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WHY
YOU SHOULD JOIN A CHURCH
(by Earl Blackburn)
According to statisticians,
Christianity is growing rapidly in the United States and in the world.
Reports confirming this fact come from different sectors of the globe
and are very encouraging. The Gallop Poll reports that many people are
becoming Christian. Yet, no matter how much Christianity appears to
grow, there is no evidence to suggest a corresponding increase in love
for the church, especially in the United States. Individualism is the
watchword of the day. People are so wrapped up in their own affairs that
the kingdom of God and Christ's churches are neglected. Professing
Christians often become so preoccupied with their own problems, trials,
and difficulties, that the church is looked upon as being unnecessary,
or at least secondary. As you consider the title of this
article, I would caution you to recognize that church membership is not
for everybody. You may not be qualified for membership in one of
Jesus Christ's churches! Church membership is only for those who have
been truly born again. You must have recognized that you are a helpless
sinner before a holy God, and have turned from all your known sins and
trusted Christ as your Savior and Lord. This is salvation. Unless you
have been saved by grace alone, through faith alone, in the person and
work of the Lord Jesus Christ alone, which is also called conversion,
you cannot become a member of one of His churches. Conversion to Christ
is also described in Acts 2:47 as "the Lord adding to the
church." If you have been converted and are a
true Christian, you are responsible to become a member of a true church
of Jesus Christ. You cannot have a consistent walk with God if you are
not serious about the church of Jesus Christ. Unless you are a member of
one of Christ's churches, many parts of the Word of God cannot be
applied to your life. That is very serious. The purpose of this article
is to show you seven biblical reasons why you must become a member of a
church. I. You
should join a church because of the relationship between Christ and the
church. What is this relationship? Christ tells us that He will build
(and is building) His church and the gates of Hell will not prevail
against it (Matthew 16:18). While on earth, Christ founded the
church. It was in embryonic form until Pentecost, when He firmly
established it by sending the Holy Spirit to empower it (Matthew
18:17; Acts 2). Jesus loved the church and gave Himself for it on
the cross (Ephesians 5:25). He died for the church (Acts 20:28).
Even to this day Christ protects, nourishes, cherishes, and purifies His
church (Ephesians 5:25-32). At this very moment He is at the
right hand of God interceding for His church (Hebrews 6:19,20 &
7:25). God has made Christ the only Head of His church (Colossians
1:18; Ephesians 1:22, 5:23) and this church can only be seen as it
is visibly expressed in local churches. In addition, according to
Revelation 1:13,20, Christ is in the midst of His churches; He
stands and walks among the candlesticks. Of all the above listed connections
between Christ and His churches, the most important one is the fact that
Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it. To love someone
involves loving the things they love, and to love Christ involves loving
the thing that He loves the most on the earth: the church! To profess
love for Christ yet have no love for the church is a great
contradiction. Timothy Dwight, a past president of Yale University,
wrote a stirring hymn about the church to express this point: I
love thy kingdom Lord, the house of thine abode, Do you love the Lord Jesus Christ? Are
you a member of a church? If you are not, how can you say you truly love
the Savior when you are not a part of that which He loves the most on
the earth? 2. You
should join a church because of the example of the early Christians.
Read carefully Acts 2:40-47. The scriptural account of the day of
Pentecost gives great insight into early Christianity. As Peter finished
preaching his memorable sermon, the people were moved in their hearts by
the working of God's sovereign Spirit and were converted. Those who
received the Word of God and were baptized, joined with other believers.
This was the normal and natural thing to do. What did this joining
involve? In the first place, it involved continuing under the apostles'
preaching and teaching ministry. The new converts did not neglect
meeting together for worship and instruction in the Word of God.
Secondly, this joining together involved fellowship and sharing their
lives with other Christians in the church of Jerusalem on a regular
basis. Thirdly, it involved a faithful attendance at the ordinance of
the Lord's Supper, which is also called the breaking of bread or
Communion. Lastly, it involved meeting regularly with other church
members for corporate prayer. This is all described in Acts 2:40-42
and gives great insight into the marks of a true church of Jesus Christ.
Have you ever considered what the early Christians did and practiced,
and what effect this ought to have on you? Study this passage and
consider how you might follow their example. 3. You
should join a church because of apostolic example and practice. Read
carefully Acts 13:1-4 and 14:23, 26-28. As you progress through
the history of the early church as recorded in the book of Acts, you
will find the first Christians actively and fervently serving the Lord
who saved them. How were they serving the Lord? In the church! The early
believers did not distance themselves from the churches, but became
energetically involved in them. As the believers "ministered unto
the Lord" (in the church), the Holy Spirit did a wonderful thing.
He called out from the membership Barnabas and Paul as the first
missionaries. The great apostle Paul faithfully
served the Lord in the church of Antioch for approximately ten years
before he was called out to go on his first missionary journey. He grew
in grace and developed in spiritual maturity and giftedness as a member
of that local church and when it was God's timing, he was sent out to do
a greater task. The remainder of Acts chapters 13 and 14 give an
historical description of the activities of Paul and Barnabas as they
preached the gospel to those who had never heard it, and an account of
the people who were brought to Christ, including the churches that were
started. It is interesting to note what the apostle and his party did
once they had traveled as far as they thought they should. They turned
around, retraced their steps, and sought to strengthen the disciples who
had settled into local churches that Paul and Barnabas had previously
started. As they strengthened the young Christians, the apostles
ordained elders in each local church (Acts 14:23). When the apostle and his party
finished their first missionary tour, where did they go? They returned
to the sending church of which they were members and to which they were
accountable. Once the missionaries arrived back home, they gathered the
church together to give a report of what God had done through their
ministry (see Acts 14:26-28). All of this demonstrates that everything
the apostles did was connected with churches. They did not start
neighborhood Bible studies, share groups, Christian coffee houses,
university student ministries, men’s prayer breakfasts, ladies' tea
fellowships, or any of the extraneous groups that circumvent or are not
connected with God's only heaven-appointed institution. Nor did
they work with mission boards or other parachurch organizations, but
with visible bodies of baptized believers, called churches. Every
ministry must be connected to and under the oversight of a church or
churches, if it is to be truly biblical. As a Christian, do you desire
to be biblical and apostolic? Then you must be connected to a church
just like the apostles. 4. You
should join a church because it is the focus and context of the
Christian life in the New Testament epistles. The end of the 20th
century exhibits a startling spirit of unbiblical individualism. Many
professed Christians read their Bibles and think only in terms of
themselves as individuals. Most fail to realize that the bulk of the New
Testament was not written to individual believers, but to local
churches. To whom were the books of Romans, 1st and 2nd Corinthians,
Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1st and 2nd Thessalonians
and Revelation (see 1:11), written? Local churches! To whom were
the books of 1st and 2nd Timothy, Titus and Philemon written? They were
written to leaders of local churches, directing them how to lead and
govern their congregations. Even those few remaining books that do not
deal directly with local churches have numerous references to churches
(assemblies, congregations, bodies, etc., see Hebrews 10:25; James 2:2;
I Peter 4:17; I11 John 10). The New Testament knows
nothing of a churchless Christianity. 5. You
should join a church because of the exact and precise New Testament
directive. Read carefully Hebrews 10:23-25. The inspired writer
of the book of Hebrews directs and exhorts the Jewish Christians in his
day to "not forsake the assembling of ourselves together, as is
the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as
you see the Day approaching" (Hebrews 10:25). This type of
thinking was not new to these Jewish Christians because the idea was
rooted in the Old Testament, especially the book of Psalms. The Old
Testament phrases found in the book of Psalms such as "house of the
LORD", "His temple", "the sanctuary of God",
"Your tabernacle", "the courts of the LORD",
"the house of God", etc., all prefigured visible New Testament
churches (see Psalms 27:4, 63:2, 73:17,84:1-4 & 10, 122:1). The implications of Hebrews 10:25 are
far-reaching. Those who were on the verge of turning away from Christ
and turning back to the world began their departure by staying away from
meeting with other believers for worship. The occasional absence
increased to frequent absence and became habitual. Soon these professed
Christians stopped attending the meetings for worship altogether. With
no godly influence upon them or holy restraint keeping them, those who
professed to be saved were soon ensnared by their sins and turned back
to fleshly ways and false religions. By turning away from Christ and His
people, it was eventually shown that they were not truly saved when they
first professed Christ. They professed Christ, but never possessed Him
or His salvation (see Hebrews 10:39). That is why membership in a New
Testament church and regular attendance at all of its meetings for
worship, prayer and fellowship are so very important. Once you begin to
neglect meeting with the brethren in a biblically ordered church, you
will cease to have the godly influence that is needful to help you
overcome the world and its temptations. You will not have the brotherly
encouragement to continue in the way of Christ. Your soul will become
insensitive to the ways of God and the subtle philosophies of humanistic
thinking will dull your mind and pull you further away from the Word of
God. Without God's intervention, this will lead to a departure from the
living God and a wrecking of faith. The end result will be no salvation,
no eternal life, no heaven, and no God. This does not mean that true
believers can lose their salvation, but there will be many at the Last
Day who professed faith in Christ, yet were never really saved. "Do not forsake the assembling of
yourselves together," says the LORD. How can this precise
directive, which is really a command, be heeded if you are not a
member of a church? It cannot. This command, joined with many others,
can have no relevance in your life if you are not a member of one
of Christ's churches. 6. You
should join a church because the Lord Jesus Christ personally and primarily
interacts with local churches. Read carefully Revelation
2:1-3:22. These two chapters deal with the seven churches that were
located in Asia Minor, to which the book of Revelation was written.
Christ, who is robed in high priestly attire, is set forth in Old
Testament imagery as a ministering priest in the temple. Through this
Old Testament imagery, the apostle John presents Christ in the context
of worship. He is among (and speaks to) each of these churches, which
are represented by lampstands or candlesticks. How does He speak to each
of these churches? He speaks to them through the "stars" (i.e.
"angels", messengers or pastors of the churches) that are in
His right hand (1:20). His control of these church leaders is
revealed by the fact that they are represented as being held in His
right hand, which denotes government and authority. Christ is viewed
by the apostle John as standing in the midst of each one of the
churches. Though the Savior is with each individual believer, He is
especially present with them as they are assembled with, and a part of,
a local church. In His redemptive purposes, Christ interacts primarily
with a church and not with any other social or religious
organization. He is in the midst of each church. How can you know and
receive the fullness of the risen, glorified Lord Jesus Christ if you
are not a member and part of one of His churches, where He is in the
midst? 7. You
should join one of Christ's churches because of the benefits you receive
from being a member of it: benefits that you would not receive
otherwise. God has given these benefits to help you grow as a Christian,
to protect and keep you, and to encourage you in every way (read
especially 1 Corinthians 12). What are some of these benefits? One
is pastoral oversight, which includes spiritual care for your soul and
life, by pastors who are called by Jesus Christ to be His undershepherds
(I Thessalonians 5:12; Hebrews 13:7,17; I Peter 5:2,3). These men
of God will help you in your trials and difficulties. They will teach
and guide you in the Word of God. As they do so, they will be used of
God to lead you in Christian maturity and preserve you from falsehood
and the Evil One. The church and its God-ordained leaders serve as a
bulwark to guard you from apostasy and from going astray. Godly pastors
will also assist you in raising your children in the nurture and
admonition of the Lord, and be there as counselors and friends when they
go into hard times and through difficult years. Another benefit you receive from
church membership is the love and service of fellow members. When you
join a church, you not only commit yourself to the church, but the
church commits itself to you. Brothers and sisters in Christ will be
there to weep with you when you weep, rejoice with you when you rejoice,
and walk side by side with you in your Christian life. The benefits of church membership also
include the New Testament church ordinances, especially the Lord's
Supper. Everyone has heard of baptism and Communion, but few realize
that these are for Christians who are members of churches, and for them only.
Baptism is for the new Christian as he enters the Christian life and
identifies with the body of Christ, which is membership in a church.
Communion is for the believer as he continues his walk with Christ as a
member of a church (see I Corinthians 11:17-34). Another benefit of church membership
is the provision of an arena in which to exercise spiritual gifts. The
local church is the context that grooms us unto holy service for Christ.
That is why, according to Ephesians 4:7-15 (especially verse
11), "pastors and teachers" were given to the church.
These God-called men must meet the qualifications of I Timothy
3:1-8 and Titus 1:5-9 and are appointed to equip you to serve
Christ in the church and in the world. A church is a proving ground.
Those who are called into gospel service to go outside the church, must
have proven themselves inside the local church. They will have proven
that they have the necessary graces and gifts as they busily and
sacrificially ministered to other church members. Opportunities for
greater service come not to the idle, but to those who faithfully
perform their present duties inside this God-ordained context and arena.
How can these benefits become a part
of your Christian walk and spiritual vitality if you are not a member of
a true New Testament church? They cannot! In summary, these seven reasons speak
clearly as to why you should join a church. Every aspect of the
Christian life is vitally attached to a church. Sadly, many professing
Christians neglect membership in and assembling with a church of Jesus
Christ. When they do so, they flounder spiritually and soon make
shipwreck of their souls. Trouble and sorrow are their constant
companions. Those who bypass the church or merely interact with it on a
casual basis, struggle all their lives. Satan and the affairs of the
world constantly buffet them and they wonder why nothing ever goes right
for them. They are like the ember that is removed from the coals of
fire. It will glow and give off heat for a very short while, but soon,
because it is not attached to the fire, will grow cold and die out. You
cannot expect to prosper spiritually if you disregard and remain
unattached from that which God has ordained. Seek out and become a
member of a biblical church of Jesus Christ. (Helpful guidelines for
finding such a church may be found in our booklet entitled Which
Church Should You Join.) You will find blessing and grace as you
become obedient to the teaching of God's infallible Word. "Unto
Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world
without end. Amen." (Ephesians
3:21)
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