I recently began a new sermon series at my church on what biblically committed church membership looks like. To see the posts based on that series, click here. This post is based off of that sermon, which you can listen to here.
Sermon Text: Acts 2:22-24, 36-47
In this sermon series, I’m going to make this argument: being committed to a local church is required by Scripture. During our this series, we’re going to look at what biblical church membership looks like.
What does it look like to be committed to Christ by being committed to other believers?
How can we be faithful to Christ by loving and caring for our brothers and sisters?
Maybe you’re asking, why do we even need a series like this?
The church I pastor is like many others. There are many people in the church that have a very low level of commitment to the church. Here are six reasons I came up with about why my church needs a sermon series on church membership.
Six Reasons Why We Need a Sermon Series on Biblical Church Membership
(1) Easy believism
Easy believism is a doctrinal view that salvation is a one-time decision and that there is no need for personal holiness or good works. Adherents believe that because they cited the sinner’s prayer and were baptized that they are okay with God. They dismiss the need to follow Jesus as Lord.
(2) Emphasis on a personal relationship with Jesus
In America, many have so emphasized the need to have a personal relationship with Jesus that they’ve essentially downplayed the need for committed church membership. Some of these people sit at home every week, reasoning that they can read their Bible and listen to preaching in the comfort of their home.
(3) Covid
Most churches, including ours, shut down for a period of time. When they re-opened, many did so in a limited way. Covid has no doubt had some negative effects on many churches. Many folks have been slow to return to church or if they have they are even less committed then they once were.
(4) Prosperity
Material prosperity has hurt the American church. Because we can afford to travel and have fun, church is put on the backburner. You could lump travel sports, vacations, lake houses, and more under this reason.
(5) A bad ecclesiology (a misunderstanding of the church)
Here’s a statement some might make: “I am going to church.” Someone might use that phrase to mean they think of church as a place or a building. Others think of the church as an event that they attend. Both groups are likely to compartmentalize their Christian lives. They live like Christians for an hour on Sunday, but they don’t live for Him the rest of the week.
(6) A consumeristic view of the church
Some people think that church is like a religious shopping mall. Donald Whitney says, “[These people] attend services as religious consumers who feel no more sense of commitment to the church than does a consumer to a mall.”[1]Donald Whitney, Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church, 13 They are not committed to the church in any way except perhaps they give a small amount of money because they feel obligated to do so.
Summary
Perhaps you or someone you know isn’t committed to the church because of one of these reasons. Here is the underlying assumption with these six reasons: The church is optional for my relationship with Jesus and my spiritual growth.
Thom Rainer writes, “I [believe] that congregations across America are weak because may of us church members have lost the biblical understanding of what it means to be a part of the body of Christ.”[2]Thom Rainer, I am a Church Member, 5
The reality is that church is not optional. Being committed to a local church is required by Scripture and it is essential for our spiritual growth as believers. In this series, we’re going to look at what biblical church membership looks like.
As I get started today, I’m going to begin in Acts 2 with the formation of the early Christian church. Before I do, I want to give you a little bit of context.
Acts 1:1-5 – Jesus tells the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 1:6-11 – Jesus commissions his disciples to be his witnesses a final time and then ascends back to heaven.
Acts 1:12-26 – 120 Christians were devoting themselves to prayer and Matthias was selected to replace Judas.
Acts 2:1-13 – The 120 Christians received the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost. The day of Pentecost, also known as the Festival of Weeks, was 50 days after the Passover. At this festival, God’s people celebrated the first of the wheat harvest. Because of the festival, many Jews from all over the known world had traveled to Jerusalem. We see this specifically in Acts 2:5.
Acts 2:14-36 – Peter preaches a sermon at Pentecost to the Jews who are gathered for the festival. He discusses three Old Testament texts – Joel 2:28-32, Ps 16:8-11, and Ps 110:1. Peter uses the two texts from the Psalms to present Christ as the Messiah.
Through Peter’s preaching and the work of the Spirit, the Christian church was born. We’re not going to read the whole sermon, but I want to share some of it with you and see what happened at Pentecost and how the early Christians committed themselves to one another.
Sermon Text: Acts 2:22-24, 36-47
The reason I chose this text to begin our series is because this text gives us a paradigm of commitment to Christ and His church.
The first thing we see is that the preaching of the gospel creates the church.
The preaching of the gospel creates the church (14-36)
There is no church without the gospel. There is no church without gospel preaching. In Peter’s message, he showed that Jesus is the Christ. Jesus is the Messiah. He is the Anointed One of Israel. Look again at Acts 2:22-24.
This gospel didn’t originate with man but was according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God (v. 23). And God raised him from the dead, for death could not hold him (v. 24).
In case there was any doubt, Peter concludes his sermon (v. 36) by definitively declaring that Jesus is the Christ, and he shows them their guilt (“whom you crucified”).
There is much more we could say about Peter’s sermon and one day I will when I preach through Acts. But today I want us to simply see that Peter preached Christ. Notice how they respond (v. 37)
The preaching of the gospel produces conviction of sin (37)
37 – Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”
The text says that “they were cut to the heart.” That’s conviction.
This is what gospel preaching does. When God’s Word is preached correctly, it cuts our hearts if we are living contrary to it. Paul calls God’s Word a sword (Eph 6:17). Just as a sword is used to cut flesh, the sword of God’s Word cuts our hearts. It’s only when we’re cut down by God’s Word can we be healed by the gospel message. Until we understand our sin, the cross of Christ doesn’t make sense.
Friends, every one of us here this morning has sinned against a holy God. We all deserve God’s judgment. While we were not the ones who physically put him on the cross, He died for our sins just as much as anyone who was there. After these Jews were convinced of their sin and were convicted of it, they ask the apostles a question: “Brothers, what shall we do?”
The preaching of the gospel demands a response (38)
38 – And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
The first thing Peter told them to was to repent. Repentance is often lacking in American churches because some “churches” don’t speak of sin. But friends, the gospel message demands that we repent. Repentance means to change your mind. Our minds need to be changed and renewed according to God’s Word (Rom 12:2). To repent of your sin means that you have remorse for your sin, and that you are choosing to turn to Christ.
We are to repent of our sin and be baptized into Jesus Christ.
Peter continues: “be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ.”
There’s much we could say about this verse on baptism. Those in the Church of Christ use this verse and a few others to say that you are not saved until you’re baptized (this is called baptismal regeneration). I don’t believe that’s what this or any other verse teaches and that is not the focus of this sermon. If you want to know more about baptism, then come back next week.
While baptism doesn’t save us, we are still commanded to be baptized. Baptism is where we “go public” with our faith.[3]For two readable books on baptism, see Understanding Baptism by Bobby Jamieson and Going Under: Discussions on Baptism by Jim Elliff. When we’re baptized, we are proclaiming the new life that we have in Jesus Christ. Our old self has been crucified and buried with Christ. We are raised to walk in newness of life. Baptism is a picture of the cleansing of sin that has taken place within us at conversion.
In verse 38, we see that the preaching of the gospel demands a response. We respond in repentance of sin and place our faith in Christ. After trusting in Christ, we are commanded to be baptized as we identify with Jesus.
The reception of the gospel leads to forgiveness and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (38-40)
38-40 – And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 And with many other words he bore witness and continued to exhort them, saying, “Save yourselves from this crooked generation.”
When someone receives the gospel, their sins are forgiven. That can be you as you read this blog post. If you’ve never repented of your sin and trusted in Christ, then you can. If you do, you’ll have forgiveness of sins.
Not only will you have the forgiveness of sins, but you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit (v. 38). The Holy Spirit, the third person of the Trinity, comes to live inside believers in Christ. The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin, guides us in truth, and helps us to live for Christ.
Here’s the beauty of the gospel of message that is becoming evident in Peter’s sermon. This message is not just for Jews. The gospel is “for all who are far off” (39). In verse 40, Peter continued to exhort those who were present to be saved.
So far, we’ve seen that the preaching of the gospel creates the church (14-36). The gospel creates the church by producing conviction of sin (v. 37) and demanding a response (v. 38). The reception of the gospel leads to forgiveness and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit (38-40).
After receiving Christ through faith and being baptized, what happens?
Those who respond to the gospel and are baptized are added to the church (41)
41 – So those who received his word were baptized, and there were added that day about three thousand souls.
Verse 41 is a summary statement.
- “Those who received his word” – believers (those who believed Peter’s message about Christ in vv. 14-36)
- “were baptized” – baptized
- “added” – added to the church in Jerusalem
Someone must have been keeping records because Luke writes there were “about three thousand souls.”
One thing we’ll see in a couple weeks is that church membership defines who is a member of the church and who is not. Having a membership roll is a biblical practice and we’ll see that in our sermon on church membership.
Finally, we see that those who were added to the church committed to one another.
Those who are added to the church commit to one another (42-47)
42-47 – 42 And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.
Again, in v. 41 the new believers were baptized and added to the church. Look at the very next phrase, found in v. 42.
“And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”
Friends, these Christians didn’t just walk an aisle, make a profession of faith, and call it good. On the contrary, they devoted (committed) themselves to the church. They committed to its leaders (the apostles) and its members.
Look at the early church in vv. 42-47.
- They were committed to the apostles’ teaching.
- They were committed to fellowship.
- They were committed to breaking bread together.
- They were committed to prayer.
- They were committed to hospitality.
- They were committed to giving to others.
- They were committed to worshiping together.
- They were committed to loving one another.
- They were committed to seeing the gospel go forward.
Here are the sermon topics for the next 11 weeks.
- Commit: Be Baptized
- Commit: Join a Church
- Commit: Attend Regularly
- Commit: Submit to God’s Word
- Commit: Pray Fervently
- Commit: Give Generously
- Commit: Serve Faithfully
- Commit: Fellowship Joyfully
- Commit: Rescue Lovingly
- Commit: Evangelize the Lost
- Commit: Disciple the Saved
Friends, that’s what this sermon series is all about. We all want the church to grow, but it starts with us. It starts by us looking in the mirror. We need to first of all examine ourselves and make sure that we’ve truly committed to Jesus Christ (2 Cor 13:5). After that, we need to examine if we’re committed to Christ’s people.
As I said in the introduction, being committed to a local church is not optional for a follower of Jesus.
Have you been slacking in your commitment to Christ?
Have you been slacking in your commitment to the church?
I’ve heard it said, “The church is God’s plan A and there is no plan B.”[4]I’m not sure the source of this quote.
Have you made the church optional in your life?
What is more important that Jesus?
Is there something you’re committed to more than God’s people?
If so, repent confess your sins to God and then build your life upon the church, which will never be defeated (Matt 16:18).
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