Limits of membership
In the past several weeks we have been discussing Christian freedom. We have examined Jesus’ and Paul’s words related to the subject and I have suggested that when each one speaks about Christian Freedom we can be sure that their use of the word is absolute…Free means free. But the actual focus of our study is to notice how WE limit our freedom as Christians.
We have also discussed how we allow our view of what God is like affects how freely we live. Some people live less than free lives because they want Got to respond to their needs…Sort of a Santa Clause concept. There are people that live out of fear of God and choose to restrict their lives to avoid punishment.
Last week we examined what kind of prison perfectionism creates. How it is self imposed limiting of our choice. I suggested that the only way of freeing ourselves form a false representation of our human condition was to jump off the pedestal that places us above other people and to admit that we still have problems with sin. That way we choose to join the rest of the sinners and look them in the eye.
The one element of our relationship with God that I hope you never lose sight of is that when we fail in our Christian life and fall into sin. No matter what the sin, God will NEVER stop loving us and will always be waiting to accept us back and to trust us with our personal freedom again.
In a way my discussion about Christian freedom has been some what pointless.
The majority of people here have already given up absolute freedom as a Christian because they have placed themselves within the membership of this church.
Don’t get me wrong I believe that submitting to membership in a local church is the best choice that a believer can make.
So, for the past few weeks the messages about freedom have hopefully been for every person that is a Christian. The guidance or help toward faith for a non-believer was minimal.
-- Today the sermon is even more limited. Today the remarks that God has placed on my heart are only for the members of this church.
Everyone is welcome; there is no need for the few that are not members to leave.
However, the subject is directly related to the limits of our freedom because of our commitment to the local church.
It seems a little strange but when I looked in several of my Bibles I did not find anything that looked like a membership application. And there are lots of people that believe that you can be a Christian without being a member of a church.
Let me just say that there are a few flaws in that thought. First, according to Jesus the church is his creation.
In Matthew 16:18, He said, " And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it."
Ephesians 5:25 says that Christ "gave Himself for the church." Jesus prayed for the church in Gethsemane before He died on the Cross.
Add to those basic references that Paul wrote to specific churches, he named specific community members that were a part of those churches Makes it pretty clear that some type of membership is identified indirectly in the New Testament.
I believe that scripture is clear that it is hard to live as a Christian when connected to a church and that some individuals are sent out of the church to learn what the loss of community feels like. I am not sure that too many people would be able to live a fruitful Christian life in isolation away from other Christians.
According to Paul, any person going the path alone will ultimately choose other forms of slavery, many that are sinful. They seem to do this just to be accepted as part of a bigger community.
So as a person that is “preveniently” (in advance of faith) brought by God’s grace into a relationship, they are Christians and automatically members of the catholic….the universal church of believers. They are without a doubt Christians.
However, a Christian without a church is limited in their access to God given resources. They probably have fewer understanding people in their life that share their joys and concerns. Fewer people that celebrate their excitement about God and his personal interaction in them. They may feel the need to hide their acceptance of the good news because the people in their life will think them a nut.
A Christian that is not connected to a church family will also have less opportunity and ability to have a purpose in the kingdom of God.
They are like a soldier without and army, of a football player without a team, a drummer without a band.
But, all believers are free to choose to try to go it alone. Free to determine the will of God in their life. Sort of like the Jews are free to keep the LAW of Moses to obtain their salvation.
-- But, I don’t believe that a believer was ever intended to make their faith journey alone.
My point is that Jesus did not die just for individuals; He created the church as a larger body and a community of believers. The New Testament does not have a application for membership but, it does assume that Christians are connected to a local church where that live out their relationship with Jesus…as his body.
Even though we have no surviving membership list it is pretty clear that the local churches knew who was and who was not in the local churches. Acts 1:15 mentions that there were about 120 in the upper room on the day of Pentecost and later the scripture reports on how many men were added to their number daily. In First Timothy there is a list of faithful widows that needed assistance. In 1 Corinthians 5:2 Paul speaks of putting someone out of the fellowship…..
If there was no membership then what is he suggesting them to put the man out of?
So Jesus says that he created the church – the universal church that all Christians are a part of and Paul writes to specific groups in certain cites expecting that groups of Christians would read the letters. There is a basic assumption that Christians are gathered in some kind of local church environment.
We already know that Paul encourages believers to be free and more specially free in following Jesus….There seems to be no hint that he considers Christians to be independent at all.
I believe that his understanding of a church is best stated in Romans 12:4-6.
Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.
Paul describes the church as being like our bodies with specific parts and abilities. Believers give up absolute freedom which offers little ongoing support - to become a part of something bigger.
Something that is alive with an enhanced level of intelligence and compassion and love.
When a believer chooses to become a member of the church they give up ownership of themselves not only to Jesus Christ but to the rest of the church body. For the combined benefit of the body.
When we said yes to the membership covenant - We agreed to submit to the bigger group and to PARTICIPATE in its ministries by our PRAYERS, our PRESENCE, our GIFTS and our SERVICE…..and as of January first the membership covenant includes OUR WITTNESS.
That sounds like a lot of stuff, a lot of limits on our resources. But, with these commitments we also get other things to offset our choice.
I feel that when a person chooses to be a church member he or she receives the ability to be something better than they can be alone.
Something more powerful than any isolated Christian can be.
Church members are able to grow exponentially in their relationship with Jesus Christ because of the power of God that exists more powerfully in a church community.
Living in a community of faith we grow in our ability to love which is a major step in our growth toward perfection…..
Growing in the ability to love like God loves is a way of reclaiming the original image of god that was lost in the Garden of Eden.
Christian freedom channeled through the local church frees believers to access the power of God to build up the church and to impact the local community.
-- The church has benefits for its members however, it was not established for the members….
-- The church has benefits for its members however, it was not established for the members….
Let me try to describe it another way.
A believer in the works of Jesus Christ to forgive his or her Sins receives the power of the spirit. They are free to try to grow in personal righteousness and may have some success.
However, an individual is limited in at least two ways. First the spirit of God that the person receives is limited not in volume but in how to apply and use it. Secondly, one person, is very limited on the impact that they can have within a community because the are inviting others to a life of faith in isolation…
In reality, a person that believes that they can be a Christian and worship alone in nature or grow in their relationship with Jesus with only self study of the Bible without a community to help … are not likely to use the gift and power of the spirit as well as they could.
Since the core instruction given by Jesus the Christ is to go and make disciples it is not likely that a person that attempts to grow as a Christian in solitude is unlikely invite others to a similar connection to God.
-- That would ruin their personal experience….
On the other hand, A person that chooses to join a community of faith may receive the same dose of the Spirit as an unconnected believer.
However, there are several differences in what can happen.
First, in a community of faith members are encouraged search for the spirit and to trust that it is at work in their lives. The members of the body benefit from the Gifts provided to each person and they grow as they help each other in their faith journey.
Basically, these people learn to harness the power of the spirit like a hydro electric dam instead of allowing it to simply drain off down stream.
-- Don’t misunderstand me; we are never able to really control the power of the spirit. We simply learn how to apply what is provided more efficiently.
Because of the unity of the church body, it seems that we have more volume to work with. It is also likely that when a church actively engages the spirit of God for vision the mind of Christ grows within the church.
The volume and power provided by God may increase at least in the visible impact within the church and more importantly within the surrounding community.
A church community does not exist to serve it self.
It exists to server God and to share the good news and love of God with outsiders.
It exist not to grow membership but to invite people to be Christians connected to a community of faith.
It exists to teach people how to participate in harnessing the power of the Holy spirit to free ourselves and others from the power of sin in this present life.
Folks, Christian freedom when yielded to the direction and will of God frees us from the worry of becoming perfect. It frees us from the necessity of understanding every detail in a project we undertake for Jesus.
When we use our freedom to be a active member of the church body we are free to serve and lead and to offer the living hand of healing and mercy and grace to the world around us.
The unity of the church helps us to find encouragement and growth and joy in ways that we can never achieve on our own.
- The question for the members of this church today…How have you chosen to limit your freedom?
- Are you committed to Jesus, to be a part of his church?
- Are you committed to helping Silver Creek UMC to be a healthy body of Christians with a purpose an plan in the kingdom and will of God?
Folks the only way that you will ever find joy in your obedience in your commitment to Jesus Christ is to actively search for God’s will for you within the Christian family. The only way to really experience the power of the spirit is to spend time in the upper room so to speak and observe as God does amazing things and invites us to join in the work.
The blessings of Christian freedom come alive when we find our purpose within the church and the kingdom of God.
All Glory be God!
