Why Do We Do That? - Church Membership Series

“WHY DO WE DO THAT? – CHURCH MEMBERSHIP

1 Cor. 12:12-27

FBCF – 1/22/23

Jon Daniels

INTRO – Let’s talk about the church. It’s not a social organization, although we certainly socialize & fellowship w/ each other. It’s not a civic organization, although we strive to impact our community in many different ways. It’s not a charitable organization, although we do many acts of charity & compassion. It’s not an activist organization, although we definitely advocate for our cause. It’s not an educational organization, although we need to work hard to teach the foundational truths of what we believe.

The Church is the Body of Christ. And belonging to the Church is an incredible privilege, an unbelievable honor, & weighty responsibility that far too many of us take far too lightly. A person immediately becomes a member of the universal, invisible Body of Christ at the very moment of their salvation – invisible b/c only God can see who is truly saved & truly a member of the Body of Christ. You are instantaneously connected w/ every other Christ-follower in the world for all eternity – that’s the universal Church.

- Romans 12:4-5 – “For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.”

But what about church membership in a visible, local church? Is that important for a Christ-follower? I would submit to you today that church membership is very important, & that’s what we are going to talk about in our next message in the “Why Do We Do That?” series.

EXPLANATION – 1 Corinthians 12:12-27

Reminder from last week that the church at Corinth was dealing w/ some serious problems – unity issues, immorality issues, leadership issues to name a few. Dealt w/ their Lord’s Supper problems last week.

Paul making the case in this passage that problems that develop in a church affect everyone in the church to some degree – some directly, some indirectly, some in an intense way, some in a mild way. But b/c of the nature of the Church, problems that develop & sin that is prevalent will affect all of the members of the church.

Here are 4 components of the church that help us understand what the church is & how we are interrelated to one another.

THE BODY – v. 12, 14 – Colossians 1:17-18 – “He existed before anything else, and he holds all creation together.

Christ is also the head of the church, which is his body.” (NLT) The analogy of the body that Paul uses shows both the unity (NIV – “one unit”) & the diversity within the Body of Christ, the Church. All the different parts of the human body are different for a purpose & they all have to work together. Same w/ the Church. We are different in so many ways – backgrounds, upbringing, male & female, racial differences, different spiritual gifts – but we all come together to work together for the advancement of the Gospel & the strengthening of the Church.

THE BAPTISM – v. 13 – There is only 1 Holy Spirit – the 3rd Person of the Trinity. And every member of the Church has been baptized by the Holy Spirit at the very moment of their salvation. In that baptism, He gives spiritual gifts to each of us INDIVIDUALLY so that each of us TOGETHER can serve Him. 1 Corinthians 12:11 – “It is the same and only Holy Spirit who gives all these gifts and powers, deciding which each one of us should have.” (TLB)

THE BELONGING – v. 15-21 – Paul then continues to drive home the point that, although we are different & have been given different spiritual gifts, we belong to each other & absolutely need each other. Ludicrous to think that the eye doesn’t need the ear, or the hand doesn’t need the foot, or the heart doesn’t need the brain. All of us who are Christ-followers belong to Him, belong to His Body, & belong to each other.

THE BENEVOLENCE – v. 22-26 – Every member of the Body of Christ matters – those w/ gifts that are more public gifts like teaching or preaching, & those w/ more “behind the scenes” gifts like giving or mercy. And no matter who you are or what gifts you have, you will, at some point, need the benevolent loving care of the other members of the Church. We should have the “same care for one another” or “equal concern for each other” (NIV). When one of us hurts, we all hurt (v. 26). And Jesus made it absolutely clear that we are to love one another at all times.