The Values of Church Membership

Church membership has many advantages. Jesus told Peter upon his great confession: "I will build my Church! And the Gates of Hell will not prevail against it!" Matthew 16:18 Let me list just a few of the benefits:

First, we are the local expression of the Body of Christ. God has great plans for His church. He needs members!

Second, we need you. In the Assemblies of God, churches are autonomous, or self-governing. Church membership plays a big role in that to keep us healthy and responsible with the resources God has entrusted us with. The numbers of Church members only makes that relationship stronger.

Third, we are a tremendous support structure. I heard one preacher say, "I was dedicated to Christ in the Church, I was saved in the Church, I got the Baptism in the Holy Spirit in the Church, I met my wife and was married in the Church, I believed God for my healing when sick, at the Church. I laid all my problems down at the Church, We dedicated and taught our children in the Church, I was called to preach in the Church, and the last thing that will happen to me before they put me in the ground….. I'm going to stop one more time by the Church!

As 1 Corinthians 6:15; 1 Corinthians 12-14, and Ephesians 4:11-16 declare we are members of the body of Christ. Membership has responsibilities.

Fourth, the Church constitution and by-laws require that only members can serve as deacons, vote on church business (such as election of deacons and election of a pastor, as well as other church business).

Finally, Scriptures declare that we are being built into a spiritual house (1 Peter 2:9) which God lives by His Spirit.

If you attend Bethel Temple in Ft. Worth, we will be having a Church Membership Sunday December 6, 2009. All you need to do is attend one Sunday morning session on either November 8 and 15, or 22 and make your decision to join our church.

Who are You Bringing With You?

I noticed it first, yesterday when I picked up the book And Are We Yet Alive? This book was written with by Richard Wilkie in the late 80s about his concerns about the United Methodist Church.....one of his concerns was that the church had become to self-centered in their ministry approaches. Some call this "in-ward focused" rather than "outward focused" (one would assume to be the biblical model given John 3:16, Romans 10:9-10, and 1 Peter 1:9)

THEN...I heard the chapel speaker this morning refer to it, Rev. Alton Garrison who happens to be the Assistant General Superintendent of the Assemblies of God where he quoted a study that stated 80% of Evangelicals believe that church is about my needs and my concerns (inward focus)

FINALLY, as I was reading my daily Bible reading (don't be impressed, I'm on April 12th, and I have some catching up to do) In the grand and encouraging passage of 2 Corinthians 4:1-18, specifically in 2 Corinthians 4:13 where the apostle states the overarching objective of his ministry, and what I frankly believe ought to be the ministry of every church:

I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence.

It's that last phrase that caught me...there it is! The mission of the Church! Outreach!
Here it is again:

that HE WHO RAISED THE LORD JESUS WILL RAISE US ALSO WITH JESUS...

AND....

BRING US WITH YOU INTO HIS PRESENCE!

US AND YOU

YOU AND US

Who are You Bringing With You?

Come Now, Let us Reason Together

Jesus was straight up telling the truth in the parable of the sower. Good intentions not withstanding, it is too easy to be affected by the "cares of this life". Matthew 13:22 records Jesus's instruction on sowing seed. Reception of the word is unfruitful unless it is nurtured and cared for in the heart of a person. The pitfall is obvious.... "the cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches" choke the word.

So what do you do?

Turn your eyes on Jesus! Look up! Make a decision to intentionally appreciate the love and grace of God. How? With His word.

Consider these encouraging verses: Nehemiah 9:5; Isaiah 1:18; Psalm 95:1; Psalm 96:1-3; 1 Corinthians 15:58. The list could go on and on.

God wants us to know there is something better than carrying the burdens and cares of this world all by ourselves. From Genesis to Revelation, the Scriptures provide hope. There is one thing more:

There is Truth in God's Word.

What a terriffic antidote to "the cares of this life"