1 Corinthians 12:27: Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
Yes! The word "member" is actually in the Bible! And just like the Holy Spirit, through the Apostle Paul, speaks of God's people as members of a physical body that they are actually connected to (fingers connected to hands, hands connected to arms, arms connect to shoulders, etc), we Christians are actually supposed to be connected to the body of Christ - the church. Does Jesus require every Christian to be a member of His body? Yes! Cyprian (210-258 AD) was absolutely right:
No one can have God for his Father, who does not have the Church for his mother.
John Calvin agreed with Cyprian:
I will begin with the Church, into whose bosom God is pleased to collect his children, not only that by her aid and ministry they may be nourished so long as they are babes and children, but may also be guided by her maternal care until they grow up to manhood, and, finally, attain to the perfection of faith. What God has thus joined, let not man put asunder (Mark 10:9): to those to whom he is a Father, the Church must also be a mother. This was true not merely under the Law, but even now after the advent of Christ; since Paul declares that we are the children of a new, even a heavenly Jerusalem (Gal. 4:26). (Institutes 4.1.1)
I agree with Pastor Ricky Jones when he writes:
Every letter in the New Testament assumes Christians are members of local churches. The letters themselves are addressed to local churches. They teach us how to get along with other members, how to encourage the weak within the church, how to conduct ourselves at church, and what to do with unrepentant sinners in the church. They command us to submit to our elders, and encourage us to go to our elders to pray. All these things are impossible if you aren’t a member of a local church. (See 1 and 2 Corinthians, James, Ephesians, 1 and 2 Timothy, and 1 Peter for references.) Asking where the Bible commands you to be a church member is like asking where the USGA rulebook for golf insists you be a human. The whole book is addressed to the church.
In January of 2021, I preached two sermons on the necessity of church membership for the Christian. I gave 30 reasons why a Christian should be a member of a local church. Here is the outline from those sermons:
In
a sermon on the importance of church membership, Dr. Ligon Duncan: tells this powerful story about a 17 year-old girl who converted from Islam to Christianity and was almost beaten to death by her uncle because she became a member of Christ's Church. She takes church membership pretty seriously:
She – I'm not going to tell you her name or the country from which she hails, and you’ll understand why after I tell you the story. She is a student . . . at the Master's College in California . . . And she is technically a student in computer sciences, because she is from a Muslim country where it is not allowed for citizens of that country to study things pertaining to Christianity. So she is studying computer sciences and technologies. But what she really is enjoying studying at the Master's College is Bible and Greek. Now listen to me: she's 17 years old. She speaks four languages fluently. She's brilliant in languages, and she's devouring the study of New Testament Greek because she wants to translate the Bible into some of the languages and dialects of the people from whom she came. She heard the gospel, embraced Christ, was baptized, and joined [the] church. Now her family is Muslim, and she comes from a Muslim country, and it is against the law in that country for a Muslim to convert to Christianity, be baptized, and join a Christian church. Fortunately, her father loves her very much, and he is an open-minded man, and he did not abuse her or expel her or kill her for what she had done, and he even allowed her to go (and because of his position in his country, he was able to allow her to get a visa to come to the United States) to study in California. Just a few months ago she went home on a break to be with her family. And when she got there at the airport, she was arrested and questioned by the local police as to what she had been doing here in the United States. And after a day or so she was released to her family, and when she got home, her dad was not there. He was away at another meeting. But her uncle was there. Her uncle asked her if it was true that she had been baptized and had joined a Christian church. She said it was. He began to beat her. He beat her until she fell to the floor almost semi-conscious . . . with his fists . . . and then he picked up a chair, and he began to beat her with the chair. Just before he killed her, her father came home, stopped his brother from killing his daughter, and got her to the doctors. She still went and met with local Christians. I think there are only 150 Christians that she knows of in the country from which she comes. And her father immediately put her on a plane and got her out of the country and sent her back to the Master's College. After she recovered, Pastor MacArthur went to visit her, and talked with her about this experience. In the course of talking with her, he said, "Can I ask you a question? I know I don't even have a right to ask this question. Would you permit me to ask you a very, very personal question?" She said, "Yes, Pastor." "What were you thinking when your uncle was in the process of almost beating you to death?" And she said, "I was thinking that this man has a religion that he would kill for, and I have a Savior that I would die for." And that's a 17 year old girl. Church membership is something that she embraces at the peril of her life.
1. Become A Church Member Because It’s Where God’s People Are Under God’s Rule In God’s Place
Graeme Goldsworthy: A consistent pattern in the Bible: God’s people, under God’s rule, in God’s place.
All throughout Scripture, God has, in different ways, marked those who are His off from the world. There is an in and an out. Membership in a local church is simply another way God is doing this in redemptive history: there is an inside the membership of the church and an outside of membership in the church. This in and out paradigm permeates Scripture:
- Garden of Eden: Adam and Eve; Walking with God; Eden – there’s an in and an out
- Noah: Noah and his family; Trusts and obeys God and is saved – there's an in and out of the ark
- Abraham: Abraham & family; Trust & walk before God & be blameless; promised him a land – there's in & out of God's people because you can be cut off if you are not circumcised and walk in righteousness
- Moses: Moses and the Hebrews; Law; Promised Land – there's an in and out of the Promised Land, blessing and curses, food laws, clean/unclean, etc.
- David: Kings and Israel; Law; Promised Land – there's an in and out
- Prophets: Israel; Law; Promised Land – there's an in and out
- Jesus: Those who trust & obey Jesus; Church, New heavens & earth (Kingdom of God) – there's an in and out; there are sheep and goats
- Paul: Those who trust & obey Jesus; Jesus’ teachings; Church, New heavens & earth – there's an in and out
- John: Those who trust & obey Jesus; Jesus’ teachings; Church, New heavens & earth – there's an in and out; there's a book of life with names in it and names left out of it
The Bible commands membership rolls by description. The Bible keeps count. God has always kept count. He kept count in the Garden of Eden: two were in and two were out. He kept count in Noah's ark: eight were in, the rest were out. He kept count in the Promised Land: faithful Israel was in, those cut off were out. He kept count in the book of Acts: 3,000 souls were added to the church, those who rejected the message were out. Paul instructed Timothy to have a list of widows - they kept count. Corinth enacted church discipline by the majority - they kept count and knew what a majority was. There is a book of life with names listed in and names left out. Are we really to believe that God keeps accounting books in heaven, but the church is not to keep accounting books on earth? God always keeps count. It's all over the Bible. There is an "in" and an "out." We need to make that clear for our people. And the way you are "in" is by faith alone in Christ alone. And then those who are truly in will live like it and seek to obey all that Jesus has commanded, which includes submission to leaders and church membership. (See #3 below for more).
God’s love is constrained by God’s holiness, like water is constrained by the pipe through which it flows. Of course, that means that God’s holiness ultimately serves the purposes of his love, as the pipe does water. God's Love Divides: It’s this holy affection or holy love that divides the universe in two. And there’s a bright and clear boundary line in between the two sides, one as clear as the boundary between the inside of the garden of Eden and the outside, the inside of Noah’s Ark and the outside, the inside of a house covered by a smear of blood on the night of the Passover and the outside, the inside of the Israelite camp in the wilderness and the outside, the inside of the Promised Land and the outside. It’s a boundary as clear as the Jordan River. On one side of the line is the holy; on the other side is the unholy. On one side are to be those who bear a God-centered love; on the other side are those who love idols. On one side are those who listen to God’s Word and God’s law; on the other side are those who listen to other voices (see Gen. 3:17). When Paul refers to God’s chosen people as “holy and beloved” (Col. 3:12), he’s not talking about two unrelated things. The local church that chooses to emphasize God’s love but not God’s holiness is a church that doesn’t actually understand what God’s love is, because God’s love is wholly fixed upon God and his glorious character in all its aspects. Such a church has probably substituted an idol in place of God’s love. As such, the church that hesitates to draw sharp membership borders or to practice church discipline because these things don’t seem loving needs to know that it’s been duped into a man-centered caricature of love. It’s been co-opted by the culture. It may well be worshiping an idol.
The people of God are not called the people of God for their own sake. They exist as the people of God to please & glorify God. In other words, the distinction between them & the world is not simply ontological (though it is not less than that), it is also ethical and teleological. Christ calls the church to be salt & light in a dark & decaying world. He tells Christians not to conform to the evil desires they had when they were not God’s people, but to be holy as God is holy. And he has saved the church so that it might display the eternal glory & wisdom of God to the universe. As such, a clear line of membership helps to make these ethical & teleological goals a reality in the life of the church. It marks out these people as a display of his mercy & kindness to the surrounding world – all to his glory. Throughout Scripture, we see a pattern of God making his people visibly distinct from the world. When the local church practices meaningful church membership, it simply participates in what God has been doing all along. One day, the Lamb’s book of life will be the only membership roll, & the reading of that roll will be dreadful & awesome. Until that day, churches, by keeping lists, show love for those on the inside & those on the outside. However imperfect these earthly lists might be, they prepare everyone for the final reading of the list that bears no mistakes.
2. Become A Church Member Because Christians In The Early Church Joined The Church
Acts 5:11-13: And great fear came upon the whole church and upon all who heard of these things. Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon's Portico. None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem.
What does the word translated “join” . . . mean? The Greek word is kollaô, the semantic range of which includes “to bind closely,” “to join together,” and “unite.” This same word occurs in 1 Corinthians 6:17 to refer to the union that occurs between a believer and Christ. At the very least, the use of the word “join” in Acts 5:13 refers to more than casually showing up, as you or I might speak of “joining the dinner party for dessert.” It indicates some sort of formal connection . . . .
3. Become A Church Member Because Christians In The Early Church Kept Lists And God Keeps A List In Heaven
1 Timothy 5:9-11: Let a widow be enrolled if she is not less than sixty years of age, having been the wife of one husband, and having a reputation for good works: if she has brought up children, has shown hospitality, has washed the feet of the saints, has cared for the afflicted, and has devoted herself to every good work. But refuse to enroll younger widows . . . .
The verb translated “enroll” (katalageô) can be either specific (“to put on a list”) or general (“to consider as part of a certain group”). The former meaning would make the point more marked in that the church was clearly keeping an accessible list of widowed members. Yet even the latter meaning would mean that the church was distinguishing between people in a way consistent with the practice of church membership. Why mention the widow’s list? It’s difficult to imagine the church keeping a list of widows but not keeping a list of members. If it didn’t keep the latter list, what group of widows would even be consider for inclusion on the former list? Any widow in the entire city of Ephesus? The widow who showed up three times four years ago? Of course not. The church would have some specified pool that it was drawing from.
2 Corinthians 2:6-8: this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive & comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. So I beg you to reaffirm your love for him.
. . . the clear evidence of Scripture is that the church should keep a roll of members. The supreme model for our membership roll is the membership roll of heaven (Exodus 32:32,33; Daniel 12:1; Luke 10:20; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 13:8; 20:12,15). The Biblical pattern is for new believers to be "numbered" or "added to" the rolls of the local church (Acts 2:41,47; 6:7; 1 Timothy 5:9). Members could be taken away from the roll (1 Corinthians 5:2)- this indicates more than being physically barred, since even unbelievers could attend Christian worship (1 Corinthians 14:23) -- or reinstated (2 Corinthians 2:6-7); it is impossible to have coherent discipline without such a roll. There was a widow's roll for diaconal purposes (1 Timothy 5:9). Elders are to know their sheep, and are accountable for the care of the flock entrusted to them -- this demands knowing who they are; that is, it demands a list or roll (Hebrews 13:7,17-18; 1 Thessalonians 5:11- 14; I Peter 5:2; Acts 20:28). The apostolic church utilized letters of transfer or commendation (Acts 18:27; Romans 16:1-2; 2 Corinthians 3:1; 8:23-24); examples of these letters include Philemon and 3 John. Interchurch business was conducted by people with reference letters (1 Corinthians 16:3; 2 Corinthians 8:16-24). We conclude therefore that requiring professed believers to be enrolled as members of an evangelical church as a condition for taking the Lord's Supper is consistent with sound Biblical practice.
God has a list of members of the saints' names in heaven, and the church should have the same on earth:
Exodus 32:32-33: "But now, if you will forgive their sin - but if not, please blot me out of your book that you have written." But the LORD said to Moses, "Whoever has sinned against me, I will blot out of my book.
Daniel 12:1: At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book.
Luke 10:20: Nevertheless, do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.
Philippians 4:3: Yes, I ask you also, true companion, help these women, who have labored side by side with me in the gospel together with Clement and the rest of my fellow workers, whose names are in the book of life.
Revelation 20:12, 15: And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Then another book was opened, which is the book of life. And the dead were judged by what was written in the books, according to what they had done . . . And if anyone's name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.
4. Become A Church Member To Display The Gospel Life Inside Of You
Philippians 1:27: Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ
Ephesians 2:14-16: For he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments and ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing the hostility.
John 13:35: By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.
Mark Dever Story: It might slow you down, but it might speed others up!
5. Become A Church Member Because Jesus Gave The Church The Authority To Recognize You As A Citizen Of Christ’s Kingdom
What is the only institution on earth that God has given the authority to declare you to be a true citizen of Christ’s Kingdom? The local church!
Matthew 16:18-19: And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
This is the first of two times Jesus uses the word church. Here he is talking about the universal church: the assembly of all Christians from all ages who will gather at the end of history. Jesus will build this end-time assembly. How will he build it? He will build it "on this rock." What rock? Theologians have long debated whether the rock is Peter or Peter's confession. In fact, I think you have to say both. Theologian Edmund Clowney writes, "The confession cannot be separated from Peter, neither can Peter be separated from his confession." Jesus will build his church not on words, and not on people, but on people who believe the right gospel words (like the Word himself who became flesh). Jesus will build the church on confessors. Jesus then gave Peter and the apostles the keys of the kingdom, which gave Peter the authority to do what Jesus had just done with him: to act as God's official representative on earth for affirming true gospel confessions and confessors. The interactions between heaven and earth in this passage are amazing to consider. Peter rightly confessed who Jesus was, and Jesus said that Peter's right answer came from the Father in heaven. Though Jesus was on earth, he spoke on behalf of heaven. Then, in the very next breath, he authorized Peter to do the same thing - to represent what's bound and loosed in heaven by binding and loosing on earth! Bible scholars sometimes talk about "binding and loosing" as a judicial or rabbinic activity, which is helpful for understanding this phrase. For instance, a rabbi might decide whether some law applied to - bound - a particular person in a certain set of circumstances. Jesus essentially gave the apostles this kind of authority: the authority to stand in front of a confessor, to consider his or her confession, to consider his or her life, and to announce an official judgment on heaven's behalf. Is that the right confession? Is that a true confessor? In other words, the apostles had heaven's authority for declaring who on earth is a kingdom citizen and therefore represents heaven. I'm not saying that Jesus established a "church membership program" in Matthew 16, but he indisputably established the church (which is its members), and he gave it the authority of the keys to continue building itself - effectively the authority to receive and dismiss members. The authority of the keys is the authority to assess a person's gospel words and deeds and to render a judgment. Two chapters later, where Jesus uses the word church for the second and last time, we see those keys put into action:
If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them. (Matthew 18:15-20)
The passage begins with the picture of a brother sinning, and his sin is out of step with his confession of faith. Jesus then recommends four rounds of confrontation. In round 1, the confrontation is kept private. If the sinner repents, his confession of faith regains its credibility and the confrontation stops. His life matches his confession. He is, once more, representing Jesus rightly. In round two, the confrontation expands to include two or three witnesses, as in Old Testament judicial setting. In round three, the whole church or assembly becomes involved. If the sinner still does not repent, round four ensues, which involves removing the individual from the covenant community - treating him like an outsider. Sometimes this is called church discipline or excommunication. Jesus then invokes the keys of the kingdom again: whatever the church binds on earth with be bound in heaven, and whatever the church looses on earth will be loosed in heaven. And Jesus is not addressing the apostles or the universal church here. He's envisioning a local church. The local church, it appears, has been given the apostolic keys of the kingdom. As a result, the local church has heaven's authority for declaring who on earth is a kingdom citizen and therefore represents heaven. Jesus has authorized the local church to stand in front of a confessor, to consider the confessor's confession, to consider his or her life, and to announce an official judgment on heaven's behalf. Is that the right confession? Is this a true confessor? It's just like Jesus did with Peter. And it will do these things with the ordinances that are established in Matthew 26 and Matthew 28 - the Lord's Supper and baptism. Matthew 18, which is filled with even more earth and heaven talk than Matthew 16, presents a crystal clear picture of this authority in the context of church discipline. But the ability to remove someone from membership presupposes an overarching authority to assess a person's gospel words and deeds and to render a judgment. This authority begins the moment a person shows up in the church building doors claiming, as Peter did, that Jesus is the Christ. The state's representative authority, we said in chapter 1, is seen most clearly in its ability to end a person's life. Likewise, the church's representative authority in Christ's kingdom is seen most clearly in its ability to remove a person from citizenship in Christ's kingdom. In both cases, the full extent of institutional authority is indicated by the power to decisively end a person's membership, through death in one case and excommunication in the other. Yet it's the same authority that is exercised when "two or three gather in [Jesus's] name" (Matt. 18:20) and baptize a person "in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit" (Matt. 28:19), licensing the person as an official, card-carrying disciple. As such, when it comes to a Christian's discipleship to Christ, the local church is the Christian's highest authority on earth. No, it's not an absolute authority, any more than the state is. But Christ does mean for Christians to submit to the oversight of local churches by virtue of their citizenship in his kingdom. Will the local church exercise the keys perfectly? No. It will make mistakes just as every other authority established by Jesus makes mistakes. As such, the local church will be an imperfect representation of Christ's end-time gathering. But the fact that in makes mistakes, just as presidents and parents do, does not mean it's without an authoritative mandate. Does all this mean that what a local church does on earth actually changes a person's status in heaven? No, the church's job is like an ambassador's or an embassy's. Remember what I said about visiting the US Embassy in Brussels when my passport expired. The embassy didn't make me a citizen; it formally affirmed it in a way I could not myself - so with a local church. (Pages 58-62)
6. Become A Church Member Because Christians In The Book Of Acts Were Added To The Church
Acts 2:41: So those who received his word were baptized, & there were added that day about three thousand souls.
Acts 2:47: And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
7. Become A Church Member To Love One Another
1) Be at peace with each other (Mark 9:50)
2) Love one another (John 13:34)
3) Be devoted to one another in brotherly love (Romans 12:10)
4) Outdo one another in showing honor (Romans 12:10)
5) Live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16)
6) Stop passing judgment on one another (Romans 14:13)
7) Accept one another, then, just as Christ accepted you (Romans 15:7)
8) Instruct one another (Romans 15:14)
9) Greet one another (Romans 16:16)
10) Serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13)
11) Carry one another’s burdens (Galatians 6:2)
12) Be patient, bearing with one another in love (Ephesians 4:2)
13) Be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32)
14) Forgive one another (Ephesians 4:32)
15) Speak to one another with psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs (Ephesians 5:19)
16) Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ (Ephesians 5:21)
17) In humility consider others better than yourselves (Philippians 2:3)
18) Admonish one another (Colossians 3:16)
19) Encourage one another (I Thessalonians 4:18)
20) Spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24)
21) Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16)
22) Pray for one another (James 5:16)
8. Become A Church Member To Seek The Peace Of And Unity With The Church
John 17:20-23: I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word, that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. The glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you sent me and loved them even as you loved me.
9. Become A Church Member To Care For One Another Physically And Spiritually
Physically: Acts 6:1-4: Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution. & the twelve summoned the full number of the disciples & said, "It is not right that we should give up preaching the word of God to serve tables. Therefore, brothers, pick out from among you seven men of good repute, full of the Spirit & of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty. But we will devote ourselves to prayer & to the ministry of the word."
Spiritually: We are to help one another be conformed to the image of Christ.
10. Become A Church Member To Watch Over One Another And Hold One Another Accountable
Galatians 6:1: Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted.
11. Become A Church Member To Edify And Build Up One Another
1 Corinthians 14:1-5: Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up.
12. Become A Church Member To Bear With One Another
Ephesians 4:1-3: I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
13. Become A Church Member To Pray For One Another
James 5:16: Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. (Church Membership Directory)
14. Become A Church Member To Keep Away From Those Who Would Destroy The Church
Romans 16:17: I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them.
15. Become A Church Member To Reject Evaluating People By Worldly Standards
James 2:1-9: My brothers, show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in, and if you pay attention to the one who wears the fine clothing and say, "You sit here in a good place," while you say to the poor man, "You stand over there," or, "Sit down at my feet," have you not then made distinctions among yourselves and become judges with evil thoughts? Listen, my beloved brothers, has not God chosen those who are poor in the world to be rich in faith and heirs of the kingdom, which he has promised to those who love him? But you have dishonored the poor man. Are not the rich the ones who oppress you, and the ones who drag you into court? Are they not the ones who blaspheme the honorable name by which you were called? If you really fulfill the royal law according to the Scripture, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself," you are doing well. But if you show partiality, you are committing sin and are convicted by the law as transgressors.
16. Become A Church Member To Labor Together For The Spread Of The Gospel
Matthew 28:18-20: All authority in heaven & on earth has been given to me. Go therefore & make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.
17. Become A Church Member To Be Godly Examples To One Another
Hebrews 13:7: Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith.
1 Corinthians 11:1: Be imitators of me, as I am of Christ.
18. Become A Church Member To Submit To Church Leaders
Hebrews 13:17: Obey your leaders & submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy & not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
How do you obey this command of God if you are not a local church member? What leaders do you submit to and obey? If you don't formally join a church, you are not submitting to any leaders, and you are failing to properly discern the body of Christ and the leadership God has provided for the good of your soul.
19. Become A Church Member So Church Leaders Will Know Who They Are Accountable For
Hebrews 13:17: Obey your leaders & submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy & not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.
How are pastors supposed to know whose souls they will give an account for on the day of judgment? Is it for the the person who shows up at church once? Or the person who shows up five times or twelve times a year but who never really commits? You cannot obey these commands of God without church membership.
20. Become A Church Member Because God Forbids You To Say To Other Christians: “I Don’t Need You”
1 Corinthians 12:21: The eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you," nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you."
21. Become A Church Member Because Christ’s Body Consists Of Individual Members
1 Corinthians 12:12, 27: For just as the body is one & has many members, & all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ . . . Now you are the body of Christ & individually members of it.
22. Become A Church Member Because Temples Are Made Up Of Individual Stones
Ephesians 2:19-22: So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:16: Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you?
23. Become A Church Member Because Flocks Contain Individual Sheep
John 10:16: And I have other sheep that are not of this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd.
24. Become A Church Member Because Families Are Made Up Of Individual Family Members
John 1:12-13: But to all who did receive him, who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God, who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.
1 Timothy 5:1-2: Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father. Treat younger men like brothers, older women like mothers, younger women like sisters, in all purity.
God has given us four pictures of the church, not one. This is not just to emphasize and prove the point by repetition, but also to say four different things about what it means to be a member of a church. To be a stone in his temple means to belong to a worshiping community. To be part of a body means to belong to a living, functioning, serving, witnessing community. To be a sheep in the flock means belonging to a community dependent on him for food, protection, and direction. To be a member of a family is to belong to a community bound by a common fatherhood. Put together you have the main functions of an individual Christian. Evidently we are meant to fulfill these not on our own but together in the church. Now can you see the answer to the question why you should join a church?
25. Become A Church Member To Obey Jesus’ Command For Corrective Church Discipline
Matthew 18:15-17: If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
1 Corinthians 5:1-13: It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father's wife. And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you. For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people - not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler- not even to eat with such a one. For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you."
Jonathan Leeman on the purposes of corrective church discipline: 1) Expose sin; 2) Warn members; 3) Save sinners; 4) Protect members; 5) Reflect Christ (all in love!)
How can you obey these commands of Jesus and Paul about corrective church discipline without a formal knowledge of those who are in and out? You can't! These commands of Jesus in Matthew 18 and Paul in 1 Corinthians 5 make formal church membership a Biblical necessity.
26. Become A Church Member For Assurance Of Salvation
John 14:15: If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
1 Corinthians 6:9: Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived . . . .
1 Corinthians 15:33: Do not be deceived: "Bad company ruins good morals."
James 1:16: Do not be deceived, my beloved brothers.
2 Corinthians 13:5: Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith.
27. Become A Church Member To Help Expose False Gospels And False Churches
Acts 17:10-11: The brothers immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea, and when they arrived they went into the Jewish synagogue. Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
When you join a church as a member, you are affirming its statement of faith, and you continue to seek the purity of the teaching and practice of the church. In so doing you expose false gospels and false churches around you.
28. Become A Church Member Because You’re Commanded To Meet Regularly Together
Hebrews 10:24-25: And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works,
not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Meaning of word: “church” – gathering of people; local congregations)
1) It’s where Christians go public to declare our highest allegiance
2) It’s the outpost or embassy, giving a public face to our future nation
3) It’s where we worship our King
4) It’s where our King enacts His rule through preaching, the ordinances, and discipline
5) It’s where God publicly makes His people known and marked off – where He draws a line between the church and the world.
29. Become A Church Member To Love Jesus
Matthew 25:37-40: Then the righteous will answer him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?' And the King will answer them, 'Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.'
Acts 9:4: And falling to the ground he heard a voice saying to him, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"
Ephesians 5:25-27: Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church & gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy & without blemish.
Matthew 16:18: I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
30. Become A Church Member To Glorify God
Ephesians 3:8-11: To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord . . . .
We come from different backgrounds, ethnicities, etc, All we have in common is Christ!
Jesus Came To Save His Bride
The Church He Loves And For Her Died
Then Rose So She’d Be Purified
He Calls Us One So Don’t Divide
Join In Membership Abide
Love And Serve And Die To Pride
And Sacrifice For Jesus’ Bride
For When You Love Her Side By Side
You’re Loving Christ He’s Testified
And God Is Praised And Magnified!
More Resources On The Necessity Of Church Membership
