Types of Church Members
Jude, Thessalonians, John, Corinthians, Ephesians, Peter
* Last Sunday evening, as a part of our testimony time, we heard Bro. J.D. give an emotional word about being a ‘lost church member.’ I know from private discussion that he existed as a lost church member for many years. His closing words were something like, “If there is a chance you may be a member of this church and not one who has trusted Christ, put your trust in Him today.” Think about & hold this thought – “Lost Church Member.”
* Those words permeated my thought, my heart, and my prayer life this week as I remembered those words of years past accredited to Billy Graham which said, “Approximately 70%-80% of church members are lost.” Candidly, as I prayed I was reminded of the concept that 20% of church members perform 80% of the ministry that 70% of members perform 20% of the ministry, and that 10 % of those who are church members that claim Christ do nothing. Additionally, as Steve Hale told us, close to 85% of churches in America are on the plateau or declining. Candidly, there is a problem, and it is not in the Whitehouse, it is in the church house.
* All of these truths cause me to ask an appropriate question (which I also ask of a Pastor/Evangelist Friend – Dan Lanier), “What types of church members exist?” Have you ever thought about it? Someone walks an aisle, goes through the Baptistery, and is a member – but what kind of a member is he or she? Let’s walk through some scripture & see what we might discover.
1. The Unsaved Church Member – This is the one that J.D. spoke of last week which, by his testimony, he was. It is a church member that I was. It is the church member that any one CAN BE. This is the person described in Jude. (Read verses 1-4, 8, 10, 12-13, 16). Look at the difference in focus.
Church member ONLY Christian (Believer) Church Christ Programs People Events Effects
Traditions Truth
Attendance Assignment
Time Eternity
Self Service
As an unsaved church member, I knew something was not right. Honestly, I didn’t set out to be a ‘trouble maker’, but every time the pastor gave an invitation, I deeply felt something was not right and I was afraid to change.
* Here is what I know; a lost church member is a miserable person. And misery loves company. The Bible clearly says that some will come in by ‘stealth’, ‘unaware’, ‘privately’, or ‘unnoticed’.
* While some people may come and join a church to pervert or subvert, it seems to me that many lost people today come into a church unaware that they have not followed Christ. Because of the ease by which people are granted membership, it serves as an open door for one to join the church for all the wrong reasons.
* Some join for social reasons, others for family reasons, still others for business reasons, and others for any number of human reasons. A person who has not been drawn by the power of God, to the Son of God, for the forgiveness of God, and into the light of God has no standing before God except to say, “Lord, I’m a sinner, have mercy on me.”
* The text tells us that the lost church member turns the grace of God in to a license to sin. This means I can do what I want because God is a forgiving God. But to have this attitude is a clear sign that this person does not have the Spirit of God present in their life. Lost church members despise authority. Has there ever been a day in the church of the Lord Jesus Christ that everyone sees themselves as a “Chief?” The text goes on to say that lost church members ‘blaspheme anything they don’t understand.” A lost church member has the tendency to be against everything, not because it’s bad, but because he doesn’t understand it and is afraid of change. Verse 16 is almost comical to me. They are ‘discontented grumblers’ as opposed to ‘contented grumblers??” But what they do is show what is in their hearts by what comes out of their mouths.
* The bad news is this; yes, lost church members exist. I was one. Others give the same testimony. The good news is; God is reaching down to change the lost church member at the heart level.
2. The Unengaged Church Member – Many will say, “I know who this is! Old Joe used to be here all the time and he hasn’t been to church in years.” Obviously, they are speaking of the person whom we call, inactive. Surely they are unengaged, but let’s keep our thought inside the building. Turn to 1 Thessalonians 5. “Warn the lazy”. Ouch. Different translations render this word as idle, disorderly, unruly, not living right, and those who do not work. It is only used by Paul in the letters to Thessalonica. Turn to 2 Thessalonians 3. Every believer in Christ is called to do their part in the church.
* Be reminded of the context of these letters. The Thessalonians embraced that the Second Coming was at hand. So they quit their job, stopped their work, both secularly and ministry, to wait. Paul says, ‘If you don’t work, you don’t eat.’ Some will ask, ‘How does this affect us? No one here is sitting around & waiting for the Lord’s return.” My comment is “Oh really.”
* First, I would ask this; ‘if God gave you divine insight and you KNEW that Jesus was coming at 10pm tonight, how would your day change? Would your conversation at lunch be the same?
* Would your priorities for the afternoon remain the same? (the ballgame or nap) Would your schedule remain the same? (tonight’s service) Some suggest that the evening service is unimportant. Okay, if that is true, let’s do away with. But if it’s important enough for the church to have it, if I’m engaged in my church, then it’s important enough to be here. I have often wondered how I would excuse myself before the Lord IF He came back during a church service and discovered me – absent? By the way, to disengage from the church is to part ways with the Bride of Christ.
3. The Unloving Church Member – (Story of preacher not wanting to go to church) interestingly, ‘unloving church member’ would seem to be an oxymoron because so much of our Lord’s and the Bible’s emphasis is for the believers to LOVE ONE ANOTHER. In the New Testament alone the phrase, ‘love one another” appears 13 times and 4 of those are spoken by our Lord Jesus in the upper room. (John 13:34-35, 15:12, 15:17) Loving one another is an indication of our salvation, our identification, and our eternal destination. Think about how critical loving is: We cannot love God if we don’t love one another. These are not my words they are truths from scripture. (1 John 4:20, 12) I am reminded of years past where a “pastor” was heard to say, “I hate them and hope they leave the church.” You ask, “What kind of pastor would say something like this?” You’d be right to ask that, but my question would follow, “What kind of church member would berate, gossip about, and lie about, someone in their church family? According to the scripture, the unloving church member is one whose salvation is suspect. Jesus sets the stage for us in the upper room by giving us the directive to “LOVE ONE ANOTHER.” Let’s be practical about this thing called love. To love someone doesn’t mean you agree on everything. To love someone means giving deep respect, wanting the best for them, & being willing to ‘lay down your life in their behalf.’ (John 15:13)
* While some may argue this is not the type of love required by God, I remind us that 3 times in the upper room Jesus tells us to love one another as I have loved you. Twelve hours later, His body would be in the ground.
* Sadly, the unloving church member wields a heavy hand in the church today causing dilemmas, dissentions, and divisions. Every person here has witnessed an unloving church member causing trouble in the body and found ourselves ashamed & wanting to ‘fix’ the problem.
* I offer two suggestions to overcome an unloving spirit; a) be sure of your salvation &, 2) see people through God eyes. We are all a work in progress by our Lord. Try seeing that person who annoys you, has hurt you, divorced you, betrayed you, and even abandoned your friendship; try seeing them through God’s eyes. If you do, you’ll see a person who God loves and is so much interested in that Jesus died for Him.
4. The Unspiritual Church Member – While some might not think this is a big deal, I submit it is a big deal to our Lord. (1 Corinthians 3) Let’s describe an ‘unspiritual’ church member.
* He has walked the aisle, possibly experienced true conversion, and can be very consistent in attendance.
* However, this person has kept one eye on the world and is unable to understand and discern spiritual truths because they tend to see God’s work through the eyes of the world. Worldly thinking embraces earthly principles like power, prominence & prestige; but God’s Kingdom is not built on earthly principles. These people cannot understand the Spiritual.
* They live in envy not unity, they are always concerned about what someone else has not what God has given them, they are concerned with getting their way not what is HIS way.
* This member is easily recognizable because they keep the strife going.
* Unless the focus is on them, they are not happy.
* Honestly, they cannot stomach the truth of God’s word and generally will become agitated when offered it.
* They are easily angered, always on the defensive, & have their favorite leaders (none of who is THE LEADER).
* They cannot grasp the concept of ‘body-life.’ (That everyone (including them) has a ministry and that EACH PERSON is vital to the task of making disciples.
* These do not exhibit the fruit of the Spirit, because His Spirit cannot be seen.
* The word ‘flesh’ is translated ‘carnal’, ‘worldly’, & even ‘corrupt nature.’
* This person can be recognized as a church leader but he is really a ‘leaker.’ Ephesians 4:11-14 gives us one other word. I submit that the reason we have unspiritual members is because we have allowed ourselves to remain kids.
5. The Unadulterated Church Member – This is a big word which is unused in the vernacular, but it is accurate. Adult is a person of maturity & conviction. Adulterer is an adult who has compromised at a deep level. Unadulterated is pure, unstained, and undefiled. This member is one who has experienced life-change in Jesus. He has been transformed with a renewed mind, He is being reformed daily by a new heart, and He has been born again exhibiting a new lifestyle. This member places Christ’s will, want & ways at the top of His agenda for the Church. He recognizes the church as the Bride of Christ which deserves His faithful commitment through the good & bad time. He sees the church as God’s channel of blessing to this world. This member gives his all to the church because he knows that it’s GOD’s CHURCH. (1 Cor 1:2, 2 Cor 1:1, Gal 1:13, 1 Tim 3:5) The member who is uncompromised or unadulterated is the one who can be counted on by the body, even the community, and most importantly, by God. What kind of member are you?
Powerpoints can be received by emailing Bro. Jerry. Also, check his web site; jerrywatts.info
