarily
manifested in our relationships with others (But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control;
against such things there is no
law. – Galatians 5:22-23).
Believers are to follow the example of Christ the Master Servant (For
I gave you an example that you
also should do as I did to you. – John 3:15). By joining a local church, you are agreeing with God
that one of the ways to bear fruit in the Christian life is by serving others.
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