The Purpose of the Church

Transcription

1 The Purpose of the Church Insight. Involvement Helps Change Your Perspective: Church leaders were statistically different from other adults in response to 16 of the 17 religious belief statements. Compared to other adults, lay leaders are less likely to believe in salvation by works; that Jesus committed sins while He was on earth; that all faiths teach the same lessons; and that all people will experience the same outcome after death, regardless of their beliefs. Compared to others, lay leaders were almost twice as likely to strongly affirm that the Bible is totally accurate in all that it teaches and to accept a personal responsibility to share their beliefs about Jesus Christ and salvation with other people. Key Verse(s) Ephesians 4: "but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love." Study Session Summary and Goals Benefits of Church Membership Accountability of Church Membership Responsibility of Church Membership NDCBF NMOC 2014 Page 1

2 The Benefits of Church Membership Every week people join our growing church family by becoming members. What's so important about church membership? 1. It identifies you as a genuine believer (Eph. 2:19; Rom. 12:5) 2. It provides a spiritual family to support and encourage you in your walk with Christ (Gal 6:l- 2;Heb. 10:24-25) 3. It gives you a place to discover and use your gifts in ministry (I Cor. 12:4-27) 4. It places you under the spiritual protection of godly leaders (Heb. 13:17; Acts 20:28-29) What can I expect as a member of NDCBF? 1. The faithful teaching and preaching of God's word so that you can grow. 2. A program designed to minister to the unique needs of all members of the family (children, youth, and adults). 3. Leadership who will maintain regular contact with you so that the church is kept abreast of your needs, prayer requests and praises. 4. A dynamic context for fellowship and the building of quality Christian relationships. WHAT OUR CHURCH EXPECTS Paul wrote in Colossians 1:28-29, "We proclaim him, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone perfect (mature) in Christ. To this end I labor, struggling with all his energy, which so powerfully works in me." Our desire is to help you "become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ." (Ephesians 4:13) Everyone understands that for a baby, being born is not an end in itself. The baby needs to grow, develop and mature. If that doesn't happen, everyone recognizes that something is wrong with the baby. In the same manner, being "born again" is not an end in itself. The believer needs to grow, develop and mature. If that doesn't happen, everyone recognizes that something is wrong with the believers. Since "maturity" is God's desire for our lives, to hibernate in spiritual infancy, childhood or adolescence falls short of His expectations for us. The answer is church membership. NDCBF NMOC 2014 Page 2

3 CHURCH MEMBERSHIP The Meaning of Church Membership Church membership is the commitment of the believer to be identified and dynamically involved with a local body of Christians who have placed themselves under the authority of Jesus Christ. Nature of Church Membership Church membership is a divinely established relationship between God and His people whereby they agree to function in harmony with other believers under His designated structure of authority in accordance with the revealed guidelines of Scripture resulting in long-term consequences over time. Goal of Church Membership It is God's expressed desire that each member of His Church becomes a disciple of Jesus Christ. Discipleship is that process whereby a good Christian progressively learns to bring every area of his or her life under the lordship of Jesus Christ. (Matthew 28:19-29, 1 Corinthians 10:31) Philosophy of Church Membership The Church has been established to be a spiritual community, which represents the kingdom of God on earth. As such, it is the role of the Church and its members to provide a divine alternative of God's activity in the world without, at the same time, becoming a part of the world. (John 17:14-19) Vision of Church Membership Since it is the role of the Church to be God's alternative in society, then it is the vision of this church to develop a comprehensive program of outreach, not only in the church, but also in the community. This outreach should extend into every social sphere whether it is education, economics, politics, etc., so that the sovereignty and supremacy of Christ is demonstrated through the impact of each member of His body, the Church. (Ephesians 2:19-23, Colossians I: 14-19) Notes: NDCBF NMOC 2014 Page 3

4 The Accountability of Church Membership Jesus Christ summed up the commandments in the statements, "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind " and 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself" (Matthew 22:37-39). In various places in his writings, Paul likened believers to one body (Romans 12; I Corinthians 12; Ephesians 1:22-23). Therefore, in order for a believer to become complete in Christ (Colossians 1:28) in their lifetime, he or she must be part of a local body of believers. Part means that there is accountability, which includes fellowship, caring, helping, sharing, admonishing, encouraging, correcting, instructing, teaching, worshipping, etc. All of these dynamics require relationships. We will look at Ephesians 4 to gain an understanding about how the Bible explains this relationship of an individual to others - the church. EPHESIANS 4:11-16 Ephesians is about God's creation - the church. It tells how He began to prepare it from the beginning. It explains how the two major divisions of mankind, Jews and Gentiles, became one. It describes how the Church is to function and behave. The context of the passage we are studying involves how unity can occur in the midst of diversity producing one thing. God established a single entity- the Church. However, it is made up of individual parts -people. The passage we will study explains how individuals work together for the whole. Verse 11 Each of the positions mentioned is given to the church by God. They are not a result of man's ingenuity or design. Each one is a position of leadership in the church. There is some disagreement about the existence of these leadership roles today. The position we take is that apostles and prophets existed in the early beginnings of the church in order to lay its foundation. The apostle was a person who not only received and dispensed divine revelation, but also a person who both actively spread God's revelation and proselytized others in significant new regions of the world. The prophet was a person who primarily spoke for God about the future, the present, and the past. After the foundation is laid, there is a need for leaders who will build on the foundation. This is the job of the evangelist, pastor, and teacher. The evangelist is primarily a person who does new work in communities. This role is similar to one aspect of the apostle's work. He or she not only introduces Christ to others but also begins the early stabilization work in the new believer's life. And, he or she equips others to do the same work. The pastor's role is to nurture, protect and supervise a local body of Christians. They are also required to equip others to do the work of the Lord. The teacher's main role is to instruct others in righteousness. And, he or she likewise must be concerned about preparing Christians to serve God. NDCBF NMOC 2014 Page 4

5 So, the leader's primary-role is to further Christ's influence in the world and to build His kingdom. They are not to promote their own agenda. They are part of God's plan to put Christ in the position of Lord of the universe.... far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age, but also in the one to come. And He put all things in subjection under His feet, and gave Him as head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all. (Ephesians 1: Verse 12 There are primarily three purposes assigned to the leadership by God. First, they are to concentrate on preparing the church- the membership - to do God's work in the world. Second, they are to be in service for others and not lord their authority over them. Third, they are to strengthen the church. Equipping Christians is to train them to a point where they are functioning members of the church. This means that a church should be made up of people who are sharing in the task of ministering. Many people see the leadership -primarily the pastors - as being directly responsible to be available to each and every member of a local church. This is not only unrealistic, it is also not taught in the Bible. The leadership is responsible to see that each member is discipled and ministered to as needed. However, there are definite and appropriate times and situations when an individual may need direct contact with a pastor. But, even these times are not as often as most people think. Tills class has been devised by the leadership in order to help in the discipleship process of each member. The leadership is not there to "spoon feed" the saints all their lives. They are not to treat members as people incapable of helping in the discipleship process. They are to bring them to maturity. Leading as a servant instead of as a master should be the style of all leaders. 01 Peter 5:3,6 states, 'nor yet as lording it over those allotted to your charge, but proving to be examples to the flock.... Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time. The ultimate purpose is to build up the body of Christ. The emphasis is on Christ's agenda, not the leadership's. They are not to be building up kingdoms for themselves. Instead, they are to expand Christ's kingdom. Verse 13 How long will it take us to be unified in the faith of Jesus Christ? How long will it take us to be unified in the knowledge of the Son of God? How long will it take for the church to be mature in Christ? How long is the leadership to work at these tasks? NDCBF NMOC 2014 Page 5

6 The answers are found in this verse. It is a never-ending task. Either death or Christ's return will bring the task to an end. As long as there are people on the planet and Christ is not physically reigning, there will be a need for the leadership to carry out the purposes for which they were appointed. What is the standard that will measure the progress being made by the leadership? It is the example given by Jesus Christ. The Church is to be presented complete in Christ as one entity and not as a group of many different individuals or congregations. Verse 14 The result of following God's plan for the church is now addressed by Paul. If the preceding things are happening in the church, then it will be stable and mature. If the preceding things are not occurring in the church, then instability and immaturity prevail. The term "children" is used in contrast to "Mature man". Children represent a group of individuals. The mature man represents unity of purpose. This continues the theme on unity that Paul is developing in Ephesians. Next, Paul uses colorful metaphors to describe the instability of immaturity. The immature are described as having no foundation like that which can be experienced on dry land, but are at the mercy of the shifting sea. They are susceptible to whatever direction the sea wants to move. The various teachings of men move people who are without His foundation. They attempt to reach a calm port by relying on the teachings of the moment to satisfy them. They are never satisfied. They never experience calm. "The trickery of men" - is contrasted with the fullness of Christ (verse 13). Men attempt to manipulate children through cleverly masked theatrics in order to keep them unstable and powerless. Men shrewdly plan out how they will mislead and influence people for their own gain. They have studied man and women in order to become skilled at controlling them. They have made it their "craft". "Scheming" - is a term used only one other place in the Bible. It is found in Ephesians 6:11. It is used of Satan's plans for the believers. These schemes are systematic plans to produce error- "deceitful". This is the terrible and frightful result of someone who chooses to live apart from God's design. This is the person who does not live within a unified community of fellow believers - local church. He or she is not exposed to a church which has a mature-leadership team working for Christ Is goals and objectives. Verse 15 Instead of the result of immaturity as described in verse 14, the believer is to experience stability and growth. Her or his life will reflect both truth and love. The idea of truth is more than that which comes out of the mouth. It is being contrasted with the doctrine, trickery, craftiness, and deceitful scheming of verse 14. The believer's whole being should be defined by truth, in what is said, believed, and done. Also, love is the expression of the mature believer. While what is described in verse 14 emphasizes selfishness, love considers another's interest first. The immature has no standard or goal which guides him or her. But, the believer has Christ as a guide in his or her growth. NDCBF NMOC 2014 Page 6

7 At this point, Paul begins to describe how growth occurs using the "mature man" metaphor. He completes the description in verse 16. It is important to realize that as Paul describes growth, he weaves together how each different participant is involved and cooperates with each other to realize the growth of the whole. He makes it clear that Christ is the head of the body (Ephesians 1:22-23). The head directs the growth of the body as stated at the end of verse 16. Between the end of this verse concerning Christ and the comment about the cause of the body's growth in verse 16, Paul mentions how other parts in the church cooperate in order to realize the full potential of the body. Verse 16 The body is attached to the head, Christ, and cannot function apart from Him. There are no independent parts of the body. This has been established by Paul and makes up the context of the next few phrases in the verse. From whom the whole body" is a phrase which ties together the fact that Christ is its head (vs. I 5) and the function of the leadership and membership. The next few statements refer to the role that both the leadership and the membership have in the growth process. Being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies" is referring to the leadership's role in both unity and growth. Joint can also be translated as ligament. It is the ligament that holds together parts of the body. They bring order and help maintain the structure of the body. This is the role that we had described in verse 12 and is in contrast in verse 14. And now, we see that they are said to fit the body together and hold it together. This indicates that there apparently is a need for the leadership to be active in maintaining the stability in the body due to growth and the stress put upon it. The next phrase, "according to the proper working of each individual part", refers to the general membership of the church. Each individual in the body of Christ must do her or his part to ensure the growth and maturity of the whole. If the individual member does not contribute then the whole church suffers. As already mentioned the verb "causes", has as its subject Christ which is found in verse 15. It is Christ who is the ultimate agent in the growth of the body. The means of growth is love. Each part of the body is involved in the growth process which is stabilized by love. Love and not selfishness is a general term describing the kind of behavior which is necessary to growing and unity. There are to be no spectators in the church. Each member, whether in leadership or not, must do her or his part. Each believer is a part of system of accountability that should leave no one untouched or unaffected. If you are not involved in other peoples' lives, helping them grow and being helped, then you are contributing to the instability of the church. There is no other option. Notes: NDCBF NMOC 2014 Page 7

8 When a person becomes a member of the local church, he is responsible for pursuing godliness through the application of the Scripture in his daily life. It is the responsibility of the church to assist the believer in achieving this goal as well as holding the member accountable through the process of church discipline when they refuse to submit themselves to biblical authority.(matthew 18:15-20, I Corinthians 5:1-13, 6:1-8, II Thessalonians 3:14-15) This willingness to be accountable is reflected in the two symbols Christ left for the members of His church to observe. Baptism This symbol is where a believer publicly identifies with the death and resurrection of Jesus, and in so doing, pledges to live under His Authority in the context of the local church. (Romans 6:1-11) Communion This Ordinance of the Church is done to remember the person and the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the true source of our relationship with God. This symbol also is the ongoing renewal of the Christian's commitment to Jesus Christ. It reflects one's continuous pledge of faithfulness through confession of sin and renewed dependency on God's grace. (I Cor. 11:20-34) Worship In worship, our goal is to get those who enter into our fellowship to make exalting God through obedience the supreme purpose of their lives. This is to be demonstrated by their faithfulness participation in the corporate Sunday gathering of the church and regular participation in communion. (Acts 2:42) Education Each member is to grow in the faith and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ. (Acts 2:42, II Peter 3:18) Outreach Each member is to serve in one ministry area of the church so as to further the ministry of NDCBF both internally to our membership for the building up of this local body, and externally to the world for the salvation of lost souls and the bettering of society. (Acts 2:41, 47) Fellowship To provide a system of accountability and intimate fellowship at our ever-growing church, each member is assigned and is expected to participate in their Care Cluster meetings. NDCBF NMOC 2014 Page 8

9 The Responsibility of Church Membership Grow This is the responsibility to regularly and obediently expose oneself to the Word of God so that the Spirit of God can produce the process of spiritual maturity in one's life. (I Peter 2:2) Serve This is the responsibility to use one's abilities and time to serve the broader body of Christians in the church. This is accomplished through the selection and faithful participation in one area of church ministry. (I Corinthians 12:12-27) Give This is the responsibility to share one's resources with the Lord and His church for the furthering of the ministry of the church. This is accomplished through the giving of a minimum of 10% from the total of one's earning to the church. (I Corinthians 16:2) My Commitment will be: NDCBF NMOC 2014 Page 9

10 The Provision for NDCBF God's plan has always been to provide for the needs of His church through the tithes and offerings of His people. He gives us all the resources we will ever need and trusts us to be faithful stewards of those resources. Whether needs get met or go unmet depends upon the faithfulness of the stewards (members) who are a part of our church. What will stewards be held accountable for? 1. (Romans 14:12) 2. (Matthew 28:18-20, Acts 1:8, Romans 10:14) 3. (I Timothy 6:20, 11 Timothy 1:14) 4. (I Peter 4: 1 0) God will hold us accountable for what we do with what He gives us. Therefore, we need to be faithful stewards in every area of our lives. Why is tithing so important? 1. (Malachi 3:8-10) 2. (Proverbs 3:9-10) 3. (Malachi 3:10) 4. (I Chronicles 29:14, Malachi 3:10) "Tithing is a matter of the heart, not the wallet. (Matthew 6:21)" Notes: NDCBF NMOC 2014 Page 10

11 What are the Ten Benefits from Tithing? I. Malachi 3:10 2. Proverbs 3:9 3. Matthew 6:21) 4. (Malachi 3: 10) 5. (Acts20:35) 6. (2 Corinthians 9:6-12) 7. (Matthew 28:19, 20) 8. (Matthew 6:33) 9. (1Corinthians16:1, 2) 10. (1 Timothy6:17, 18) What Is The Difference Between A Tithe And An Offering? Tithe: Offering: Why "Storehouse" Tithing? (Malachi 3:8-10) 1. Multiples your tithe's effectiveness. 2. Focuses your tithe's direction. 3. Supports your local church. Notes: NDCBF NMOC 2014 Page 11

12 My Questions/Comments for the Pastor or Leadership Team: Lesson Summary 1. Benefits of Church Membership a. Identifies you as a genuine. b. Provides spiritual and. c. Gives you the opportunity to and use your spiritual gifts. d. You will be part of a spiritual community that will encourage and challenge you to 2. Accountability of Church Membership a. You are subject to church. b. Your conduct must meet the biblical. 3. Responsibility of church Membership a. b. c. NDCBF NMOC 2014 Page 12