I Will Be A Functioning Church Member-12 12-31.docx
1 Corinthians 12:12-31
I am beginning a series this morning called “I Am A Church Member”
I AM A CHURCH MEMBER
REPEAT AFTER ME—“I AM A CHURCH MEMBER”
Over the next several weeks we are going to take a look at what it means to be a church member
What being a church member is about?
American Express says, “Membership has its privileges”
A lot of places now have some kind of membership program
SAMS
YMCA
You can even join a country club and have exclusive use of its facilities
To some though membership, especially at a country club, means that others will serve me. I just pay the rate and I can enjoy the life of leisure.
Some of use treat the church like a country club.
Just sitting around waiting on people to wait on me
With statements like:
“This is my church so you have to play the music just the way I want it”
“Look pastor, you need to remember who pays your salary”
“If you don’t do this program, I’ll withhold my check to the church”
“I’m a charter member, so I have a right to get what I want”
“I don’t pay good money to this church to listen to sermons that long”
You get the picture
Those are common comments that come from church members who have an unbiblical view of membership
For them membership is about receiving instead of giving, being served instead of serving, rights instead of responsibilities, and entitlements instead of sacrifice
SO what is church membership about?
Glad you asked
Read Verses
1) The Church Body Is A Diversity In Unity-Vs. 12-13
a) Paul uses the illustration of the human body to give us a picture of how the church body is composed. (v. 12)
b) ILL-- Have you ever considered how amazing the human body really is? Truthfully, how could anyone ever believe that it is the product of chance plus time? The stomach’s digestive acids are strong enough to dissolve zinc. Fortunately for us, the cells in the stomach lining renew so quickly that the acids don’t have time to dissolve it. The lungs contain over 300,000 million capillaries (tiny blood vessels). If they were laid end to end, they would stretch 2400km (1500 miles). Human bone is as strong as granite in supporting weight. A block of bone the size of a matchbox can support 9 tons – that is four times as much as concrete can support. Each kidney contains 1 million individual filters. They filter an average of around 1.3 liters (2.2 pints) of blood per minute, and expel up to 1.4 liters (2.5 pints) a day of urine. The focusing muscles of the eyes move around 100,000 times a day. To give your leg muscles the same workout, you would need to walk 80km (50 miles) every day. Everything in our body seems to work together by design...
c) It is no wonder why Paul chose to use the Human body as an illustration of how the church - the Body of Christ - ought to function.
d) God designed the church to function much like a human body - it is comprised of many different parts yet those parts are united into one body.
e) The universal church (catholic) - the body of Christ - is made up of many different parts, just like a human body yet those parts are unified into one whole body.
f) So it is with the local assembly - the body is made of many diverse parts united together into a whole.
g) Even though the parts of the human body are different, they must be united to one another so that the body functions properly. The church is no different than our bodies.
h) If a part is missing we are handicapped.
i) When a part of the body is missing it hurts
j) The work of assembling the body together is a work of the Spirit of God (v. 13)
k) The Baptism of the Spirit occurs at conversion (baptize = to place into)
l) We all drink of the same Spirit (Indwelling of the Holy Spirit)
m) Jn. 7:38-39—““He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water.’ ” But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.
n) ILL-For we are the body-Casting Crowns
o) Listen, Membership means we are all necessary parts of the whole
2) Every Body In The Church Body Has A Function-Vs. 14-20
a) Each part of our bodies is designed with a different function - Paul mentions our hands, feet, ears, eyes and our sense of smell (our nose).
b) Some are hands, some feet, some eyes, some ears
c) Each member performs a specific function in cooperation with the other members of the body.
d) Every member of the body must be a functioning member in order for the body to operate at optimum efficiency. (So it is with the church body! There should be no inactive members.)
e) One of the problems we have in our culture is an incorrect understanding of what it means to be a church member - many people treat church membership like they would membership in a local country club. I pay my dues and therefore I expect to receive benefits for my dues. (Entitlement vs. Servant hood)
f) The bible make sit clear that if one part does not do its job, the whole body does not function well
g) But if one pare does its job well, the whole body rejoices and is stronger
h) ILL-"One of the ongoing questions you should ask yourself and God in prayer is: "How can I best serve my church? You should never ask yourself if you should be serving your church." Thom Rainer - I Am a Church Member
i) In other words, Biblical church membership means that I should expect to serve, rather than to be served.
j) Mk. 10:45—““For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.”
k) Membership means we are different but we still work together
3) There Are No Nobodies In The Church Body-Vs. 21-26, 13:1-13
a) Just as every member of the body is interdependent on the other, so it is with the body of Christ - we need one another in order to do the work of ministry. (v. 21)
b) Illus. Imagine how foolish I would be if I said to the choir, our pianist and the AV team that I didn't need them on Sunday Morning?
c) ILL-the one man band
d) No one can say that your gift - your function in the church - is less important than theirs.
e) For instance, the eye can see what needs to be done, but it depends on the arms and hands to complete the job.
f) The head may know where it needs to go, but depends on the feet to get it there.
g) Furthermore, there are parts of our body that are indispensible even though they might seem weak.
h) For instance, try living without your kidneys.
i) You could live without your arms and your feet, but not your vital organs, which are hidden from plain view.
j) The most indispensible people in the church are usually the ones that do their work for the Lord quietly behind the scenes without fanfare or need for recognition.
k) It is about love
l) Chapter 13
m) We use this chapter to talk about love in couples
n) It is used to describe the fuller meaning of agape or unconditional love
o) But its original meaning was to demonstrate how church members relate to one to another
p) Read chapter 13
1) That way is love! Everything we do to serve the body of Christ must be done in love or it is worthless (Read 1 Cor. 13)
2) Exercising the gifts without love is vanity (vv 13:1-3)
3) This is what our love for one another in the body should look like (vv 13:3-7)
4) Many of these gifts that they are fighting over will one day fade away, but not love (vv. 13:8-13)
q) If we could just abide by the principles of the love chapter we would have completely healthy churches
r) I mean just vs. 4-5 are alone sufficient to cause revival in church
s) Church membership is founded on love
t) Authentic, biblical, unconditional love
u) We are not to love fellow church members just because they are lovable, we are to love the unlovable as well
v) We are not to pray for and encourage the pastor just when I am doing things you like, pray for me and encourage me when I am doing things you don’t like
w) We are not to serve the church only when others are joining in, we are to serve the church even if we are alone in doing so
x) Membership means everything we say and do is based on a Biblical foundation of love
4) Everybody Needs To Love Everybody To Be A Healthy Church Body-Vs. 27-31
a) Do you know how you keep enjoying the benefits of membership at a gym or country club?
b) Keep on paying the dues
c) One of the biggest problems in the Corinthian church was gift envy - there were many who were envious of those who possessed certain spiritual gifts and many who possessed those gifts looked down on the ones who didn't have certain gifts.
d) Paul's argument against gift envy:
e) Everyone was a part of the body of Christ - (v. 27)
f) (v. 28-30) God is the one who distributed these gifts to His church - therefore His sovereignty overruled their jealousy
g) ILL- Miles McPherson in the book God in the mirror tells the story of meeting a former Hells' Angel as he got off of the elevator at his church one morning. He was about six foot four, at least 250 pounds, and he wore cut-off jeans and a sweatshirt. His body was all tatted up …. We talked down the hall together, and he told me he was going to his first ministry meeting, and he was really nervous. Pastor Miles asked, "Nervous? How come you're nervous?" He replied, "Pastor Miles, you always encourage us to do something, so I figured I got to do something. I want to serve the Lord." Since our church has over a hundred outreach ministries, Miles asked him, "What's the ministry you're joining?" "The knitting ministry," he said. He added, "Well, actually, I don't knit, I crochet." Here's this huge guy who looks like he could be an NFL tackle, and he's nervous about joining a ministry that makes blankets and hats for hospitalized children. Curious, Miles asked him where he learned how to crochet. "I was in the Hell's Angels for 12 years," he told me. "I learned to crochet in prison. I know it's the one thing I can do for the Lord." Just then the lady who heads up the knitting ministry walked toward us, said a quick hi to me, then asked the former Hell's Angels, "Are you Jim?" She gave him a big grin and took his hand. I watched them go down the hall together. It may not seem like a unique ability to crochet, but when you package that with his life, the ripple effect can push countless others out of their comfort zone to step up and stand out the way God designed them to. Imagine if Jim was worrying about what others would think about him crocheting for Jesus!
h) While having spiritual gifts in necessary to the function of the body of Christ, and the church should desire to have those gifts - there is something better - a more excellent way that will enable them to serve the body of Christ
i) The only way to be a healthy, fully functioning church body is to love the body unconditionally.
j) Do you know how to remain a biblical member of the church
k) Give abundantly and serve without hesitation
l) Sure you can remain on the rolls of churches and never show up or give
m) You can even remain an “active” member by being a CEO Christian—Christmas Easter Only
n) But understand those types of members are not biblical
o) That approach to membership is man-made, man-centered, and man-maintained
p) It is totally contrary to what the Bible teaches and has no place in the church
q) Biblical membership means serving with no strings attached
r) It means being involved
s) It means that some need to step up and not just come on Sunday mornings, leave and then watch just a few run around trying to do it all
t) It means being a functioning member of this church
u) We who are church members are all supposed to function in the church
v) Personally the concept of an inactive church member is an oxymoron…really just a moron
w) Biblically, no such church member really exists
x) I want you to ask yourself this question in prayer, “how can I best serve my church”
y) You should never ask yourself if you should be serving the church
z) It is simple: Church membership is functioning membership
Closing
There is a thought about church membership that says only 1/3 of church members are functioning members. Only 1/3 serve without hesitation
That means only 1/3 are biblical church members
Pledge: each week I am going to give you a pledge to consider in light of the message
This pledge this week is about being a member the way the Bible speaks and the way God designed it
You are committing to give and serve cheerfully and abundantly
You are committing to serving and ministering without hesitation
You are pledging to be a functioning church member
Pledge: I am a church member. I like the metaphor of membership. It’s not a membership as in a civic organization or a country club. It’s the kind of membership given to us in 1 Cor. 12: “now you are the body of Christ and individual members of it (1 Cor. 12:27). Because I am a member of the body of Christ, I must be a functioning member, whether I am an ‘eye,’ and ‘ear,’ or a ‘hand.’ As a functioning member I will give. I will serve. I will minister. I will evangelize. I will study. I will seek to be a blessing to others. I will remember that ‘if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it’ (1 Cor. 12:26).
