To Be a Church Member

            At the beginning of the year, it seems to be a most appropriate time to discuss a very important subject to the American Church: what it means to be a church member. First of all, let us answer the foremost question—does the Bible even teach the concept of church membership? To answer this question in a word, “Yes”. If, however, you are looking for a proof text that states “Thou shalt be the member of a local church”, you will assuredly not find one. God gave us His Word for us to use our minds as a means of loving Him (rf. Matt. 22:37), not to be “spoon-fed” every bit of information He wants us to have and use, as so many within the Church now have come to expect.

            The Apostle Paul explicitly teaches that true believers in Christ are each connected to one another spiritually just as parts of the human body are essential to one another for the whole body to function properly (rf. I Cor. 12:12, 20). So bound together are these parts that they cannot do without one another (rf. I Cor. 12:25). As Paul puts it, we are “members” one with another in this body. Since he equates the body with the Church, Paul states emphatically that to be a member of one is to be a member of the other (rf. I Cor. 12:27). The transitive property of mathematics is definitely in order here (i.e. if a = b, and b = c, then a = c). Thus, church membership is clearly taught by the Apostle Paul as something expected for those who are serious about their faith in Jesus.

            Now, it is one thing to be a member of the Church and its local representation. It is quite another to be an active, engaged member of that local body. Using the very same analogy, the Apostle Paul does not allow for non-functioning members of the body (apart from those who are sick, infirm, home-bound, etc.). Indeed, if parts of the body refuse to engage in the operations of the whole, the total being is made sick and cannot accomplish what could be done if it were, indeed, healthy and up to full capacity (rf. I Cor. 12:26). Thus, it is assumed that every church member will be active in the life of the local church so that God’s will and plan for that particular fellowship will be fulfilled to the glory and praise of the Lord. To do otherwise shortcircuits both the growth of the whole body and the spiritual life of the individual, actually bringing into question the reality of one’s own salvation experience (rf. Heb. 10:25).

            For those who say that church attendance is not important, the above arguments should be sufficient to prove otherwise. However, there are always those who still claim that they have no need for the fellowship of other believers, that they can worship God anywhere and without the assistance of “organized religion”. The thing that these folks overlook in the Scriptures is this—though Jesus offers us salvation on an individual basis, His redemption was accomplished on a corporate plane. He came “to save His people from their sins” (rf. Matt. 1:21) and to “lay down His life for the sheep” (rf. Jn. 10:11), both examples of the plural nature of His atoning work.

Regardless of how we may feel, as true Christians, we are connected to each other in Christ. He expects us to fellowship with each other and to worship Him in corporate fashion as is reflected by the early Church in the book of Acts (ex: Acts 2:41-47). To do otherwise is a sin and a cop-out on our responsibility to each other. It should be our joy, our priority, and a blessing to which we look forward each week to gather together for mutual encouragement and to lift up our Savior and King in praise, prayer, and song.

Let us, then, renew our commitment to the Lord this first Sunday of the New Year to be in His House with His people to begin regular attendance with our fellow believers in Christ. Not only will we be blessed as a result, but we will prove to be blessings as the Lord finds greater use of us within the work of His kingdom through His Church.

What Do I Owe the Christ-Child?--A Poem

What Do I Owe to the Christ-Child?

By Dr. Chris King

“What do I have that I owe to the Christ-Child?”

A serious question to ponder;

“What do I have that I owe to the Christ-Child?”

I ask myself in awe and wonder.

I once thought that I’d given my all unto Him

My heart and my own sinful deeds.

All of the debt which I owed unto Him

Was now thus removed, no residual needs.

I then could go on in my self-centered ways,

Pursuing the things I held dear,

Knowing that I had my eternity grasped

In payment for past that had cleared.

However, what I had failed to consider,

What others, like me, had bemoaned.

Although God’s gift of salvation was free,

It costs more than I ever had known.

The prophets before me were given His message

Some centuries long ere He came.

Because of their faithfulness in sharing God’s Word,

Many died for the sake of His Name.

The shepherds were told by the angels that night

Of His coming and witnessed His birth.

Though smelling like sheep and despised by the town,

They testified of Messiah with mirth.

The magi came forth from their lands in the East

To give gifts to the King of the Jews.

After showing their costly wares to His kin

Via a tip, they took their leave by a ruse.

Like Scrooge, we must experience the transforming effect

The Christ-Child has on those who come near.

We feel the real debt for the blessings we’ve gained

From His grace and His mercy so dear.

We find ourselves needing to do so much more,

Not to earn or to gain His delight.

But to show appreciation for His blessings to us,

We give ourselves freely and with all of our might.

So, let this Christmas be a time to reflect

On the debt to the Christ-Child we owe.

Have we given Him everything that we have and we are?

Are there any backpayments we know?

As long as breath lingers, vital change is at hand.

We can take the steps required

To glorify God by the lives that we lead

And fulfill our debts as He desires.

The Parallels of Church and Marriage Commitment

“…and you shall love the LORD your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength” (rf. Mk. 12:30).

            For those of you who are reading this article and are married, imagine for a moment if your commitment to your mate were the very same as that of your evident commitment to the Lord as shown by your church attendance, what would the present status of your marriage relationship be? Having just completed a master’s degree in counseling with an emphasis in marriage and family, I can tell you that any couple who do not spend quality time conversing about the substantive issues of their relationship put their marriage in jeopardy. The marriage relationship needs, indeed, requires both husband and wife to set aside blocks of time (not just date nights, but consistent brackets of time during the week as well as time away from home, just the two of them) to learn what makes the other “tick” so as to correctly prioritize the other’s needs as first under God (rf. Eph. 5:22-33). In so doing, our marriages fulfill the Lord’s expectation of them as earthly reflections of the relationship between Jesus and His Church (rf. Eph. 5:23, 25, 32).

                     However, just as a marriage relationship cannot grow, mature, and prosper without a couple spending quality time together, so the same holds true for the relationship between Christians and the local church. There can be little or no real spiritual growth and fellowship apart from the mutual encouragement that comes from being together as a local church body. It is here that we worship God corporately. It is here that we join together on mission. It is here that we fulfill the command to give our tithes to fund the ongoing work of His kingdom. It is here that we encourage and admonish one another in our growth in the Christian faith. This is why it is to our spiritual detriment to be apart, to allow other things and distractions to keep us from being with the rest of the flock. When we make other activities and items a greater priority than church attendance (e.g. sports activities and events, concerts, weekend outings, etc.), we are, by our actions, stating that these things are more important to us than the worship of God and being with God’s people. Our alternative engagements are stating the real priorities of our lives far louder than what our words could ever say. This is why the writer of Hebrews urges his readers “not (to) forsak(e) our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (rf. Heb. 10:25, New American Standard Version).

            Thus, if your commitment to local church attendance has been slack as of late, be thankful that we serve a merciful God who readily forgives all confessed sin. If we go to Him and sincerely ask His forgiveness for our wrongdoing, He will cleanse us of our iniquities and put us back on the path of true obedience and commitment (rf. I Jn. 1:9). Remember, God takes commitment seriously. Anything less than wholehearted devotion as shown by putting Him first in our lives, disclosed by our attendance to His house for worship and study, is no real devotion at all.

Righting the Ship of God

            Over the last few months, I have noticed every time I get on Facebook (which is usually once a day for just a few minutes to check for any messages), I see entries from several pastors I know that are sharing in various ways how the Church, universal and local, has failed. This is provided in order to give pastors, specifically, formulas by which we can rectify the mistakes that our churches are making, so that, in the future, with these changes, our churches can flourish and grow. Some of these insights are seemingly valid while others are more market driven and, thus, have more of a business, rather than a ministry, foundation to their analysis. The sense with all of their insights is that the Church is broken and it desperately needs fixing.

            I would agree heartedly with the last statement, but not with the basis upon which it is made. I remember years ago having a rather heated discussion with a former member of a church I pastored who believed that it was wrong that Christians should consider the perspective of unbelievers when examining ourselves for defects. He was adamant about this point that unbelievers have no place to judge Christians as to what is righteous and unrighteous because unbelievers cannot discern biblically between good and evil (rf. I Cor. 2:14; 6:1-4). I had made the statement to him at that time that unbelievers could have a clearer perspective of what we should be as Christians because, without the burden of man-made traditions and the blindness of our own created Christian subculture and language, unbelievers often have a better picture of Jesus than we do. Though some of the latter sentence is still true, I have come to realize that, in fact, my former friend was actually correct in his spiritual assessment of unbelievers. What unbelievers may know about Jesus does not even compare to the reality that followers of Christ experience, if, indeed, salvation in Jesus has been grasped. However, this still does not get Christians off the hook as to their brokenness and need for repair within the Church.

            This repair work should not come by virtue of new programs, ideas, and agendas borne out of denominational headquarters or the latest Christian magazines. The problem is not that we as believers have run afoul of the most recent trend in the business or marketing world and need to get “back on track” so that our numbers can regain their place at the top of the heap. When will we learn that we are not in competition with the world or with each other! Evangelism is not about who gets the most converts or who has the biggest church on the block or in town. Do we not realize that before the advent of Spurgeon’s Metropolitan Tabernacle in London, there was no such animal as the megachurch? Even the great cathedrals of Europe don’t qualify because these were built to be the parish church for an entire small kingdom where that church was literally the “only game in town”. The answer to our problem has nothing to do with strategies, plans, or adjustments we make to the everchanging tastes of our culture. No, our problems are spiritual in nature. Like Israel of old, specifically the Old Testament, we have gone a’whoring after other gods (rf. Hos. 2:1-7).

            This may sound harsh, and, no doubt, politically incorrect, but it is true. The Church in America has become a harlot. She is sleeping with the American culture and has no conscience about doing so. She participates in sin, iniquity and transgression without the slightest hint of regret. She upholds adultery, premarital sex, sensuality, immodesty, with the allowance of homosexuality, pornography, sexual, physical and emotional abuse, along with many other reprehensible acts, all under the banner of privacy. Then, she encourages her followers of Christ to glorify God in ways that magnify, not Him, but self, through words and actions that place the emphasis on the individual’s life as central to all things, rather than on the Lord, “to Him be glory, both now and forever, Amen” (rf. II Pet. 3:18).

            It is because of our unfaithfulness to the Lord that great enemies have arisen, enemies of unparalleled ferocity. Their hearts are full of evil and destruction. The Lord has brought them forth to be our discipline, I believe. They will not be defeated by military might or prowess. These enemies view our Christianity as a loathsome scourge, a reprehensible plight, destined to be wiped from the earth because it is a pollutant in their eyes. The fact that our lives have displayed a very healthy inconsistency as compared to the teachings of Scripture has not helped to remove these perceptions. In fact, the American Church has only enhanced their views by our insipid exhibition of what we have believed Christianity to be, divided, powerless, and materialistic, if judged primarily by what is seen on television.

            How can we right this ship? As Zech. 4:6 clearly states, ‘“Not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,’ says the Lord of hosts.” It sounds very simple, but to do so requires total and complete submission to the power of the Holy Spirit. We must live our lives consistently in obedience to God’s Word, following the example of Jesus in how we operate each day. When we do this, we find the strength to overcome the temptations that would lead us to sin. Our lives would display holiness, instead of hypocrisy. Our witness would be powerful because it would be set in contrast to the world around us, not be in constant compliance to it. This is how the Church should be seen, different from the world because of its purity and the love of Christ that dwells within it.

            If His people would be so committed personally to live this way, the Lord would rejoice to receive His Church once again to Himself, cleansing her from her previous sins, even as Hosea was commanded to receive his wife as such a symbol of forgiveness (rf. Hos. 3:1-5). This may not mean a cessation of hate in the hearts of the enemies of the Cross. At least, though, it would mean that God’s people, by being cleansed and closer to God in faith and prayer, would be a greater force with which to be reckoned than they are at present, since we are pitifully broken in our sin, iniquity and separateness from Him.

Contra Mundum

Contra Mundum. This is a Latin phrase that means, “against the world”. It has all kinds of applications, especially for the Christian. We are commanded by Scripture not to “love the world, nor the things of the world” (I Jn. 2:15), because the world system, the culture, operates contrary to the ways of God. Yet, in so many aspects, the Christian church of today has chosen to follow the same path as that the unbelieving world to which we have been called to bear witness of Christ. This idea of contra mundum was so prevalent with the Apostles and the early Church that they saw themselves as being outsiders looking in at the culture around them, never fitting in nor ever having a desire to do so. So strong was this knowledge that they wanted God’s people to understand two important facts. First of all, they would be outcasts to their pagan culture (I Jn. 3:13). Secondly, because of which, the Apostles encouraged fellow brethren never to seek to join in with what the world was doing because it would only lead them away from God (Jas. 4:4). Think of the impact such teaching would have on present-day believers if they applied it en masse!

Take, for instance, the Scriptural principle that God uses the small and insignificant to accomplish His great work. How many times throughout the Bible does He Himself display this example for His people to see and learn! He starts out with only two people, a man and a woman, and populates a planet (Gen. 1:27-28). He chooses one reluctant man from one of the smallest tribes in Israel to lead only 300 soldiers to defeat an overwhelming Midianite army (Judg. 7). Jesus, His Son, is prophesied to be born in one of the smallest villages in Judah, Bethlehem, a seemingly insignificant dot on the map, though in times past it was known as “the city of David” because it was the birthplace of Israel’s greatest king (Mic. 5:2). Jesus Himself said that if any of His followers possessed faith the size of the smallest of the seeds of that region’s plants, the mustard tree, they could “move mountains” (Mt. 17:20). According to the Apostle Paul, God, willfully determines to do His mighty works using the small and noticeably unimportant (I Cor. 1:18-31).

Yet, modern Christianity, especially as practiced here in America, has both forgotten and neglected this truth. We have purposefully put aside the fact that God Himself established “the day of small things” (Zch. 4:10). We have become thoroughly and totally consumed in the American success and business model of “bigger is better”. Because of this, we remove from our lives the prospect of obeying God’s command to “walk (live) by faith” (II Cor. 5:7). In our pursuit of greater and grander things, jobs, experiences, we forget that God does not want us to look for the huge nor to depend on the expansive nor to find our excitement in the stimulating encounters that grab our attention. Rather, in the “walk(ing) by faith”, He is found in the “still small voice” (I Kgs. 19:12), “not in the wind” or “in the earthquake” or “in the fire” (I Kgs. 19:11-12). We must make sure that our lives are framed in such a way that we are living so that our dependence and trust is completely in Him and not on ourselves, our circumstances, our resources, our possessions, our loved ones, nothing that belongs to this world. We should also not look to the grand and glorious to capture our attention and allegiance, whether this is in the world, the culture or in the church. God, in all of His splendor and majesty, should be all of the magnificence we should ever require. If we truly trust and believe in Him solely and devotedly, He will operate on our behalf in ways that will undoubtedly blow our minds.

So, the challenge is before us. God calls us as the followers of Christ to live in consistency that exhibits complete faith and trust in Him in all things, not just the spiritual dynamic. In our jobs, work and play, we are to show that Jesus is preeminent, first and foremost, in our priorities. If we do and are obedient to His teachings, we will most assuredly be portraying ourselves as He desires, contra mundum, “against the world”. 

Part of the Body, the Whole

         Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near (Heb. 10:23-25, New American Standard Version).

            According the Apostle Paul, the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ is one body, made up of many members (Rom. 12:5). Because of this relationship, we are interconnected with each other. Unlike the kind of theology that we have been taught over the past fifty to one hundred years, especially here in America, the Bible clearly shares that individualism is not the primary goal of salvation. Though we are saved individually, one will note that the following text from which we typically gain this insight actually reveals a plural emphasis intended in this experience.

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is

the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them (Eph. 2:8-10, New American Standard Version).

            The reality in the Greek from which this text was translated shows that all of the pronouns used in this passage are plural in nature. Not one of them is singular. Even the “you” in the first of the verses (vs. 28) is plural, referring to all of those who have experienced salvation in Christ. This puts a different spin on our understanding of this text, especially, if we have grown up grasping this from a purely individualistic point of view!

            Now, how does all of this apply to our introductory passage? We were not saved by the Lord in His mercy only to go about this life as “Lone Rangers” in the Christian faith. Yet, far too many professing Christians believe they do not need the Church or the local church or “organized religion” in order to continue in the faith. In this, the writer of Hebrews states plainly that they are wrong and are in danger of great judgment when Jesus returns to render His due to all at His final coming (i.e. “the day”). You see, the writer of Hebrews in this passage states that there are things as Jesus followers for which we are responsible to do:

1.     Hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering.

2.     Stimulate one another to love and good deeds.

One cannot fulfill these requirements if one is staying home watching TV ministries in place of going to church on a regular basis. Obviously, what I just said does not apply to those who are bound to home by sickness or the caregiving of a loved one or having to work from time to time because one’s job necessitates absence from church. The Lord knows that these things crop up and your heart would rather be at church than away from it. The writer of Hebrews, however, is addressing those who purposefully choose to remove themselves from the church fellowship and who give excuses for being absent from the body. These are the ones who believe that they are individually strong enough to exist separate from the body of Christ, have no need for further strengthening or spiritual growth or mutual encouragement from others. Some say that they see no Biblical requirement for church membership; therefore, there is no need to be a part of a local body of believers. What they fail to understand is that the local fellowship is a microcosm of the larger body of Christ. If Jesus calls us into membership of the greater body, we are to purposefully seek to be members of the lesser body (again, Rom. 12:5).

            I encourage us all to review where our hearts are in regards to our attendance to the local fellowship. Are we being faithful to the Lord as shown by being in His house to worship Him regularly? Or have we been one of those to whom the writer of Hebrews is referring? If it is the latter of the two, we can always go to the Lord in repentance and begin anew, committing ourselves once more to rejoining ourselves with His people in service, worship, and in spiritual growth.

Following the Example of Jesus

            A number of years ago, a movement swept through the Christian community via a very effective marketing strategy using wristbands, keychains, pencils, pens, and such, all imprinted with four simple capital letters, WWJD. Of course, those familiar with the movement remember that the acronym stood for “What would Jesus do?”, the challenge to ask ourselves what Jesus’ response would be in every given situation before taking action. It seemed at the time to be an effective method of keeping us on the right track as based on the classic work by Charles M. Sheldon, entitled In His Steps.

            However, as of late, I have been personally pushed to go further than WWJD. In a book I received from the author, Dr. Richard Spillman, which I am reading at present, I have been asked to “Do What Jesus Did” (DWJD). Spillman’s point is well-taken. For most Christians today, we may “talk a good talk”, as the saying goes, and even have the best of motivations in what we would like to do or see done. Yet, when it comes to actually doing the work of Christ, that is, making disciples, ministering to the sick and needy, spending time with the outcasts, feeding the poor, binding up the broken-hearted, we spend little time actually doing those things because we focus our time and energies on programs and tangible items that benefit ourselves. This is highly convicting, especially for those of us who are theologically conservatives. We place God’s Word as extremely high in value in our lives and, yet, when it comes to what today is called “social justice”, helping the poor, downtrodden, and hurting in society, the Christian conservatives can often be seen as more interested in constructing churches and “saving souls” than in restoring lives. We rightly criticize the theological liberals for capitulating to “political correctness” when, in fact, we can easily find ourselves putting more stock in being theologically correct than in being Biblically obedient.

            Some conservative hard-liners might say that it is better to sacrifice compassion for theological purity. When Jesus told His disciples to “follow Me” (Mt. 4:19; Mk. 1:17; 10:21), I do not believe that this forfeit is what He had in mind. In fact, I know Jesus wanted all of His disciples to be doctrinally sound and socially just in all of their dealings with the people, showing His great love and compassion for everyone at every turn. After all, the love of Christ was central to everything that Jesus did. He even charged Peter to do the same with the flock under his care after Jesus had departed (Jn. 21:15-17).

            The “follow Me” principle was not time-bound. It has applied to every generation of Christians since Jesus’ Ascension. The key is our willingness to accept the challenge and fulfill our role as His disciples. How we complete our task and the faithfulness with which we execute it will be the measuring stick He uses to judge how well we have served Him when we at last stand before Him (Mt. 24:45-46).

            I hope you will find this as your call of encouragement to “Do What Jesus Did”, to review once again what it means to be a servant and disciple of Jesus. If you are like me, this challenge will revolutionize your thoughts about how to live life as a believer in Him, no longer as a concept of just facts to know, but a journey to experience as we seek to do, think, act, and speak as our Lord and Savior would in a world that has no desire whatsoever to hear from or know Him again…but one which desperately needs to, regardless.

The book that I referenced is entitled DWJD: WWJD is of no value unless we are willing to Do What Jesus Did by Richard Stillman (2013). Sisters, OR: Deep River Books.