Marks of a healthy church: Membership or just dating?

Introduction
1.As I was considering writing and preaching this series, I was aware that if I used Mark Dever’s book as a resource and more or less followed his broad outline, than I would be dealing with church membership. If you remember, the first mark of a healthy church we looked at, is that it is characterized by “expositional preaching.” And I try hard to do that. Yet where does the Bible speak of church membership? Is this a legitimate concern?
2.That may be a valid question, but before we write it off, we need to think carefully about this. I direct your attention to the book of Ephesians. Paul had lots to say about the church with reference to the church universal. In other words, all who belong to Jesus Christ, who have been purchased by Him and saved by Him, are members of the church universal. However, Paul writes to local congregations, giving them instructions and encouragement and direction and rebuke. It is clearly assumed that those whom he addresses are part of that local fellowship of believers. They belong. They are members. Generally speaking, when people trusted Christ, they joined with other believers against the persecution of the world. They gathered for worship and for encouragement and for instruction, being equipped to live for Christ. There was one church in town and that is where you belonged if you belonged to Christ.
3.I believe it is correct to say that there was membership in the local church in the first century and that to be associated with that church was to be a member of that covenant community. So what has happened to bring us to where we are now, where a large percentage of the membership is non-active or many active participants are non-members?
4.Joshua Harris, in his book Stop Dating the Church (pp. 16-17), reminds us that we live in a fragmented world. “Faith is a solo pursuit. These days, experts describe America as a nation of believers but not belongers.” The reasons for this conclusion involves our attitude toward the church. We see the church as me-centered, what can the church do for me? We see ourselves as independent, perhaps going through the motions but not really investing ourselves with others in ministry. Further, we are critical, very short on allegiance and quick to find fault. So, as me-centered, independent, fault-finding people, why would we want to identify with a particular local church. Why not keep our options open? Maybe something better will come along. To remain a non-member gives me more freedom and far less accountability. Let’s explore that.

I.WHAT IS A CHURCH?
A.The church is distinctly Christian. It is not a reference to just any religious group (There is no Jewish church or Muslim church, etc.).
B.The church is people (not a building). According to the NT, the church is a select group of people who profess and give evidence that they have been saved by God’s grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone for God’s glory alone. As mentioned earlier, there is a universal church, but the majority of references in the NT are to the local church of living, loving people who are committed to Christ and to each other.
C.The church is described by various metaphors. If you were to work through Ephesians, Paul characterizes the church as a body for service (1:22-23), a temple for worship (2:21-22), a family for fellowship (3:15), a school for learning (4:11), a bride for affection (5:32), and an army for battle (6:10-20). Jesus would add others such as branches connected to a vine, and sheep belonging to the true Shepherd.
D.The church is universal and local. There is one true church made up of all genuine believers who come from every tribe and tongue and nation. The local church is to be a group of true believers gathered for the glory of Christ, committed to Him and each other. Paul writes in Ephesians about the church, but he writes to the local church at Ephesus.

II. WHY JOIN A CHURCH? Typically church growth specialists would counsel against church membership today to satisfy the individualistic, non-committal spirit of the age. But there are some strong positive reasons for church membership. Dever mentions five. Before I give you a modified version of those, first, listen to “The Jeep Story” by Joshua Harris (pp. 63-65).
A.Safeguarding ourselves – John 14:21; 15:10,14; 13:17. To the Ephesians, Paul would say it this way: “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children. And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave Himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.”
1.That is a wonderful and yet staggering command. Most of us would surely agree that this is how we must live. But we all know how very difficult it must be to live such a life! Are there any safeguards or checks or encouragements to see if in fact we are living this way?
2.In becoming part of a local church we put ourselves in a position where we can become accountable to live what we speak. To join is to say that we willingly accept that accountability and we will come under those who have been placed in authority over us. A non-member is essentially outside of that God-ordained structure.
3.The entire area of church discipline, which we will explore next week, is necessary for a healthy church, but is virtually impossible to implement without membership. The purpose of church discipline is restoration and reconciliation, not harsh judgment or punishment. Paul called upon the church of Philippi to help a couple of women to reconcile. He called upon the church in Corinth, to among other things, be the church in the way they treated a wayward member who was living in gross immorality with his father’s wife. Paul challenged the church of Thessalonica how to treat a member who was given to idleness and gossip. He challenged all of the churches to be on guard against false teaching. Being part of the church puts in place this safeguard for us.
B.Evangelizing the world – To be sure, we are commanded to evangelize as individual believers, and we ought to do that. But much more can be accomplished through the local church. Together we can encourage and pray for one another and give various resources that will aid us in the process. Certainly we promote the gospel by cooperating together in taking it to those who have not yet heard, particularly to foreign countries and differing cultures. As a local church, we can make a greater impact than we can as separate individuals.
C.Exposing false gospels – There is much foolishness and false doctrine in the professed Christian world. We should be part of a group that loves the Lord, that is committed to His Gospel and that proclaims that Gospel to those around them. Entire churches sometimes turn from the truth. Paul was dealing with that with the Galatians. More often individuals or small groups of people get sidetracked and need to be called back. The local church leadership, made up of a plurality of elders, has been given such a responsibility. See Acts 20.
D.Edifying the body – Joining a church helps to counter our out of focus individualism, reminding us that we are working together to edify the saints. Remember Paul’s instructions in Ephesians 4:11-16. It takes all of us together to come to maturity in the Lord. A maturing love for God is demonstrated by an active love for others in the context of the believing community. As we covenant together with a local congregation, we are making it known that we are committed to that local ministry. We can be counted on to serve together for the good of the body and for the praise of God’s glory. There is a greater sense of ownership. We move from “being pampered consumers to becoming joyous proprietors.”
E.Glorifying God - The emphasis in Ephesians 1 –3 is on God’s church. Christ bought it with His own blood. Not everyone belongs to Christ, only those whom He has redeemed. He has established His church from every tribe and tongue and nation. But He further has brought together His people into smaller groups, local churches, which are to be a microcosm of His universal church. Evidences in the NT hint at some sort of formal membership that went beyond just showing up for a service. Would we not want to belong to that which God has established? Surely we would not want to snub what God had ordained! Dever writes, “If you are a Christian and you regularly attend a God-centered Bible preaching church, you may have been frustrated by one thing or another, but consider the obligations and opportunities of membership. Our basis as a congregational church family must always be found in being even more than in doing. If you join a church, you are not being included merely for a function you could perform … but you are being adopted into a family. And the relationships to which you are committing yourself will bring glory to God.”

III. WHAT DOES CHURCH MEMBERSHIP ENTAIL? Church membership begins with believers. It is true that many more profess Christ than really belong to Him, but that is usually sorted out in time (1 John 2:19-20) and by the evidence of a fruitful life (Galatians 5:22-23). What is not sorted out here on earth, will be sorted out by the Lord Himself, at the judgment (Matthew 7:21-23). The local church, by definition, is a group of saved people, who are gathered together as a microcosm of the universal church, to the praise of the glory of God’s grace. One who becomes a new believer should publicly confess faith in Christ and then join together with others who are like minded in the faith becoming part of a local fellowship of believers. Let’s look at those two things briefly.
A.Confession (in baptism). To be sure, there is much confusion and not a little disagreement about baptism, when it should occur and by what mode and even whether or not it has salvific effect. What appears to be fairly clear, is that it was a confession, affirming faith in Christ, and renouncing all other gods and ways of life, affirming that we belong to Jesus. To be baptized into the name of the Triune God is to be identified with God, recognizing that we have been bought with a price and that we belong to Him and that we desire to be identified with Him and all that He stands for. To reject baptism as a command of God is a maverick response suggesting that I have a right to make up my own rules in how I respond to God and confess Him as Lord.
B.Covenant (signing a statement of faith and agreeing to a covenant of membership). This seems to be reasonable that we provide evidence that we essentially believe the basic teaching of the Scripture and that we acknowledge that which will be taught by those in positions of leadership who have been given the responsibility by God and the local church body to teach. A covenant of membership is a promise to fulfill expected behavior in the local assembly so that the body will be edified and God will be glorified. (Example: code of conduct at the eye doctor). It should mean something. And when we affirm that, we ought to purpose to fulfill that promise – and we ought to want to fulfill it!

Conclusion
1. Listen to this conclusion from Mark Dever. If the church is a building, then we must be bricks in it; if the church is a body, then we are its members; if the church is a household of faith, then we are part of that household. Sheep are in a flock and branches on a vine. Biblically, if we are Christians we must be members of a church. This membership is not simply the record of a statement we once made or of affection toward a familiar place. It must be the reflection of a living commitment or it is worthless.
Worse than being worthless, it is dangerous. Uninvolved members confuse both real members and non-Christians about what it means to be a Christian. We “active” members do the voluntary “inactive” members no service when we allow them to remain members of the church. Membership is the church’s corporate endorsement of a person’s salvation. Yet how can a congregation honestly testify that someone invisible to it is faithfully running the race? If members have left our company and have not gone to any other Bible-believing church, what evidence do we have that they were ever truly a part of us? We do not necessarily know that such uninvolved people are not Christians; we may simply be unable to affirm that they are. We don’t have to tell them that we know they’re going to hell, only that we can’t tell them that we know for sure that they are going to heaven.
We should not allow people to keep their church membership for sentimental reasons. Considered biblically, such membership is no membership at all.
So, do not merely attend a church (though you should attend), but join a church. Link arms with other Christians. Find a church you can join, and do it so that non-Christians will hear and see the Gospel, so that weak Christians will be cared for, so that strong Christians will channel their energies in a good way, so that church leaders will be encouraged and helped, so that God will be glorified.
2. I know that there are many of you who regularly attend here and who are very involved in this ministry. You are active and serve well. You know Christ and you are living for Him to the praise of the glory of His grace, but you are not a member of this fellowship. I cannot think of one Biblical reason why you are not a member. I think several Biblical reasons have been given why you ought to be. I would challenge you to follow through. Let’s be strong and healthy together for the glory of Christ.