Churchy Words - Membership
Why join a church?
Before answering this question, it might be helpful to ask, “What is a church?” The Bible uses the term ekklesia (lit. “gathering”) in a couple of ways. There is the universal body of believers that consists of everyone who believes from the past, present, and future. Christ promised to build “His church”—singular in Matthew 16:18.
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.
Matthew 16:18
Christ does not say “churches” and so, we know that we are One Church, holy and apostolic as the Nicene Creed states. And yet, we also see many churches in our towns and many more throughout the world. Even more so, we can turn a page or two in our Bibles and see Jesus say this:
“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
In this pattern of how to deal with conflict with fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, the final step is to bring your case to the church. It will be very difficult to have Christians from past centuries weigh in on the matter—even more difficult for us to hear from Christians in the future. No, it seems pretty clear Jesus is referring to a local church body.
One particular key to understanding this duality is found in the word ekklesia itself. This word does not originate with Jesus, though it is certainly used in a new way.
“The gathering” was a civic tool in ancient Greece, especially Athens, in which the citizens were called together to voice opinions and decide the direction of the city-state. This concept of gathering continued into the Roman period, but the local gathering’s power declined in favor of merely exercising the will of the emperor.
I find it absolutely fascinating that Jesus chooses to use this word, ekklesia, to describe His Church. He does not say “temple,” though the Holy Spirit is promised to every believer, and the New Testament writers understand that if the Holy Spirit abides in us, then we are the Temple of God. He does not say synagogue, though it shares many similarities. “Synagogue” does not share the same connotations in the first century. It is not nearly as political of a term.
The civic implications of this term tell us:
The local body of believers is a microcosm of the whole Body of Christ whose authority comes from Christ in Heaven.
The local church is far more than a mere social club. It is far more than a place to go when you need to bury your dead. Consequently, the local Christian church is such a different place than what the ancient world understood that many of these labels are how the pagans saw Christians. The Romans weren’t sure what to make of these Christian assemblies. For some, they thought it was a weird cult. For others, they saw a political gathering—which is what prompted persecutions. And for others still, it was simply a group making sure people were buried properly, much like a social guild or funeral home.
For many modern Christians, we still think in these superficial and deficient terms because we have forgotten the reality of our heavenly citizenship. Churches have become a place for entertainment, moral encouragement, or vestigial organs of culture—no real significance, but there they are.
Thus, when we ask why should we join a church, many of us just don’t have a great answer. We get focused on what’s in it for us, and the only thing that separates members from non-members is the ability to vote.
Is that really all there is?
No, there is much more, but if we focus on “what I get out of it,” we fall trap to the consumerism of our age and miss all the blessings.
Consumer Christianity vs Serving One Another
JFK famously said, “Ask not what your country can do for you, but rather what you can do for your country.” The same can be asked of church membership. Last week, we took a look at biblical worship and concluded worship is about seeking God and being transformed. If we come to worship expecting something for ourselves, we’ve worshiped the wrong person. Joining a church is much the same.
We join a local church in order to serve the Church, not for the church to serve us.
Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 12.
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
1 Corinthians 12:1-7
The first 3 verses remind us the Church is built on the confession Jesus Christ is Lord. The Spirit of God will always confess Jesus is Lord, and so anyone who says otherwise is automatically to be dismissed as a false teacher. This point was important in the first and second century because of the number of groups who claimed to follow Jesus in some respect, and yet they denied the authority and Divinity of Christ. It is a point worth reinforcing today because we have a number of groups who do the same today. No matter how charismatic a teacher is, if they deny the authority and divinity of Christ, they are to be dismissed for what they are—a false teacher.
The next set of verses brings us back to our topic today. We all serve One Lord by the same Spirit, but we all serve in a variety of ways. And importantly, we are given the manifestation of the Spirit “for the common good.”
Our service in the local church is for the common good of all.
Are we blessed in our service? Is our faith strengthened through our service? Yes, but that is not why we serve. We serve because there are brothers and sisters in Christ around us that need us. Remember Ephesians 2:10.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Ephesians 2:10
The attitude of a church member should be that described by Paul in Philippians 2.
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.
Philippians 2:1-4
We are not called to be doormats, but we are called to humble ourselves and consider the needs of others. It is never a question of what I want or what you want. It is always about what Christ wants. And this leads us to our final question.
How does it honor Christ to be a member?
Exercising spiritual gifts
We’ve already seen the first way in that local membership gives us an opportunity to exercise our gifts. Returning to 1 Corinthians 12:7 we read:
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
1 Corinthians 12:7-11
The Bible has a few lists of spiritual gifts—Romans 12:6-8, here, and 1 Corinthians 12:28. In each of these lists, the purpose of the gift is the betterment of the congregation. In fact, the next chapter is Paul’s admonition of “a better way” which is love. The spiritual gifts are how we can exercise love for one another.
Membership gives us a place to exercise the Holy Spirit’s gifts being a blessing and showing love to our brothers and sisters in Christ.
Jesus said the world would know us by our love for one another (John 13:35). One way we demonstrate that love is through the local church.
Accountability to each other
Next, membership puts us in a place of accountability to each other for our spiritual development. Looking back at Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 18, notice when conflicts arise, we have the church to help us resolve those conflicts. We are to begin with a one on one conversation, putting to work Proverbs 27:17.
Iron sharpens iron, and one man sharpens another.
Proverbs 27:17
Conflict resolution begins with the one one one conversation in order for us to love another, bear with another, and hold each other accountable. If the conflict escalates, then we get a witness to help us. If the matter does not get resolved, then we go before the church. In this way, the authority of heaven is exercised. The goal in each step is reconciliation and forgiveness. If our goal is truly reconciling, then conflicts become a means of our own sanctification. We learn to forgive as Christ forgives. We learn to give grace as Christ gives grace. We learn to walk obediently, as our own sin is identified and crucified.
Take a look at Galatians 6.
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. Bear one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load.
Galatians 6:1-5
Sanctification happens with both parties of a conflict. The guilty party is convicted of their sin and can repent. The afflicted party is given an opportunity to forgive, and they also find themselves in the position of needing to watch out for their own temptations. Inevitably in these situations, both parties discover they are not fully innocent, nor the other fully guilty. Through resolution they learn to bear with one another and learn the gaps in their own walk.
Membership holds us accountable to walk obediently in Christ and in fellowship with one another.
Membership as part of our testimony
Last, being a member of the local church gives us opportunities to share our testimony—not just what God has done, but what He is doing. Again, humans tend to be selfish creatures. We often think in terms of what God is doing in my life versus our lives. The reality of God’s will is that He is making a people unto Himself—not just one person. If God only desired a single human, that was accomplished through Christ who lived perfectly—a feat none of us will do. We’ve already messed that up. The power of the Gospel is that it changes whole communities, not just single believers. That doesn’t mean that anyone is automatically in the Kingdom of God because they happen to be connected to someone that is, but it does mean that as the Gospel transforms me and you, and then another and another, we become a community of believers. Then, we get to live out the reality of heaven and gospel transformation together.
This concept is best understood in light of the New Testament “one another” statements. In your bulletin, you’ll find this handout. It is a list of all the passages in which the New Testament gives a command for “one another.” These commands can only be accomplished in community with one another.
One last thought as we close: asking whether a person can be a Christian without a church is like asking can a person be a farmer without a farm, a rancher without a ranch, a mechanic without a shop, or a teacher without a class. Sure, maybe in a very technical sense they could, but how would anyone know?
Jesus said the world would know us by our love for one another. How are we to love one another if we remain disconnected from one another?