Why officially join a church? Is it just a biblical command, or does it go deeper? And how do you navigate past hurt or burnout? This episode tackles church membership, real community, and the responsibilities that come with being part of a local body.
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Transcript
SUMMARY KEYWORDS
Church membership, God’s command, Hebrews 10, local church, pastoral ministry, discipline, Great Commission, corporate means of grace, worship, community of believers, edification, vertical worship, horizontal worship, abused experiences, proper use.
SPEAKERS
Wim Kerkhoff, Pastor Jim Butler, Pastor Cam Porter
Wim Kerkhoff 00:07
Okay, so why join a church? Like officially join a church? It’s one thing to attend and visit and and be faithful, but why join a church?
Pastor Cam Porter 00:19
Well, I think the the first answer to that question, not the only answer, but the first answer to that question is because God commands it. And so that’s that’s an excellent reason. And as Christians, we are to joyfully receive the commands of God and obey with with a joy filled compliance, because it’s our delight to please the one who has created us, who upholds us, and who has redeemed us, you know, through the precious work of His only begotten Son. And you know, one of the passages I think that that should always come up in a discussion like this, is in Hebrews chapter 10, where we see the Apostle Paul writing explicitly that we are not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together. And in the context, it’s in the context of the blessed high priesthood of the Lord Jesus Christ, who has gone before us with the perfection of his salvation, who appears before the Lord God Almighty as our eternal intercessor. And so the blessing of going into church is, is in that first step of obedience to God, because He calls His people to gather together, because it’s there in that He communes, it’s there in that the Lord Jesus Christ walks amongst His lampstands, as we read in the book of Revelation. And so getting back to the quick and simple answer, because the Bible commands it, and as Christians, we joyfully comply.
Pastor Jim Butler 01:53
Not to be contrary, but a lot of people don’t believe that the Bible commands church membership at the local level. But I would suggest that the scripture, specifically, the book of Acts, indicates that the church could be joined. It indicates that the church was unified. I think the duties of pastoral ministry necessitate church membership. A pastor at one local church isn’t the pastor at every local church. He’s not the FBI with universal jurisdiction or the CIA. And then the past, the responsibilities of persons to their pastors. You know Person A in church A is not to carry out the Hebrews 13 admonitions to pastor B in church B. And then the discipline. Discipline assumes local church membership. When Jesus says, tell it to the church, He doesn’t mean every single church out there. He doesn’t mean the universal church. He means the local church to which that particular person is accountable. So the Great Commission, make the disciples, baptize the disciples, teach the disciples. The teaching of the disciples takes place in the gathered church. So yes, people should join churches. Church is also not just a preaching station. People look at church only insofar as the preaching. Well, it’s not that there’s, I mean, it is that. But in addition to that, there’s the corporate means of grace, there’s the celebration of baptism, there’s the supper, there’s the accountability one to another, there is the discipline of the church. So all these things take place in specific contexts, in specific memberships. And I would just say it’s a good and commendable thing to be a part of a local church.
Pastor Cam Porter 03:54
Yeah, you know, we’re we’re not maverick Christians who just go about our life of Christianity as as individuals, don’t forsake the assembling of yourselves together, as is the manner of some. And part of the rest of that verse speaks about exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the day approaching, and as Jim mentioned, it’s we have this others obligation within the Christian life, and that obtains, that takes place within the context of church, one of the benefits and the privileges of being a member in a church is a veiling of the community of believers. You know, we read in the New Testament as well, in Colossians and Ephesians that one of those acts or elements of worship is singing to one another. In Psalms and hymns and spiritual songs are our first direction and obligation is, of course, vertical. It’s God Word. We’re worshiping the Triune God. But there’s also the horizontal aspect to gathering together in in church for worship, and that’s to encourage one another, to edify one another, to sing God’s word to one another, to sing blessed theology to one another, and encourage each other in that act of worship.
Wim Kerkhoff 05:18
I think a lot of people are just gun shy, or even hurt or burned in the past or abused, I guess maybe want some of the reluctance around it, right? And it’s the analogy of it’s a flock. You can be shepherded.
Pastor Jim Butler 05:34
Like many other things, though, the argument can never be because something is abused, therefore there’s no proper use. Yeah, people abuse alcohol, people abuse gun ownership. But that does not argue against the proper use of the thing. So I would say people that have been burned or they, you know, have had a bad experience, find a church where you can throw in your lot.
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