Wednesday, July 3, 2019

The Believer’s Relationship to the Local Church

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I recently had the chance to interact with some counselees challenging them to become more a part of their local church. In doing so I built a brief document consisting of Scripture passages with my observations/interpretations drawn out of them and then an application section at the end. The document focuses on 2 areas, Service and Membership. Hopefully you find it as encouraging and challenging as I did in my study of it. =)


Service
Scriptures:
·         Romans 12:4-8
o   Every believer has specific gifts to contribute to their local body (v.4)
o   Every believer is part of their local body (v.5)
o   Every believer has unique gifts to contribute to their local body (v.6a)
o   Every believer is called to use their gifts to the utmost for the benefit of the body (v.6b-8)
·         1 Corinthians 12:4-27
o   There are people with different giftings in the church (v.4-5)
o   God the Holy Spirit is who gives and empowers each gifting (v.6)
o   God intends for the giftings to each be used for the common good of the church (v.7)
o   There are many different types of giftings in the church (v.8-10)
o   God the Holy Spirit determines who gets what gifting (v.11)
o   All the members of the church separately make up the church together as a whole (v.12-14)
o   All the members should expect to have different functions (v.15-17)
o   God has designed the church to have different members with different functions (v.17-20)
o   Each member should value the others (v.21-24)
o   The members of the church are there to help and care for each other (v.25-27)
·         Acts 2:42
o   There are unique aspects of the Christian life that can only be done fully in the context of the church
·         Colossians 3:16
o   One of the purposes of a believers church attendance is for the admonishing of other believers
·         Hebrews 10:24-25
o   Another of the purposes of a believers church attendance is for the encouraging of other believers to grow all the more in their love for God, others, and actions
Applications:
·         Every believer should seek to determine what part they might play in benefitting and growing their local church
·         Every believer should serve in at least 1 if not more areas of their local church
·         Every believer should come to church with the intentional goal of building into and encouraging their other fellow believers
·         Every believer should seek to come to church regularly to be able to participate in serving others

Membership
Scriptures:
·         Hebrew 13:17
o   Membership is the means by which church leaders know who to keep watch over
·         1 Peter 5:1-5
o   Membership is the means by which church leaders know who is part of their flock (v.2-3)
o   Membership is the means by which members of the flock know who they are to be subject to (v.5)
·         Acts 20:28-30
o   Memberships helps the elders indentify who is truly part of Christ’s church and thus who they are to oversee
o   Membership follows the processes of being saved and then baptized (v.39-41)
·         Acts 2:37-47
o   The early church models the keeping of numbers of who was part of the church (v.41 & 47)
·         Romans 16:3-15
o   Paul gives a model of knowing all those in a church by name
·         1 Timothy 5:9-16
o   The early church models keeping lists of those to be cared for (v.9, 11, & 16)
·         Matthew 18:15-17
o   Church discipline can only occur if there is a clear demarcation of those in and out (v.17)
·         1 Corinthians 5:1-12
o   There is special accountability for those claiming to be part of the church (v.12)
·         The term “membership” comes a great deal from the previous section recognizing service within the church can only truly happen after someone has been recognized as part of the church
Applications:
·         Every believer should seek to become a member of their local church
·         Every believer should delight to be identified with Christ and His bride, the church, publically
·         Every believer should help those in church leadership with their oversight by gladly taking part in membership processes to help be identified as someone to be shepherded
·         Every believer should welcome the encouragement and accountability membership brings
·         Every believer should delight in the chance to better serve in a local church by being identified as a part of it



May we each continue to "grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ" as we serve His bride well!

Phil

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