New Member Class
Biblical Membership means... Commitment - Church membership begins when we commit to a particular body. Church membership provides believers biblical means for discipleship, growth, service, and the ability to demonstrate love and obedience to God. Romans 12:5 (ESV) 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Hebrews 10:23 25 (ESV) 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful. 24 And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Taking Responsibility- When we commit to membership we undertake a mutual responsibility. Scripture details that we are to: love one another, serve one another, encourage one another. John 13:34 35 (ESV) 34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 15:12 (ESV) 12 This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. Romans 12:5 (ESV) 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Romans 12:10 (ESV) 10 Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Romans 12:16 (ESV) 16 Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Ephesians 4:2 (ESV) 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, Ephesians 4:32 (ESV) 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Colossians 3:13 (ESV) 13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. Colossians 3:16 (ESV) 16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. 1 Thessalonians 4:9 (ESV) 9 Now concerning brotherly love you have no need for anyone to write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another, 1 Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV) 11 Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. Hebrews 3:13 (ESV) 13 But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. Salvation Affirmation- Church membership serves as a means for affirm or disaffirm a person's salvation. Biblical Church Membership is needed so that through a Church's accountability and exhortation, we are protected from sin's deceiving and hardening effects. The Goal of Biblical Church Membership is that every single church member would help the whole Church to grow to maturity in Christ.
To Be a Member of Reformation Church you MUST Be a Believer: A Biblical View of Salvation: The Problem: Man s Need for Salvation The Nature of God 1. God is Holy Psalm 99:9 (ESV) 9 Exalt the LORD our God, and worship at his holy mountain; for the LORD our God is holy! Habakkuk 1:13 (ESV) 13 You who are of purer eyes than to see evil and cannot look at wrong, why do you idly look at traitors and remain silent when the wicked swallows up the man more righteous than he? 2. God is Righteous and Just The Nature of Man 1. Our Nature: We are sinful Romans 5:12 (ESV) 12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned 2. Our Choice: We Sin Romans 3:10 12 (ESV) 10 as it is written: None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one. Romans 3:23 (ESV) 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 3. Our Condition: We are Lost and Under Condemnation Ephesians 2:3 (ESV) 3 among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. The Provision: God s Solution to Sin Salvation in Christ Romans 3:25 (ESV) 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. Three Central Truths about How We are Saved: 1. Salvation is NOT by works but by GRACE. Ephesians 2:8 9 (ESV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 2. Salvation is NOT initiated by us but by GOD. Romans 5:6 8 (ESV) 6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. John 6:44 (ESV)44 No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him. And I will raise him up on the last day. 3. Salvation is not an afterthought with God; it is His eternal plan. 1 Peter 1:18 20 (ESV) 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 20 He was foreknown before the foundation of the world but was made manifest in the last times for the sake of you 2 Timothy 1:9 (ESV) 9 who saved us and called us to a holy calling, not because of our works but because of his own purpose and grace, which he gave us in Christ Jesus before the ages began,
Seven Biblical Words that Describe Salvation: 1. Substitution: Jesus died in my place. 1 Peter 3:18 (ESV) 18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but made alive in the spirit, 2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV) 21 For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. 1 Peter 2:24 (ESV) 24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 2. Justification: Jesus made me right with God. Romans 4:25 (ESV) 25 who was delivered up for our trespasses and raised for our justification. 3. Reconciliation: Jesus made peace with God possible. 2 Corinthians 5:19 (ESV) 19 that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. 4. Adoption: Jesus made me a part of God s family. Ephesians 1:5 (ESV) 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will, 5. Redemption: Jesus purchase my salvation with his blood. 1 Peter 1:18 19 (ESV) 18 knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot. 6. Propitiation: Jesus Satisfied God Justice. 1 John 4:10 (ESV) 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. 7. Forgiveness: Jesus sent my sins away from me. Colossians 2:13 (ESV) 13 And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, God made alive together with him, having forgiven us all our trespasses, Three aspects of biblical salvation: 1. In the Past: I was saved from the Penalty of sin (Justification) 2. In the Present: I am being saved from the Power of sin (Sanctification) 3. In the Future: I will be saved from the Presence of sin (Glorification) How Does a Person Receive Salvation? Repentance and Faith Mark 1:15 (ESV) 15 and saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel. What Happens to a Person During Salvation? 1. Regeneration: at the moment of conversion the Holy Spirit convicts a person of sin and need for Christ. He replaces their heart of stone with a heart of flesh and enables them to repent and believe unto salvation and they are born again. 2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. Ezekiel 36:26 (ESV) 26 And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. Acts 11:18 (ESV) 18 When they heard these things they fell silent. And they glorified God, saying, Then to the Gentiles also God has granted repentance that leads to life. Ephesians 2:8 9 (ESV) 8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.
2. Sanctification: after conversion a believer through the power of the indwelling Spirit continues to grow in holiness and becomes more Christ-like in character, attitude and actions (fruit of the Spirit). However, the believer still sins but the difference is a continual repentance and change. Ephesians 4:22 32 (ESV) 22 to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, 23 and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, 24 and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. 25 Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor, for we are members one of another. 26 Be angry and do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, 27 and give no opportunity to the devil. 28 Let the thief no longer steal, but rather let him labor, doing honest work with his own hands, so that he may have something to share with anyone in need. 29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. 32 Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you. Galatians 5:22 23 (ESV) 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. How Can We Be Sure that We are Saved? Three kinds of security: False security is believing you are saved when you are not and you are trusting in something other than Christ alone (good works, church, religious ritual). Conditional security is believing that something you do or do not do keeps you saved. It is the feeling that you must keep some law or avoid some sin in order to keep yourself in God s grace. Eternal security is the knowledge that salvation is a work of God not based on your circumstances but upon the promises of Almighty God based on Christ work on the cross. God wants us to have assurance. Romans 8:16 (ESV) 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, Evidences of Spiritual Life by Thomas Boston 1) Seeing and understanding things I could not see and understand before! (John 14:26) a) I now see the darkness of my heart. (1 Cor. 13:12) b) I see my ever-present lust to disobey. (Romans 7:15-21) 2) I see Christ as precious, lovely, and the greatest of all. (1 Peter 2:7) I would be willing to lose all for Him. 3) I see my total and desperate need for Christ. I seek for Him. 4) I m beginning to trust Him in times of need and trouble. 5) The Spirit helps me in prayer. I start cold and end with life, joy, and peace. (Romans 8:26) 6) My sins are a burden to me. I loathe them. They make me sick. (Matthew 11:28; Jeremiah 17:9; Romans 7:24) 7) There is kindled in me a flame of love for Christ. (Romans 5:5) 8) I have a love for His Word I didn t have before. (Psalm 119:19) Even His commands that my flesh resists, I love. 9) I love the people of God, those who truly know Him and honor Him. 10) I rejoice when the work of God thrives. (Romans 1:8) 11) I love the ordinances of the church. (Psalm 84:1) 12) I deeply desire to be clothed in His righteousness and stripped of my own. (Matthew 5:6) 13) During times of trial and hardship, I am blessed in drawing especially close to Christ. 14) There is a sickening in my spirit and a righteous hatred of those who are hypocrites and give feigned obedience. 15) I know Christ better today than I did before. (2 Peter 3:18) I love Christ more than before. 17) I have grown in faith. I trust Him more than I did before. I am more watchful over my heart than I was before. 19) I have more contempt for the world than I did before. 20) I realize my inadequacy and my need for Christ as my Lord (guide) than I did before.
To Be a Member of Reformation Church Understand Our Purpose: The purpose of Reformation Church is to glorify God by being disciples who make disciples through the power of the Holy Spirit and obedience to God s word in our community and throughout the world. The Purpose of Reformation Church Proverbs 29:18 (ESV) 18 Where there is no prophetic vision the people cast off restraint, but blessed is he who keeps the law. is to glorify God Romans 11:36 (ESV) 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. 1 Corinthians 6:20 (ESV) 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. by being disciples who make disciples Matthew 28:18 20 (ESV) 18 And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. John 13:35 (ESV) 35 By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. John 15:8 (ESV) 8 By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples. Acts 14:21 (ESV) 21 When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, through the power of the Holy Spirit Acts 13:52 (ESV) 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit. Acts 10:44 (ESV) 44 While Peter was still saying these things, the Holy Spirit fell on all who heard the word. Acts 11:15 (ESV) 15 As I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell on them just as on us at the beginning. Ephesians 1:13 (ESV) 13 In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 1 Peter 1:12 (ESV) 12 It was revealed to them that they were serving not themselves but you, in the things that have now been announced to you through those who preached the good news to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven, things into which angels long to look. 2 Peter 1:21 (ESV) 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit. and obedience to God's word Psalm 19:8 (ESV) 8 the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; Psalm 119:4 (ESV) 4 You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently. Psalm 119:63 (ESV) 63 I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts. Proverbs 30:5 (ESV) 5 Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him. in our community and throughout the world. Matthew 28:18 20 (ESV) 18 And Jesus came and said to them, All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Acts 1:8 (ESV) 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.
To Be a Member of Reformation Church Understand and Agree to Our Covenant: A church covenant is a commitment among the members of a local church to live a life that is committed to honoring the Lord and living out His truths in such a way that God is glorified and others around us are impacted by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The following covenant commitments that are held to by Reformation Church are really nothing more than basic Christianity! While no one member is able to keep them perfectly, they are the mandates our Lord gives us in His Word that we should strive to live out in the ebb and flow of daily life. Our church covenant is a statement that reflects the heart desire of each member to live a life that will bring glory to God! Reformation Church Covenant Having, as we trust, been brought by divine grace to repent and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and to give up ourselves to Him, and having been baptized by immersion with believer s baptism upon our profession of faith, in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, we do now, relying on His gracious aid, solemnly and joyfully enter our covenant with each other as fellow members of Reformation Church: The Reformation Church Family Covenants to Love One Another By: Protecting the purity and unity of this church by using Holy Scripture as the final, governing authority in evaluating both doctrines and practices; 1 Timothy 3:14-16; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 John 2:3-6, 1 John 5:1-3 by honoring, esteeming, and loving our leaders and one another; Hebrews 13:17; 1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 2:9-11 by refusing to gossip and endeavoring to discipline our tongue; Psalm 141:3; Ephesians 4:29; Titus 2:3; James 1:26, James 3:1-12 Protecting the testimony of this church by faithfully attending the church s meetings for worship, ordinances, Bible study, corporate prayer, fellowship, discipline, and members meetings; Acts 4:31; 6:4; 1 Corinthians 11:17-34; 2 Corinthians 2:6; Colossians 3:16; Hebrews 10:23-25 by carefully living in the world, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, and remembering our special obligation now to lead a new and holy life of spiritual fidelity, ethical integrity, sexual purity, and abstinence from practices that jeopardize our own or another s faith; Romans 13:1-15:3; 1 Corinthians 6:9-20; Philippians 1:27; Colossians 3:5-15; Hebrews 13:4-6; James 1:27 by exercising affectionate care and watchfulness over each other while submitting to the church s discipline as occasion may require, intent on seeking the reconciliation Christ commands; Matthew 18:15-20; 1 Corinthians 5:1-13; Galatians 6:1
Sharing the responsibility of this church by praying for and encouraging one another in our Christian walk through rejoicing in others happiness and tenderly bearing others burdens and sorrows; Romans 12:15; Galatians 6:2 by practicing personal and family worship where those under our care will be trained in the nurture and admonition of the Lord; Deuteronomy 6:6-7; Matthew 18:1-6; Ephesians 5:22-6:4 by seeking the salvation of our relatives, friends, neighbors, co-workers, acquaintances, and all the world through our verbal testimony as well as our pure and loving example. Matthew 28:18-20; Colossians 4:5-6; 1 Peter 2:11-15 Supporting the ministry of this church by praying for the church s advancement in unity, knowledge, holiness, and growth; Ephesians 4:1-6; 5:26 27; Colossians 2:6-7; 1 Peter 1:13-16; 2 Peter 3:17-18 by identifying, developing, and utilizing our spiritual gift(s) and abilities for the common good; Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-14:40; Ephesians 4:7-13; 1 Peter 4:7-11 by cheerfully and regularly contributing to the expenses of the church, the spread of the Gospel throughout all nations, and the relief of widows, orphans, and the poor; Acts 4:34-35; Romans 12:13; 2 Corinthians 9:7; Philippians 4:15-19; James 1:27 To pledge that if we move from this place, we will unite with some other church, as soon as possible, where we can carry out the spirit of this covenant and the principles of God s Word. The Reformation Church Family Covenants to Love Its Members By: Teaching the Word of God: 2 Timothy 3:15, 4:1-4; 1 Peter 2:2; Ephesians 5:26 Providing opportunities for growth, nurturing and service: Ephesians 4:12-14; 2 Timothy 1:6; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 Providing a framework for building fellowship and godly relationship: Ephesians 4:16; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27; Romans 12:3-21 Carrying out our responsibility to reprove, exhort, care for, and discipline: Ephesians 4:14-16; 2 Timothy 3:16-17; 1 Thessalonians 5:14; Galatians 6:1-5; Matthew 18:15-17 Broadening the believer s concern and perspective toward those unreached by the Gospel: Matthew 28:18-20; Romans 1:14-17; Philippians 1:27-28 With our signature, we do humbly submit to live in accordance with the spirit of this covenant, not in our own strength, being conscious of our own weaknesses, but in the power and gracious aid of our Lord, to whom we are bondservants. To God be the Glory.