Let me pray and we'll carry on in that way. Let me pray for us.
Heavenly Father, we pray now as we come to look at your word together and to think about what it means to be a member of a church.
We pray, please, Lord, that you might help us. Help us to think carefully and truly and rightly.
I pray that our time together might be just really good for us as we think about our church here and as we think about what it means to belong together.
So bless us and watch over us and help us, we ask in Jesus' name. Amen.
So over the next three Sunday evenings, we're going to do what I'm hoping is going to be an important little mini series in different offices in church.
So we're going to think about what it means to be a member, what it means to be an elder and what it means to be a deacon.
Now, no, I don't need one as well.
The point of doing this now is that obviously we are a church which has merged two churches together and lots of new people have also joined along the way.
And we're going through lots of important transitions, aren't we?
We submitted our paperwork to the FIEC, the Fellowship of Independent Evangelical Churches, and our membership is pretty much double what it was last year.
And so that means thinking about what these things mean is really important for us so that we're all on the same page.
But also, even though we've come from lots of different church cultures and lots of different church backgrounds, actually, we also need to acknowledge we're not inventing church.
We come to something that has been going on for 2,000 years or so, and we are not inventing it for ourselves.
And as you turn to the New Testament to think about church, you realize that the building blocks of church life are members, those who belong, elders, those who lead and shepherd and guide, and deacons, those who serve in the life of the church.
And so it's really important for us that we get these right as we start, especially as our plan is over this next academic year.
So before the summer at some point, we are going to appoint elders and deacons in the place of the joint leadership team as we move forwards.
So we're going to start with church members.
Now, lots of what I'm going to say to you this evening comes from a book by Jonathan Lehman called Church Membership.
And I've got a copy on my desk, which I intended to wave at you, but you can imagine it's a blue book.
It says church members on the front.
There you go. It's upstairs in my office.
I really recommend the book.
It's very thorough.
It's really well written.
It's easy to read.
And the way that book starts, which is how we're going to start this evening and I think is important, is not so much with the definition of membership, but as a definition of the church.
So to know what it means to be a member of the church, we need to know what is the church itself.
What is the church?
Now, maybe just to try and keep your interest.
What is the church not?
Let me tell you, the church is not a voluntary association.
We are not a knitting club.
Not simply because I hate knitting and can't really do it, but also because actually what's involved in joining a knitting club is very different to what's involved in joining a church.
This is not a voluntary association of people who've just decided to get together.
It's not a basketball club, as we're hearing about this morning, or a residence association.
Rather, in the church, the New Testament, in the New Testament, sorry, the church is something that Jesus is creating through the preaching of the gospel.
So Jesus builds the church as the gospel is proclaimed.
And if you like, the church is a present expression, like an expression in this time and in this place of what is still to come, his future eternal kingdom.
So just back up with me for a moment.
The gospel of the Lord Jesus brings sinners like us into his eternal kingdom.
Right.
We are included in Christ's eternal heavenly kingdom, not by our works, but by his, not by our righteousness, but by his righteousness, his death in place of our death, his resurrection as our resurrection.
And at the moment of conversion is not just that our sins are forgiven and we personally receive salvation.
But also at that moment of conversion, we get included in, we become citizens of Christ's eternal heavenly kingdom.
But we are not immediately transferred to glory.
Instead, we live in the in-between.
We live in the in-between of the now of forgiveness and the not yet of perfection.
None of us are yet perfect.
We live in the in-between.
We are members of the local time bound, geography bound expression of God's eternal kingdom, but not the final glorious kingdom itself.
The illustration that Jonathan Newman uses in his book over and over again is that of an embassy.
So an embassy is a little bit of another country in an in a in a host country, isn't it?
So the job of that embassy is not so much to make citizens of the other country, but it's to help citizens of that other country while they're living in the country in which that embassy exists.
So they are there, if you like, to recognize the citizens, to provide them with representation, to act as an outpost of that other country in a different place.
And that's just leaving, which is a really helpful little illustration of what church is.
Church is an embassy of glory in time and geography today.
It is an outpost of what is yet to come.
It is there not so much to make citizens of heaven, but to recognize who they are as they join citizenship of heaven through faith in Jesus Christ is to provide for them representation, support, encouragement as they live outside of their and away from their eternal home.
So that is the church.
The church is an embassy of glory in a particular time and place.
Another way to think about it is to think about how authority works in the world.
You know, don't you, that there is only one person who has ultimate authority, one person who is able to decide what happens and to insist on it, insist on his own will and punish all disobedience to his will.
And that authority belongs only to Jesus Christ.
He alone is the King of kings and Lord of lords.
He rules from heaven while all enemies are brought under his feet.
And in his world, that King institutes other authorities, authorities which themselves are not ultimate.
He alone has ultimate authority, but which have a delegated authority under him.
Now, let's think about a couple of those.
Let's think about the state or the government, national powers.
Now you're going to need your handout.
Romans chapter 13.
Here we see that God gives authority to states or to governments.
He says,
Let everyone be subject to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established.
The authorities that exist have been established by God.
That doesn't mean that they are all godly, right?
We've been thinking already about corruption.
So they are not godly, but they are established by God.
They are there by his sovereign purpose.
Consequently, whoever rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted.
And those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.
For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong.
Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority?
Then do what is right, and you will be commended.
For the one in authority is God's servant for your good.
But if you do wrong, be afraid.
For rulers do not bear the sword for no reason.
They are God's servants, agents of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer.
Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of the possible punishment, but also as a matter of conscience.
This is why you pay taxes.
The authorities are God's servants who give their full time to governing.
Give to everyone what you owe them.
If you owe taxes, pay taxes.
If revenue, then revenue.
If respect, then respect.
If honor, then honor.
Now, we don't have time to go into all the detail of that.
We'll get to that in our series in Romans eventually.
But this is the power that the nation states have over citizens.
They are given by God delegated authority to rule and reign, and they are given a sword by which to administer justice.
Now, that authority has boundaries, doesn't it?
They are not given ultimate authority over all things.
And sometimes nation states cross over and abuse the boundaries that they're given.
But still, God raises up kings and those in authority and calls us to pray for them and submit to them in the way that they are instituted by God with a sword to rule.
But then also, alongside that, you also have not just the nation state, but you have the church.
Now, the church is not the state.
It's not given the power of the sword.
Instead, it's given the power of the keys.
So, Matthew 16, verses 16 to 19.
Simon Peter answered, you are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
This is Peter's declaration of who Jesus is.
You're the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
Jesus replied, blessed are you, Simon, son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven.
And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock, the rock of your confession, I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it.
I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
Now, Peter is told that the church is going to be built on this confession that Jesus is the Christ.
And Peter has been given the keys of the kingdom of heaven, which gives him the power of binding and loosing.
Now, that sounds a bit mysterious, doesn't it?
So, what exactly is that?
Well, if you turn on a few pages in Matthew, you get to Matthew 18, and you see those keys in use.
We see in verse 15, if your brother or sister sins, go and point out their fault just between the two of you.
If they listen to you, you have won them over.
But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.
If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church.
And if they refuse to listen to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.
Truly, I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.
It seems, doesn't it, that the church is given the authority to recognize who is and who isn't a part of God's eternal kingdom.
Now, obviously, they don't always get that right.
They sometimes make mistakes and get it wrong.
But Jesus is determined that his future kingdom will be visible in the present day in the church.
Now, again, the church doesn't have ultimate authority over all things.
They don't have the power of the sword.
They don't have the power of the state.
The church can't draft you into an army.
They can't take away your liberty and send you to prison.
But the church does have the authority to decide whether or not to recognize you as a citizen of heaven.
The authority and therefore the responsibility to care for you spiritually and disciple you and discipline you and call you back to faith in Christ.
They hold the keys.
Now, how does it exercise the authority of the keys?
I mean, we know how the sword is exercised, don't we?
We know about the authority of the state taking you to prison or pursuing you for not paying your taxes.
But how about the church?
How does it exercise this responsibility to recognize those who belong to Jesus?
How does it do that?
Well, as you read the New Testament, you see two ways, don't you?
One, baptism, right?
The church is instructed to baptize people who have faith in Jesus Christ.
Now, it's interesting, isn't it?
We talk about baptism as being the public declaration of the candidate.
So we say this is them publicly declaring faith in Jesus.
Now, it is that, right?
But it's a lot more than that.
In the New Testament, it is also the declaration of the church on behalf of God that this individual getting baptized on the basis of their profession of faith is a part of God's eternal kingdom.
So we're saying, as we baptize someone, they're saying, I believe in Jesus.
And we say, because you've declared your faith in Jesus, we baptize you because we recognize that you are part of God's eternal kingdom.
So you might think of the end of Acts 10 when Peter sees that the Gentiles become Christians, that they've received the spirit.
And he says, well, who can stand in the way of these people being baptized?
These people are obviously part of God's kingdom.
We must recognize them as such.
How are we going to recognize them as such?
We're going to baptize them.
That's what we're going to do.
That's the first way.
The other way is the Lord's Supper.
So the church are given a meal to share, and they're to share it with believers, where access is given to members to feed on and delight in the Lord Jesus.
And at the supper, there's to be a distinction between those who belong to Christ and those who don't.
1 Corinthians 11 is the next cross-reference on your handout.
1 Corinthians 11.
This is the bit just before the bit that we normally read.
In the following directives, I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good.
In the first place, I hear that when you come together as church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent, I believe it.
No doubt, there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval.
So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat.
For when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers.
As a result, one person remains hungry, another gets drunk.
Now, briefly, the background seems to be that in the Corinthian church, when they're meeting on a Sunday, those who are rich, who don't have to go to work, get there early, eat all the food, drink all the wine, and they get drunk.
The poor people who turn up later because they've been working all day, they get there and there's none left.
So there's a distinction in the church between the rich, who are there early and they're drunk, and the poor, who get there late and don't have anything.
That division in the church is a wrong division.
That is not the division that should be visible in the supper.
There should be a division that's visible in the supper.
What does it say?
Verse 19, there should be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval.
It should be that the supper is for those who have faith in Christ, and it is them sharing together in the Lord's Supper, which shows that distinction.
And it's interesting because the distinction in their church is between the rich and the poor, because they're not running the supper properly, it's actually not the Lord's Supper that they're sharing.
You notice that?
So actually, you're just going, it's a private supper.
Really interesting, isn't it?
If you don't do the Lord's Supper properly, it's not really the Lord's Supper.
The benefit of the Lord's Supper comes in doing it in the manner in which it's instituted and given to us by God.
You can't just eat and drink it in any way we fancy or any way we please.
And actually, the thing that makes the supper the supper is that we give it to people who belong to Jesus Christ, because that's who it's for, to show the distinction.
Now, what does all that mean?
It means, doesn't it, that the supper and baptism and membership of the church is visible in those actions.
Baptism and Lord's Supper make visible who belongs to church.
Now, let me skip down in my notes a little bit.
Here's the church then.
We are the embassy of glory.
We're given a job.
We're given the authority of recognizing the genuine believer and then discipling and caring for them.
Baptizing new believers and feeding believers on the word of the cross in the supper.
Any questions or comments at that stage?
And then we'll come and think about what is a member.
Maybe I'll give you a second to talk to the person next to you to say, how is that different or the same as you might have defined church before we talked about it?
What is surprising them?
Maybe what's missing?
Have a talk with the person next to you and then we'll get back together.
Go for it for a couple of seconds.
Okay.
Any comments or questions, feedback that's come from your group?
What was surprising about that?
What's missing perhaps?
Seth?
I have a question.
You said it's important that we do, if we don't do the word of supper the right way, then it's not a single word of supper, right?
Yeah.
All I was talking about, what is the right way?
Yeah.
Okay.
So what is the right way?
So I think, what is the right way to celebrate the supper?
So I think in the context of just the things I was saying, so I'd want to say more than this, but in the context of what I was saying, the right way to do the supper is in a way that publicly recognizes those who belong to Jesus and those who don't.
So I think if you stand up publicly and say, listen, it doesn't matter who you are, it doesn't matter what you believe, you can just join in with this, that it ceases to become the Lord's Supper.
I think when you stand up and say, listen, this is for those who have faith in Jesus Christ, not because we're trying to withhold something that will be beneficial for somebody who's not a Christian, but because the benefits of the supper become through faith in Christ.
And I think when we do that and we show that distinction, that is when the supper becomes the supper.
So it's possible to eat bread and wine and think about Jesus, right?
And that might also be good for you in a way, but it's not the supper as it's defined by the New Testament.
Okay.
Nick was giving the same information to me.
Okay.
And was admonishing at the fact on verse 27 of the one who is in the death.
If what you said is true and we believe it to be true, then I think we have a responsibility to those who are visiting and who will understand that we clarify what on verse 27.
Yeah.
In the context of what I was saying.
Yes.
They drink it unwillingly.
Yes.
So, I mean, we might think it's quite a light thing to celebrate the supper in an inappropriate way, but it seems like it's a really serious thing, right?
So he says, this is why some of you are sick and this is why some of you are dying because of the way that they are sharing the Lord's Supper in such a bad way.
It seems to be as well that the importance of discerning the body.
I think that means discerning the people who belong to Christ.
Yeah.
And so whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of Christ.
And so if any of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of those of
if it's saying what can we buy them?
Yeah, so I think it's giving weight to their words, isn't it?
I think it would be to understand that verse
outside of the rest of New Testament theology
to say that it meant that the church was flawlessly right
on those who were...
But I think it means that it's really serious.
So that actually...
We'll come on to this a little bit in a minute.
And...
But it is...
We're so keen to talk about,
and rightly keen to talk about,
it's about personal, individual faith in Jesus Christ,
which saves them,
that we're really cautious about talking about church membership
in that regard.
Because we live in a place and a time
where we've seen that abused, haven't we?
Where you have to belong to this church in order to be saved.
But the idea that you can be an individual Christian
who doesn't belong and isn't recognized by a local church
is totally alien in the New Testament, isn't it?
And so the idea that there are lots of individuals
who just kind of do church themselves
or don't really belong to a church
is just really alien.
And also, it's really alien,
the idea that you would be able to continue to live
as somebody who wasn't a Christian
and still be involved in the life and membership of a church.
So we're quite used to that as well
in an unhelpful way, aren't we?
Sort of nominalism, right?
So people who belong to church,
but we all sort of think
they're probably not really Christians,
but we just kind of carry on with it.
That's really unknown in the New Testament as well.
So actually, this idea of putting out
and receiving in
is really important in the New Testament.
I don't think that fully answers your question, Hannah.
And the truth is that
if you fully understand what that verse 18 means,
you should be explaining it to the rest of us.
So yeah, there is mystery in that, yeah.
Great.
Should we move on?
Let's talk about what is a church member then.
I mean, just let me say,
I haven't, in that, what is a church,
I haven't said everything that a church is, right?
So there is lots of things that church does
and should do that I haven't included.
But in the context of what is a church member,
being an embassy of glory
and having the authority to recognize believers
are really important in our definition of church.
So what then is a church member?
One of the things, again, that Lehman says in his book,
which is really helpful,
is that given what a church is,
a Christian doesn't so much join a church
as they do submit to a church.
It's not because they surrender their conscience
and in all things to a local church.
It's really unhelpful and wrong, isn't it?
If that's what we're doing.
We don't all have to vote for the same political party.
We don't all have to wear the same clothes.
We don't all have to support Liverpool football team,
you know, or Arsenal or something like that.
We don't have to do that.
Praise the Lord.
Rather, the point is that becoming a member of a local church
is its heart submitting to an authority
that God has instituted in this world.
That's what belonging to a church involves.
And in that sense, like I was saying before,
it's impossible to be a Christian
without being a member of a church.
Not because being a member of a church saves you.
Jesus alone can save you.
But rather, submitting to a church
is really submitting to the authority
that Jesus has instituted in this world
for our good, this side of glory.
Now, of course, that's exactly what you find
going on in the New Testament, isn't it?
Believers in Acts devote themselves
to the apostles' teaching,
to the breaking of bread and to one another.
It's not so much that, you know,
they kind of are bound to do that
by being whipped into doing it,
but rather that's what they want to do.
It's how it works.
They're described as being together,
of having everything in common.
Belonging to Jesus is membership
in his new community.
And we find the Lord adds to their number.
He grows the community.
So that faith in Jesus brings people
into the community.
And a community then work together, don't they?
In Acts 6, to provide for those who are in need
to prioritize the preaching of the word and prayer.
In Acts 8, when the church is scattered
through persecution,
they regather in different locations,
sharing the gospel,
and becoming churches in different places.
So here's the first thing.
A church member is an individual
who has submitted to the fellowship
of other Christians in a local church.
Secondly, though,
a church member is an individual
who is part of that local church,
exercises authority themselves.
Right.
This is a little bit complicated, maybe.
So let me give you an illustration
that I've robbed from Jonathan Neiman in his book.
He describes a time when, as a US citizen,
he was living in Brussels,
presumably for something to do with politics, right?
Why else would you live in Brussels?
Anyway, his American passport expired.
So he goes into the US embassy in Brussels
and the US embassy recognizes him
as a citizen of the United States
and they renew his passport.
That's what they're there to do.
That's their responsibility.
He says that the difference between that
and a local church
is that when you become a member of the local church,
you also, in one sense,
join this staff of the embassy
that is also involved in recognizing other citizens, right?
You necessarily,
so that as a church member,
you become a sharer in the keys, right?
You also exercise this power of recognition of others.
It seems, doesn't it,
that it will be guided by the elders.
We'll think about that more next week.
But the keys are given to the whole church in Matthew 18
and not just to the leaders.
So the leaders of the church
can't recognize the members on their own.
We can't appoint the leaders on our own.
We can't decide the budget on our own.
We are sharing all those things together.
So membership is submission, yes,
but that submission also brings with it
a share in the authority of the local church.
As an individual Christian,
God calls you to exercise the gift
that he has given you of membership in his kingdom
in the church, in the embassy.
Perhaps it's worth saying here
that this I think is a really important answer
to how the church is intended to protect itself
against the overreach of leaders
in their exercise of authority.
There are such things as bullying pastors or elders.
But really the authority of elders in the church,
and again we'll think about this some more next week,
is the authority of advice or counsel.
They don't hold the right to enforce membership
or excommunication.
The church collectively are given that power.
So if you're in a church where a small group of men
behind closed doors decide who's in and who's out,
that doesn't seem to be a New Testament model
of local church.
Likewise, if you belong to a church
where the individual themselves decides
whether they are in or out
by just writing their name on a list,
or I'm volunteering to join in this or that,
then that too seems to be different
to the model outlined in Matthew 18,
where the individual submits
to the decision of the church
and then themselves belong
to that decision-making body.
Now, of course, that means that joining the church
and submitting and joining
as the staff of the church effectively,
you must first be a believer in Jesus Christ
and a member of his heavenly kingdom.
Church isn't making Christians,
it's recognizing Christians
and church members are those
who have faith in Jesus,
a faith which necessarily comes with a desire
to belong to his people and meet with them.
Repentance and faith becomes an ongoing mark
of the life of a believer, doesn't it?
So as church members,
we are to recognize other believers
and we recognize other believers
by recognizing ongoing repentance,
not perfection.
Yeah.
I've put one quote from Jonathan Newman's book
on your thing and it's here.
It says this,
if I were to write a standards guide
for those conducting membership interviews,
I would go straight to Matthew's Beatitudes.
It might read something like this,
look for the ones who are poor in spirit,
who mourn for their sin,
who aren't entitled,
always insisting on their own way,
but are meek,
who are sick to death of sin
and all its nonsense
and so hunger and thirst for righteousness
like it is water.
When you find people like that,
make sure they know who Jesus is,
make sure Jesus is the one
who fills their impoverished spirit,
who has forgiven their sins,
who receives their life and worship
and whose righteousness
they depend on and pursue.
When you find such people,
tell them to join.
Notice it's not a person's moral perfection
that qualifies him or her
for church membership.
It's just the opposite.
It's his or her recognition
of a lack of moral perfection
coupled with a hunger for it.
It's not the people who never sin,
it's the people who fight sin.
A church's judicial work
is to affirm not the righteousness,
but the unrighteous
who thirst for righteousness,
the righteousness only God
in Christ can give.
Here's one more way to say it.
What makes people acceptable
to a church
is not their own moral purity,
but Christ's.
Not what they have done
to save themselves,
but what God has done
to save them.
That's what it means
to be a member of a local church.
It is somebody
who is repenting
and turning from their sin.
It's not someone
who's morally perfect
and churches are to recognize
those people as members.
Right, let's just put this together.
This is where we're up to.
A church is someone
who submits to a local church
and who then,
as a member of that church,
goes on to exercise authority
with others in the local church.
That means a member
is someone who has faith in Jesus
and is displaying
ongoing repentance
for their sin.
Now, as we finish,
I just want us to think
about what the life
of a church member
will look like.
And I'm going to pull these
directly from Neiman's book
because, one,
I think they're excellent,
and two,
it means if you disagree with them,
you disagree with him
and not me,
and you can pick it up
with him when you see him.
So here are, he says,
eight ways that a church member
submits to the membership
of a local church.
Let me talk about them briefly
and then you can discuss them
with the person sat next to you
and then we'll pray together
as we close.
Firstly, he says that
church members submit publicly.
That is,
membership of the local church
should be formal and official,
not informal and unofficial.
Now, he talks about
what that might look like
in a persecuted church context
where it would be
particularly dangerous
to admit that you are
a member of a local church.
But under normal circumstances
and certainly in our circumstances,
there should be a means
of being publicly recognized
as belonging to church
and therefore being a part
of what's going on.
There should be a way
of you saying,
this is my church.
And that is our membership system.
Our membership system
is not perfect, right?
And we don't administer it perfectly.
We make lots of, you know,
administrative gaffes
all the time
and that kind of thing,
don't we?
And we don't always run
members meetings brilliantly.
That's not what we're saying.
We're not saying our system
is perfect.
But what we're saying is
there needs to be a system,
a system of publicly recognizing
who belongs to the church
and who doesn't.
And that's not to be unfriendly
to outsiders.
In a way,
it's actually to be friendly
to outsiders.
It's to say to people who come,
listen,
we want you to,
you're our guests.
Come and be our guest.
Listen,
you know,
appreciate what's going on.
We're not going to put on you
the burden of pretending
that you believe
something you don't believe.
We're not going to put on you
the burden of running something
or contributing to something
that you don't yet agree with.
We want you to be our guests
because those who belong
to the church
are publicly recognized.
Secondly,
submitting physically,
geographically.
That is that members
of a local church
basically agree
to live in a place
that makes it possible
for them to attend.
So,
membership of a particular
local church
is a commitment
to attend
that particular local church.
And so,
there's not a command
that you should live
within a certain distance
of the place
in which your church gathers.
But still,
the point of a local church
is that it meets
in a place
and a time.
And that
that is one of the things
that we submit to
as a member of the church.
We submit to being there
at the gatherings of the church
which means that
we recognize
that one of the most helpful ways
that we can submit
to a local church
is by submitting
to the place
that that church meets
and by,
as far as we are able,
living in a place
which enables us
to be there regularly
and be part of that community.
Now,
I think that varies
depending on where exactly
you are in the world,
doesn't it?
And how easy it is
to get around.
But,
I do think
there's something
really important
about recognizing
that we belong
to this church
which meets in this place.
We are West Kilburn Baptist Church.
We're not London Baptist Church.
We're not,
you know,
I don't know,
whatever else,
Birmingham Baptist Church
or something.
Actually,
we belong to this particular place.
Socially,
it doesn't mean
that your entire social life
is swallowed up by church
but rather
that in submitting
to a local church
you say,
these are the people
who I commit
to praying for
and getting to know,
sharing my life with.
You know,
one of the things
that is helpfully
drawn out in the book
which I think
is useful for us to know
is that there is a difference
between being a fellow member
and just a Christian friend.
Right?
So,
I have Christian friends
who are not in this church
who I deeply value
and I really appreciate
their friendship
but if you're a member
of this church,
I am responsible for you
and with you
in a way that I am not
with my Christian friends
who are outside
of this church
because we've covenanted
together to belong
to one another
and to recognise
one another
as believers
in the Lord Jesus Christ
and that should affect
how we live.
Right?
So,
we can't be
effective church members
unless we're invested
in getting to know
people in the church.
So,
that's what we submit to.
Affectionately.
Number four.
I guess this really
is just sort of
unpacking that
but it is picking up
on Paul's language
or his body language
about the church.
You know,
where one person hurts
we all hurt.
Yeah?
We rejoice
with those who rejoice.
We mourn
with those who mourn.
Romans 12 verse 10 says
we're to be devoted
to one another in love.
Meaning that
there is a sense
in which church
you submit to the church
capturing your affection
part.
Right?
So,
actually we are
to love deeply
here
and to care
for one another
in that way.
there is a sense
in which
it is right
that our emotions
ride with the church
that when church
is struggling
and difficult
that should grieve us.
When church is going
well we should rejoice
in that.
When people in church
are suffering
we should suffer
with them.
When they're rejoicing
we should rejoice
with them.
Fifthly,
financially
here's the recognition
that it is the members
of the church
who are primarily
responsible
for the funding
of the ministry
of the church
through their own
personal generosity.
Sharing with those
in need.
Allowing those
to preach the gospel
to get a living
from the gospel
and seeing the need
to fund missions
and other churches
in need.
You know,
we hope
we give
to the ministry
and life
of the local church.
We might choose
to give beyond that
as well.
We might choose
to give other money
elsewhere
but we are
primarily responsible
for funding
the ministry
of the church
here,
aren't we?
And the needs
here.
And if we are
not able to do
that we need
to either trim
what we're doing
or we need
to ask one another
whether we're
really being
as sacrificial
as we should be.
That applies
not only
to church members
it applies
to church leaders
it applies to me
it applies to
everybody.
And we're
responsible
for the finances
here.
It's the family
finances.
Vocationally
now for some
this will mean
perhaps stepping
away from a career
to some kind
of paid ministry.
For others
it might mean
holding back
in a career
to give time
to the ministry
of the church.
For all of us
it will mean
that recognizing
that what God
is building
in the local church
is the most
significant thing
that is being
put together
in this world.
It's more important
than whatever it is
that we're building
in our jobs.
Now that doesn't
mean that God
is not honored
by the way
that you go
about your work
and that you
can't glorify
him in your work.
That's really
important.
You do do that.
We're going
to be thinking
about that
later this term.
But actually
it recognizes
that what God
is doing
in the local
church is really
the significant
thing.
This is the
outpost
of future glory.
Ethically
again not that
the local church
has authority
over your conscience
but rather
that your brothers
and sisters
in the church
have the right
to call you
out on your
behavior
and to encourage
you to walk
closely with the
Lord.
When you join
in church
membership
you are
submitting
to say
listen
I commit
myself
to living
for Jesus
and if you
see that I
am not doing
that I
invite you
to say to me
Steve you're
not living for
the Lord Jesus
in that area
of your life.
What you did
there was
not right.
And I mean
that's good
for us.
I know it feels
difficult but it
is good for us
isn't it?
At the heart
of church
sin is not
dealt with
by pretending
that it
doesn't exist
but by
repentance and
faith isn't
it?
So when we
submit like
that to church
and someone
points out
and we say
oh yeah
you're right
I'm sorry
that I did
that please
forgive me
and then that
person doesn't
say oh
of course
I'm not
going to
forgive you
they go
no of course
I will
forgive you
we have
the means
of forgiveness
in the
center of
our church
life in
the person
and work
of the
Lord Jesus
spiritually
that is that
the local
church is to
be the
place where
your spiritual
gifts are to
be exercised
for the good
of others
doesn't mean
that every
spiritual gift
in the life
of church
is on
display in
a public
gathering of
the local
church
it's really
important
isn't it?
We don't
have an
administration
slot in
our service
so that those
with gifts
of administration
can come and
display them
in front of
everybody on
a Sunday
morning
no because
the gifts
that we use
on a Sunday
morning are
those that
are good
for building
us up
but actually
we all have
different gifts
don't we
which we are
to exercise
in the life
of our church
for the good
of the mission
of the church
for the building
of one another
up in all
sorts of
different ways
the church
is also the
place where
you will be
taught the
Bible by
someone who
knows you
and who God
has gifted
to preach
it
again
it seems
to be
the Lord
in his
wisdom
suggests that
the most
spiritually
helpful thing
for you
is not to
be taught
by the best
preacher in
the world
which is
definitely
not me
but you can
find them on
the internet
whoever they
are
but to be
taught by
someone who
knows you
and who
loves you
and who
will be
held
accountable
by you
and also
by the Lord
for what they
say
that's the
most spiritually
helpful thing
for you
even if they
stumble over
their words
and even if
they don't
you know
they don't
have a
stick
illustrations
of other
people
because actually
that's the
way that the
Lord has
designed the
Christian life
church is to
be the place
where your
spiritual
well-being
will be
taken
seriously
and cared
for by
others
so you
go
what were
they
those eight
things
publicly
physically
geographically
socially
affectionately
financially
vocationally
ethically
spiritually
I intended
to put a
question on
your handout
at the end
of that
but I did
not
did I
I wonder
whether you
could talk
with the
person next
to you
about what
you think
about those
any of those
that are
surprising
or maybe
something that
you think
is missing
and then
we'll take
your questions
and then
we'll close
go for it
okay
sorry to
interrupt your
conversations
anyone got
any comments
or questions
Nick has a
question
yes
but the
difficulty
there is
how do
you draw
the line
or how
do you
what
guidelines
can we
follow
to ensure
that we
it's the
right thing
that we're
not necessarily
invading
privacy as
well
yeah
so I guess
what sort
of guidelines
can we
use
yes
how can
we not
be intrusive
in our
encouragement
to people
not to
sin
or to
calling
people out
and sin
so there's
lots of
things you
could say
on there
Galatians 6
verses 1
and 2
are really
helpful aren't
they
brothers and
sisters if
someone is
caught in
sin
you who
live by
the spirit
should
restore that
person
gently
but watch
yourselves
or you
also may
be tempted
carry each
other's
burdens
and in
this way
you will
fulfill the
law of
Christ
it seems
isn't it
it's not
the leaders
who do it
necessarily
it's
believers
don't believe
so I think
lots of
church
discipline
just happens
in conversation
between
church
members
doesn't
it
as we
encourage
each
other
we're
to do
it
with
gentleness
and with
a
recognition
that
actually
the
temptations
that we
see other
people
kind of
giving
into
are not
temptations
that we
ourselves
wouldn't
suffer
with
yeah
there's
lots more
that could
be said
I think
that's a
really
important
verse
in that
yeah
anybody
else
yeah
simming
go on
just trying
to think
through
evangelism
because
in a
sense
even
if you
plant
the
church
in a
really
in order
to reach
a
community
you're
gatherings
together
the
main
part of
them
is
the
encouragement
of
brothers and
sisters
together
but
there's a
sense in
which as a
church family
you're there
to go out
yes
yeah
maybe it's
just it
doesn't
fit into
church
as a
gathering
or
how does
it
yeah
so how
does evangelism
fit with
those eight
points
because evangelism
wasn't one of
them that I
gave
well you
probably ought
to pick that
up with
Jonathan
but one of the
things I think
is that we
underestimate
the evangelistic
effectiveness of a
healthy local
church
it seems
that 1
corinthians 14
talks about
unbelievers being
present at the
gatherings of the
church and
recognizing from the
manner in which
those gatherings
are run
that God is
amongst them
and at work in
them
and ironically
that is the
recognition that
they're on the
outside of it
even though they're
present in it
and so
that's I think
the mistake of
the seeker service
isn't it
which basically
says
this is
our gatherings
are really for
people who don't
know Christ
actually that is
not as that's not
good for the
believers
actually not all
that good for
people who don't
know Christ
either
our gatherings
are for the
building up of
believers
and are to be
friendly and
welcoming to
those outside
that they might
watch and
recognize that
they're not a
part of what's
going on outside
of faith in
Christ
and in that
way
they're supporting
the evangelistic
ministry of every
individual in the
church
so you know
come to church
come and have
a look
come and have
a look
what we do
you know
does that
help is that
what you were
saying
yeah
yes
yeah
thanks
sorry
go on
simile
you were
going to
say as
well
pretty sure
you took
a breath
yeah
and in a
way
it's not
just
the church
events that
are designed
with the
unbeliever in
mind
it is actually
church itself
which is
evangelistic
so you know
you're trying to
reach out to a
place that has
no gospel
witness
you want to
plant a local
church there
as a kind of
beacon of light
and you want to
encourage them to
be healthy
to care for one
other spiritually
to grow as
Christians
because that
will be
evangelistic
yeah
vocationally
it's really
interesting that
isn't it
so if you
so you might
have a job
that involves
shift work
like Natasha
was there
you know
so that you
can't attend
church as
regularly as
you'd like to
but there
might be
some careers
that for some
Christians
just might
not be
appropriate
not because
they're
unethical
but just
because they
take them
away from
the life of
the local
church in
such a way
that they
could grow
as Christians
you know
even if that
job put you
amongst non-Christians
all day that
you had technically
an opportunity
to witness to
if you were
so taken away
from a healthy
local church
that you weren't
able to live
as a Christian
what's the
evangelistic benefit
in that
yeah
yeah so I think
you could tease
out evangelism in
all of them
couldn't you
probably
yeah
any other
final comments
or questions
great
well I'll take
it that you're
all super excited
to belong
to a local
church
it's a great
thing isn't
it it's a
really good
thing to
belong to
church
so let me
pray
and we'll
close
and let me
pray for us
heavenly father
thank you
that we get
to belong
to a local
church
like West
Kilburn Baptist
Church
we thank
you
that for
the sake
of our
growth
in Christ
and for
the sake
of our
assurance
and for
the sake
of our
health
as Christians
you've put
us around
other people
who have
committed
themselves
to caring
for us
and to
watching over
us
we want
to pray
please
that
belonging
to our
church
would be
good for
us
and that
we'd
exercise
these
responsibilities
that you've
given to
us
with due
care and
attention
and that
we wouldn't
be sloppy
about it
not because
we reckon
that we can
always get
it right
but because
these things
are important
because they're
important to
you
so Lord
we thank you
that you love
us
thank you for
all you've
done for
us
bless us
as we go
our separate
ways
in Jesus name
amen