| September 20, 1998 |
Vol. I, No. 21
|
THE IMPORTANCE OF MEMBERSHIP IN AND FAITHFULNESS TO THE LOCAL CHURCH
One of the many problems faced by many local churches in our time is that numerous individuals who SHOULD be active members of local churches either NEVER establish that relationship, or do not take seriously the responsibilities that are theirs as members of a local church.
Let us first look at some of the evidence of the importance that was attached to the local church by the inspired apostles. On Paul’s first trip to Jerusalem after his appointment to the apostleship, he sought to attach himself to the band of disciples who were there, Acts 9:26-28. “And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out.” Today, in our mobile society, as Christians move from place to place, like Paul, they should seek out the local assembly of the saints, join themselves to them, and come in and go out among them. Another passage emphasizing local church membership is Acts 13:1. “Now in the church that was at Antioch, there were certain prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.”
While Aquila and Priscilla were working with the church in Ephesus, a preacher by the name of Apollos arrived on the scene. Apollos was an eloquent speaker, but he did not know that the baptism of John had given way to baptism in the name of the Lord Jesus. Aquila and Priscilla took Apollos aside and instructed him more fully in the will of God. Apollos remained for a while in Ephesus, working with the local congregation there. Later, when he departed from Ephesus to Achaia, “the brethren wrote exhorting the disciples to receive him; and when he arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, for he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, showing from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ” (Acts 18:24-28). Note how the church in Ephesus cooperated with the churches of Achaia by informing them about Apollos, and how Apollos by his faithful work among them was able to help the local congregations in both areas. In our mobile society today, Christians who move from place to place can likewise be a help to the congregations in the areas where they move if they make themselves available to use their talents in the service of the Lord.
Other indications of the importance of local churches in the plan of God include the fact that about a third of the books of the New Testament were addressed to specific local churches, and that wherever Paul and others went in their travels they assembled with local churches where such existed and they sought to establish a congregation where one did not exist. These facts abundantly prove that the local church arrangement is from God.
Now, let us take note of a few of the reasons the local church is important. First, we might take not of the social nature of man. By our created nature, we need friends, associates, companions. We need to receive encouragement from others and we need to be an encouragement to others.
The family relationship came into existence because “The Lord God said, ‘It is not good that man should be alone; I will make him a helper comparable to him’” (Gen. 2:18). A similar need for spiritual companionship and partnership is satisfied within the local church arrangement.
Also, the great need for men to be enlightened by the gospel points to the importance of the church, which is the “pillar and ground of the truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). Men are lost without the gospel, Mark 16:15-16. Those who have believed and obeyed the gospel need to continue to be instructed “to observe all things that [Christ] commanded” (Matt. 28:18-20). The instructing of those who are not Christians is usually described as evangelism; the instructing of Christians is usually referred to as edification. Evangelism and edification are the two most basic works of a local church, Eph. 4:11-13; 1 Thess. 1:7-8; 1 Cor. 14:12, 19, 26. If we can see the importance of evangelism and edification we should readily be able to see the importance of the local church -- God’s arrangement for accomplishing those two great purposes.
The need for spiritual guidance also underscores the importance of the local church arrangement. “O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; it is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jer. 10:23). We are not so constituted as to be able to “know” or “feel” our way to heaven without the instructions that have come from God. Of course, we can and must take our own Bible and study for ourselves from God’s revelation, but God in His wisdom has recognized the value of our being instructed by those who have spent years gaining a spiritual maturity and knowledge of God’s word. Preachers who have spent many hours of personal study must take that knowledge out and share it with others who in turn will be able to teach others as well, 2 Tim. 2:2. Mature, godly men who have attained certain definite qualities listed in 1 Tim. 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9, should be appointed as overseers in local churches to “shepherd the flock of God” (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:1-4). If such teaching and training and oversight is important, then the local church is important, for it is God’s arrangement for such matters.
Another need we have from time to time is that of discipline. God has arranged discipline within the local church for our good, 1 Cor. 5:1-5; Matt. 18:15-17. I don’t like to be scolded or disciplined -- but sometimes I NEED to be rebuked, and if rebuke fails to bring me back into line, I need to be further disciplined. “Now no chastening seems to be joyful for the present, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward it yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Heb. 12:11). The local church is God’s arrangement for the discipline of unruly disciples.
Rev. 1:13, 20 seems to suggest that Christ’s presence within the local church is a spiritual reality. Matt. 18:20 suggests the same. Truly those who isolate and absent themselves from the work and worship of the local church are sowing the seeds of their own destruction.
Surely we can see that the local church arrangement is from God for our good. To willfully, intentionally remain aloof from the local church is to sin by violating the teachings and principles we have examined in this study. Perhaps the seriousness of that sin can best be pointed out by looking at the result that would follow if ALL Christians imitated such behavior. If it is right for one Christian to ignore God’s local church arrangement, it would be all right for all of them to do so. Yet if ALL Christians should ignore God’s local church arrangement, the local church would soon disappear from the earth. Therefore we can be assured that it is wrong, and sinful, for ANY Christian to willfully, intentionally remain aloof from the local church.
--CRJ
In Matt. 6:1-18, Jesus tells His followers that as we do things in the service of God we should keep in mind the goal of pleasing our heavenly Father. "Do not do your charitable deeds to be seen by men," He tells us. "And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men... Moreover, when you fast, do not be like the hypocrites... For they disfigure their faces that they may appear to men to be fasting..."
Jesus was not setting aside the principle stated in Matt. 5:13-16 that others seeing our good works might be led to glorify God. He is warning each worshiper to re-examine his motives in almsgiving, in prayer, in fasting. Are we trying to impress MEN, and receive THEIR glory?
There are several problems with acts of religion performed to impress men. First, they tend to be empty, spiritually bankrupt. A person who gives to make a good impression on his fellow man will only give if others are looking. He is more interested in the praise he gets from men than in the good that will result from his gift.
Secondly, since God's ways are not our ways and His thoughts are not our thoughts, Isa. 55:8-9, it is quite possible that our deeds done to impress other sinful human beings may not even harmonize with God's cause. In Gal. 1:10, Paul said, "...Do I seek to please men? If I still pleased men, I would not be a servant of Christ." In religion, we should be more interested in God's will than in that of our fellow man. We are thankful to live in a land where we have a great deal of freedom in the realm of religion, but that in no way detracts from our responsibility to God.
It is true that some good is accomplished by alms given from the wrong motives, that some individual may see someone else fasting from ulterior motives and become more cognizant of his own spiritual and material blessings, but it is also true that for the hypocritical giver, pray-er, or fast-er, the reward is only temporal and fleeting. By realigning our motives, seeing that our service is really directed to God, and is constant whether or not men are watching, we lay up treasures in heaven, verses 19-21.
--CRJ