Saved Church Membership
Pastor Don Carpenter
Baptist Basics
Let us revisit the illustration we introduced at the beginning of this series. Picture this scenario if you will. You wake up at three in the morning with a splitting headache. You must get relief right now. You stumble out of bead and struggle to get to the medicine cabinet. Every pulse of your heart brings an audible wave of pain radiating from the base of your skull, through your temples and settling behind your eye sockets. You must get relief and must get it now! You do not dare turn on the light for fear of more pain. Once you open the cabinet, you see shadows of perhaps a dozen different bottles and containers. It is a medicine cabinet… it has medicine… surely any bottle would be better than no medicine at all right? Wait a minute… It may be wise to know the difference between pain reliever, laxative, or a Beta Blocker for your heart. Yes it is all medicine, but you need the right one for you and for your symptoms. Even more important than taking the time to read and understand the label is that the label and the product match. If I have a bottle that says Aspirin, it would be dangerous if someone switched the aspirin with an antidepressant. Labels mean something.
Six weeks we started a seven week a dive into the meaning of the sign in front of our building: Evangelical Baptist Church. We have discovered that it is important to know not only that there is spiritual medicine in this church, but what kind it is. We used an acrostic to remember some basic doctrines and teachings that make up Baptist Distinctives.
B -Biblical Authority
A- Autonomy of the Local Church
P -Priesthood of all Believers
T – Two Ordinances
I – Individual Soul Liberty
S – Saved Church Membership
T
Larry Crabb wrote in his book Connecting, “We have made a terrible mistake! For most of this century we have wrongly defined soul wounds as psychological disorders and delegated their treatment to trained specialists. Damaged psyches aren’t the problem. The problem is disconnected souls. What we need is connection. What we need is a healing community.”
The local church is much more than a group of folks united for the purpose of self help. According to the Scriptures, the Local church is the physical manifestation of the Body of Christ.
This morning we are going to see what is required and expected from folks who join a local church.
Church Membership is only for Believers.
2 Corinthians 6:14–17 KJV
Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?
And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infidel?
And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you,
Believers Join a Church After Salvation
Acts 2:41–42 KJV
Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls.
And they continued stedfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
• Salvation
• Then Baptism
• Then Membership all in short order
Continued (???? ????????????????). Participle and finite verb, as above. The verb is from ????????, strong, stanch, and means originally to persist obstinately in. In this sense here, and in Rom. 12:12; 13:6. Hence to adhere firmly to. So in Mark 3:9, “that a small ship should wait on him;” i.e., keep near at hand. The idea of steady persistence is supplied by the Rev., steadfastly.1
1 Vincent, M. R. (1887). Word studies in the New Testament (Vol. 1, pp. 444–445). Charles Scribner’s Sons.
• Continue in doctrine
• Continue in fellowship
• Continue in breaking of bread (communion)
• Continue in prayer.
A car traveling on a super highway needs to have proper and balanced inflation in all four tires to travel safely. No one would venture to drive any distance with the left front tire inflated at 32 PSI, the right front at 28 PSI, the left rear at 36PSI, and the right rear at 10 PSI. That would be dangerous and unthinkable. As a Christian travels life’s road there are four things that he or she needs to help in safe travel – Prayer, Bible Reading and Mediation, Church Attendance, and Fellowship. If we deflate any of these we are in danger of crashing. Yet how often we will give attention to two or thee of these and neglect the others. (Acts 2:41-42)
Believers Join A Church for Accountability and Encouragement
Hebrews 10:24–25 KJV
And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
Matthew 18:15–17 KJV
Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother.
But if he will not hear thee, then take with thee one or two more, that in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.
And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican.
1 Corinthians 5:11 KJV
But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat.
Believers Join A Local Church To Be Under Its Authority.
Under Pastoral Leadership
Hebrews 13:17 KJV
Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
1 Corinthians 11:1 KJV
Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
Commissioned as Deacons and Officers
Acts 6:3 KJV
Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.
Commissioned as Missionaries
Acts 13:1–3 KJV
Now there were in the church that was at Antioch certain prophets and teachers; as Barnabas, and Simeon that was called Niger, and Lucius of Cyrene, and Manaen, which had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.
As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.
And when they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.
Believers Join a Local Church As Part of God’s Design for Christ’s Body.
1 Corinthians 12:12–14 KJV
For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ.
For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.
For the body is not one member, but many.
1 Corinthians 12:25–27 KJV
That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another.
And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.
Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.
Ephesians 4:16 KJV
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.
Baptists have historically held to the purity of church membership by insisting that anyone brought into the fellowship have a credible profession of faith. This is not to create an exclusive country club but to protect the reputation and mission of the local church. This distinctive ties into other ones like the Autonomy of the Local Church. We are not linking up with some larger organization run by unsaved folks who make decisions.
1 Corinthians 5:7 KJV
Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us:
Once members of a local church ( as every born again believer should be) we are to function within the Body of Christ steadfastly, with accountability, and under authority because this is God’s perfect plan for every born again believer. Are you part of a Saved Church membership?
Exported from Logos Bible Software, 1:45 PM March 10, 2022.