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What do I owe the Lord and my brethren?. Over the last several weeks, we’ve talked about “Membership.” We’ve looked at it from several perspectives: Meaning - Universal vs. Local Benefits - Shepherds, Brethren, and Fellowship
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What do I owe the Lord and my brethren? Over the last several weeks, we’ve talked about “Membership.” We’ve looked at it from several perspectives: Meaning- Universal vs. Local Benefits- Shepherds, Brethren, and Fellowship Metaphors- Sheep, Married, Disciples, Workers, Stones, Citizens, and Children Now it’s time to start examining its Requirements. What are the obligations of “Local Church Membership”?
As a local church member, what are my responsibilities? • Be a “Christian” first, foremost, and always. • Be an imitator of God/Christ everyday, Eph.5:1-2. • Think and feel like God does everyday, Matt.5:43-48. • Because you’re an example of a “Christian” to the world everyday, Matt.5:14-16. • And because you’re a representative both of and to this local body of believers everyday, 1Tim.4:12; Titus 2:7; cf.1Cor.5:1-2,11-13; 2Thess.3:6-15.
As a local church member, what are my responsibilities? • Be a “Christian” first, foremost, and always. • When your brethren meet, be there and be actively involved. • Attendance is not only expected, it’s mandatory. God knew how important this was, and so do your Elders, Heb.10:25. It is to your, and everyone else’s benefit, cf. vv.19-25. • Be “devoted to one another”- Rom.12:9, not the deer camp, the lake, family, recreation, etc. Sunday is “the Lord’s Day”- not His hour and ten minutes. Put Him and your local brethren first, so that they can put you first when needed, vv.11-15. • At it’s core, “fellowship” means “joint-participation”- doing things together. You can’t be “in fellowship” if you’re seldom here and even more rarely involved. cf. Acts 2:42-47
As a local church member, what are my responsibilities? • Be a “Christian” first, foremost, and always. • When your brethren meet, be there and be actively involved. • Have right attitudes and good activities- the ones that preserveunity and peace/harmony, Eph.4:3. • Nothing curbs growth and enthusiasm in a local church quicker than bad attitudes and wrong actions. Note that we are to “preserve” what Christ put into the Church, John 17:15-23; 1Cor.1:10; 12:24b-26; Eph.4:1. • This obligation isn’t just “not being the one who started it”- cf. Rom.12:18 > Eph.4:2- humility, gentleness, patience, and forbearance in love = right attitudes + right actions, cf.vv.15,17-32.
As a local church member, what are my responsibilities? • Be a “Christian” first, foremost, and always. • When your brethren meet, be there and be actively involved. • Have right attitudes and good activities- the ones that preserveunity and peace/harmony. • Bear fruit for God and your brethren! • By growing and maturing personally, Gal.5:16-25. • By reproducing yourself spiritually, John 15:1-11. Notice He doesn’t mention the importance of foliage and flowers (our “pretty” good works, cf. Luke 18:11-12), just “fruit”!2Tim.2:2; Matt.12:30; Col.1:25-29.
As a local church member, what are my responsibilities? • Be a “Christian” first, foremost, and always. • When your brethren meet, be there and be actively involved. • Have right attitudes and good activities- the ones that preserveunity and peace/harmony. • Bear fruit for God and your brethren! To borrow from Paul’s words to Timothy: (1Tim.4:15-16) “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”
