The Four-Fold Purpose of the Church - Part 3

I want to encourage you to open up your Bibles, if you would, to Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

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What does it look like?

So we've sought to answer that question.

Then we've moved to the next question, what is the purpose of the church?

So if God has put a church together, what is the objectives that he's put in front of them?

Why do they exist?

What is the goal of their gathering together?

We've spent the last several weeks working through the fourfold purpose of the church.

We'll be finishing that out this morning.

We're going to turn to one more question towards the end of our time together,

and that is, who is the church?

So once we understand what the church is, who makes up the church,

and what does it mean to be part of the church,

and we'll spend some time looking at that as we wrap up our series this morning.

The Lord has given us a picture, a picture through the Scripture on what a church looks like.

We see this interactive community of believers who are fellowshipping with one another,

and so we get this picture in full color as we've been reading through the last few verses of Acts 2,

Acts 2:42–47

verses 42 to 47.

Those of us who enjoy sports, I don't know if there's any baseball fans out there,

but I think the baseball season has just begun,

and I'm sure those of you who enjoy baseball are going bananas.

It's good to enjoy your favorite sport.

Well, those of you who know something about sports,

my family would once in a while go and enjoy a Cincinnati Reds game,

and that was an experience, just being able to go down to the park and to be in the stands

and to watch the game, to enjoy some conversation with friends and family who had gathered there together.

But you know how it works.

You know, there's the stands.

There's people who are sitting in the stands.

They may be wearing the same colors.

They may even be wearing the jersey.

They often know the stats.

They can identify the players.

They're excited about when their team wins the game.

But at the end of the day, they're just a fan.

They're not a player.

There's something quite distinct about a player and a person who's observing and watching the game.

Right?

The players belong to the team in a really formal way.

And so that when a victory happens,

it's not that the fans are patting themselves on the back,

look what we accomplished,

but it's the players who get to take credit for the victory that they've been able to achieve.

The difference between a fan and a player is the sense of belonging.

The sense of attachment.

The sense, not just that they're sharing the same space,

but there's an obligation, a commitment they have to one another.

And that's what we've been coming to observe in our passage this morning

and throughout the last several weeks as we've been working through Acts chapter 2.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

We've seen this portrait.

This portrait of belonging.

This portrait of togetherness.

This portrait of connectivity that's taken place among these believers.

They're not loosely attached.

They're committed.

And they belong to one another.

There's two words that have stood out to us

as we've been kind of working our way through this passage.

And the first is found for us in verse 41.

It says, and they were added to one another.

They belong together.

There was a numbering, a specific grouping.

There was an addition that took place.

They were counted.

And the sum total of them was collectively emblematic

of their belonging to one another.

Then we find that they were devoted to the fellowship.

We saw that a little last week.

And the definite article that's used there

where they were devoted to the teaching and the fellowship.

This specific group, this identifiable group of individuals they belong to.

And so Acts chapter 2 is not just describing fans.

Acts 2 · chapter mention

It's not just describing for us a group of people who are loosely attached.

It's describing a group of individuals who belong together

and have recognized that there's a commitment now that they have to one another

because of what Christ has accomplished for them.

They're a team.

They're a family.

And as we use the metaphor of the scripture,

they're a body.

They belong.

So we've been looking at this fourfold purpose.

We began a couple of weeks ago.

And the first purpose is worship.

We've called bow, to bow ourselves in worship to God.

And this is what we've said,

living with the spotlight on Jesus.

That Jesus is the center.

He's the objective.

He's the focal point.

He's the reason for our gathering.

And He's the one who helps to,

not only to inflame our worship,

but to motivate our worship,

our activity towards one another.

It spills out in a number of different ways.

Yes, worship is singing.

But worship is also praying.

It's teaching.

It's fellowshipping.

It's serving.

It's also working and playing and resting.

That we know that all of this is meant,

every sphere of life is meant to be punctuated

and saturated by worship.

It's the expression of our life.

Whether, therefore, you eat or drink

or whatever you do,

you do all to the glory of God.

And that is our worship

because we want Jesus,

His glory to be in the center.

We also have come to see

the importance of discipleship.

And this is the build category.

This is the constructive part of what we do.

The purpose of our being together

is to build one another up,

to equip one another in the work of the Lord.

We said that discipleship is leading

every person one step closer to Jesus.

It's not a formal program,

although it can be.

It's meant to be this informal,

life-on-life,

interactive kind of thing that we do together

so that in every interaction

that we have with one another,

the goal is how to stir one another

up to love and good deeds.

It's to actively and deliberately

seek to build up those

that God has put us in fellowship with.

That's the essence of discipleship.

It leads to growth.

It leads to the kind of maturing body

of believers

who are growing in their love for Jesus

and growing in love for one another.

The Apostle Paul puts it this way

in Colossians 1.28 when he says,

Him we proclaim,

warning everyone and teaching everyone

that we may present everyone perfect in Christ.

That's the goal.

Forming Christ in others.

Seeking to develop and nurture them

so they look more like Jesus.

And as we can become more like Jesus,

the desire is to help stimulate

that kind of growth in others as well.

That leads us to fellowship.

Fellowship is the belonging part

of what we do.

And we have said this,

actively pursuing the health of the whole.

That fellowship isn't just eating meals together.

Fellowship isn't just sitting around

and shooting the breeze.

But true Christian fellowship has a goal.

The goal of true Christian fellowship

is what we find in Hebrews.

It says,

To stir one another up to love and good deeds.

It's to help them grow.

It's found out in all the one another commands

that we looked at last week.

The list of all the things

that we are meant to do for one another.

It flows out of this true Christian fellowship

that we have.

So the goal of the Christian life

is not autonomy.

It's not self-sufficiency.

It's stimulating and building relationships

to help us understand our togetherness.

That we belong together.

And that once we fellowship in the right way,

then it becomes a catalyst

for all of these other things

that God has called us to.

That Christian fellowship

is the foundation for discipleship.

Remember from Mark chapter 3 verse 14,

Mark 3:14

it says that Jesus,

he selected the 12

so that they might be with him

and they might send them out to preach.

It begins with fellowship.

It begins with their belonging with Christ

and seeing and enjoying his ministry

before he could ever send them out

to be representatives of his message.

They had to know him first.

It's also the catalyst for evangelism.

And we'll look at that more in just a moment.

But do you realize

if you want to be an effective evangelist,

you need to understand your commitment

to the body that God has placed you

in community with.

If you want to be a great evangelist,

if you want to share the gospel,

it often happens in relationships

that God has allowed you to enjoy.

So those are the three of the four purposes.

Let's turn our attention now to this final one.

What is evangelism?

What is evangelism?

We're going to see first of all

that evangelism is our way to bless the world.

It's our way to bless the world.

We see that right here at the outset

in verse 47.

Acts chapter 2 verse 47,

Acts 2:47

at the very end of the chapter,

it says this,

praising God and having favor

with all the people.

And notice what happens.

And the Lord added to their number day by day

those who were being saved.

Favor with all the people.

This word for favor

is the Greek word charis.

It's the word for grace.

And we get to see here,

here in Jerusalem,

the outflow of God's favor

on his people

is showing up.

And not just,

not just remaining with them,

but pouring out

and spilling out.

And so that all those

who are in Jerusalem

get to enjoy the benefits

of this favor of God

on the people of God

as they are interacting

and they are experiencing

and enjoying the benefits

of God's grace to them

and it's flowing out

in this expressive way

so that all of Jerusalem

gets to enjoy this measure

of God's favor.

They see it.

They experience it.

So we see,

we've seen this authentic community

of believers

and what are they doing?

Well, there's personal sacrifice involved.

There's selling possessions.

There's meeting needs.

There's attending temple.

There's sharing meal.

There's praising God.

There's glad and generous hearts.

There's a life change

that's taken place

among these people.

They are different.

There's something substantial.

There's something weighty

about what's taken place here.

Something different.

These believers in Jerusalem

were genuinely interested

in other people.

They are moved

from being those

who are self-serving

to being those

who are self-sacrificing.

And it's visible.

It's clear.

It's obvious.

They were blessed by God

and they became a blessing.

And that's a key point

I want to just draw out here.

That by experiencing

the favor of God,

now they become the conduits

of God's favor,

God's blessing

to a people

who they don't know God.

And that God then adds

to their number,

the number of the church,

day by day

those who are being saved.

Because as the grace of God

is resident in his people

and it's pouring out

on the city,

the city gets to see

the benefits

of that favor

and that blessing as well.

We see the foundations

of this in the next chapter,

Acts chapter 3.

Acts 3 · chapter mention

We're going to get to

in just a couple of weeks.

And I want to just give us

a quick reminder

of what happens there

and just draw your attention

back to this,

the blessing of God.

You know the story.

Peter and John,

they'll go to Jerusalem

during the time of prayer.

And while they're there,

there's a man who's brought,

this lame man,

he's been lame since birth

and there he is,

he's laid at the temple.

And he's asking for money

but Peter and John,

they said,

hey, we're not going

to give you any money

but I got something

better for you.

Peter says,

he heals the man,

the man leaps up for joy

and as a result of this work,

this astonishing,

this astonishing work

creates this heart of joy

in the people

there in the temple.

And they're praising God.

Peter capitalizes

on the situation

and he now preaches

this message

but there in Acts chapter 3

Acts 3:13

verse 13,

notice where he starts.

He starts this way.

The God of Abraham,

the God of Isaac,

and the God of Jacob,

the God of our fathers,

glorified his servant Jesus

whom you delivered over

to be and denied

in the presence of Pilate

when he decided

to release him.

He begins right back

in the promise

that was given to Abraham.

God has not forgotten

his people.

And what we begin to see

working its way out

here in Jerusalem

is the confirmation

that God has not forgotten

his promises to Abraham

and is actually

going to use those promises

and we're going to see them

worked out now

in the ministry

of Peter and John

in the salvation

of those who come to faith

in Christ there in Jerusalem.

Notice in verses 25 and 26

of chapter 3.

It says,

Do you notice what's happening?

Do you see what's taking place?

God promised Abraham,

going back to Genesis chapter 12,

Genesis 12:2

verses 2 and 3,

He says,

I will make of you

a great nation.

I will bless you

and make your name great

so that you will be a blessing.

I will bless those

who bless you

and him who dishonors you

I will curse

and in you

all the families of the earth

shall be blessed.

That was the promise

that God made to Abraham

1,500 years

before Jesus came

and now in Jerusalem

that promise is happening.

It's happening right

before their eyes.

The blessing

that was promised to Abraham

is now extended

through his son,

Jesus Christ,

who now has come

to make a way

for those who come

to be saved

to now be a blessing,

to receive the blessing

and to be a blessing.

This promise to Abraham

confirmed and sealed

and now being fulfilled

through the ministry

of Christ

and his men,

Peter and John

and the rest of the apostles.

Christ blessed us

so that we would be a blessing.

And so that through us,

going back to this promise,

in you all the nations

will be blessed.

This promise worked out

through us

by receiving the gospel,

enjoying the benefits

of Christ's work

and now being a blessing

to the world around us.

And this is important

because when we often

think about evangelism,

I think we're prone

to think about conversion.

We're prone to think

about making converts,

maybe closing the deal,

maybe having the best arguments,

maybe presenting the best case,

making sure that people

not only understand,

but they come to faith

in Jesus Christ.

We want to win

these arguments.

We want to have

the best crafted apologetic.

We want to make sure

that we are doing

the closing the deal,

what all the words

that you want to say.

But the spirit

and the goal

of evangelism

is to bless.

It's simply

to be a blessing.

And then,

as a result,

allowing God

to do the work.

Because notice

in verse 47,

who adds

to the number

day by day

those who are being saved?

The Lord adds

to the number

day by day

those who are being saved.

Our goal then

is to be a blessing

regardless of the outcomes

and let God do

the work

that God

is going to do.

Trust Him

with that work.

And so we entrust

those results

to the Lord

because it's the Lord

who then brings

that work.

So we need to understand

the significance

of this goal.

The goal of God

doing this work

and having,

blessing

the world

as an objective

for our hearts.

Second,

I want you to understand

that evangelism

is our way

to love our neighbor.

It's our way

to love our neighbor.

You know,

we're all familiar

with the way

that Jesus

summarized

all the law

and the prophets,

right?

There's 600 plus

commands

that are given

to us

in the Old Testament.

Jesus narrowed it

down to two.

The first is

love the Lord

your God

with all your heart,

soul, mind,

and strength.

The second,

it says,

is like it

to love your neighbor

as yourself.

How do you know

that you love God?

Well,

you know that you love God

when it expresses itself

in real,

tangible,

physical,

obvious,

outworking of love

to the people

that God has put you

in community with,

relationship with.

So I can know

that I am loving God

when I'm growing in love

with the people

that God has put me

in community with.

So,

our evangelism

is meant

to be an outworking

of our love

for the world.

that it's not

contingent upon

their response

to us

or their kindness

to us

or their reception

to the gospel.

That regardless

of whether they

reject the gospel

or not,

that I still have

an obligation

to love them.

And so,

in loving them,

I'm investing in them

in seeking

to do a work

to welcome

and invite them

into a relationship

with Jesus

as well.

Of course,

the greatest blessing

that our world

could ever enjoy

is the blessing

of Christ.

And notice,

back in chapter 3,

verse 26,

what was Christ's goal?

God,

having raised up

his servant,

sent him to you first

to bless you

by turning every one

of you from your wickedness.

Even Jesus' goal

was a goal of blessing.

Blessing others

through the gospel,

turning them

from their wickedness

and turning them

to himself.

That was his goal.

So,

how do we do this?

How do we,

if the objective

and the goal

is to bless the world

and the outworking

of that strategy

is to love our neighbors,

how do we do that tangibly?

Well,

this word bless

is an acronym

and I want to just

introduce you

to it briefly.

And I want to encourage you,

this will just not only

make it memorable,

but for those of you

who feel very overwhelmed

about evangelism,

this isn't my spiritual gift,

I feel really awkward

about this,

I'm not sure

if I can do this,

you might feel intimidated,

this will make it easy

and this will help you

step into it

in a way

that should take

the edge off.

First is,

begin to pray.

Begin to pray.

That's the B.

See,

if anyone's

going to come to faith

in Christ,

it has to be

a work of the Lord.

The Lord added

day by day

those who are being saved

and so if it has to be

a work of the Lord,

we as God's people

need to pray

for the Lord

to do His work.

We need to ask

and invite the Lord

to stimulate hearts,

to give us opportunities,

to open up our eyes

so that we can see

the opportunities

that are there

and have courage

to step into

those opportunities.

The second here

is to listen to them.

That's the L.

To listen to them.

Take an active interest

in the people

that you either

work with

or the people

that you study with,

you're going to school with,

the people that you

enjoy activities with,

wherever you might be.

Pray for opportunities

to get to know

others better.

Be deliberate

about asking good questions.

Not just the kinds

of questions

that are surface.

How was your day?

How's your family?

Those kinds of things

which are appropriate

and good

but more meaningful questions.

That relationships

go deeper.

Not just how are you doing

but hey,

I noticed that

this is taking place

over here.

How is that going for you?

How can I encourage you?

I imagine that

you're struggling

because of this.

I noticed this

and I'd like to know more.

Digging below the surface,

asking deeper questions,

cultivating a relationship

that goes more

than just a surface level,

really taking an interest

in the people

that God has put you

in community with

so that you can come

to know them

and grow in compassion

for them

as the Lord

had compassion for us.

The E is

eat with them.

Eat with them.

There's something

about a good meal

that opens the door.

Opens the door

for relationship.

It kind of helps

to take away

any of the distractions.

It helps to remove

some of the pressure

of that interaction.

It helps to allow

those things

to be a little less formal.

God has designed it that way.

It's His design

and we need to press in

to this design

and learn the benefits

of fellowship

and hospitality

and eating good meals together

that stimulate

deeper conversations.

The first S

is to serve them.

That means we should

look for opportunities

to help

come alongside

and meet

actual physical needs

for our neighbors.

Depending upon the season

maybe that means

raking the leaves

or mowing a lawn

or shoveling the walk.

Maybe it's simple things

like making a meal

and going to

maybe watching a pet.

I don't know.

Fill in the blank.

You can find ways

to actually serve

your neighbors.

It follows the pattern

of the Lord Jesus

who came not to be served

but to serve

and to give His life

a ransom for many.

As we have the heart

of the Lord Jesus

in serving our neighbors

you will come to find

that that helps

also be a gateway

not only to meet

tangible needs

but to demonstrate

your concern

for your neighbors

so they want

to know you more.

And then finally

when all those pieces

are in place

you will find

this last component

will be very easy

for you

and that is

to share your story

of grace.

Share the gospel

with them.

It says in Acts 2.11

that we keep hearing

them tell us

in our own language

the mighty works

of God.

Well

that's the opportunity

that God will give

all of us.

Being able to tell

the mighty works

of God

because those doors

will become open.

God will create crisis

in some way

in their life

and when that happens

if you have developed

and nurtured

a friendship

who are they going

to ask for help?

Who are they going

to bring their questions

to?

They're going to bring

their questions

to you

and God will have

given you

a golden opportunity

to share

the mighty works

of God

that he's accomplished

in your life

and open the door

for a chance

to share the gospel.

One of the most

powerful ways

that we can do this

is through

our personal testimonies.

Your story

of how Jesus

is the hero

in bringing you salvation

delivering you

from your sin

and as we develop

those stories of grace

or those testimonies

you'll find that

that would be

a very easy gateway

for you

to share the gospel.

Any of you

who haven't yet

created a testimony

or those of you

who you created

your testimony

a very long time ago

and aren't acquainted

with it anymore

I want to just encourage you

we have a new tool

that we're developing

so that you can

do this more easily.

Pastor David

is putting that together

and anyone

who's interested

in a kind of

a simpler model

of how to put

your testimony together

kind of leading you

through a set of questions

that may be

a real benefit to you.

This summer

we'd like to prioritize

this purpose

of evangelism

and neighboring

by inviting you

to meet with one another.

So Caleb

if I can have that

next slide

we're going to call this

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

And any of you

who've maybe

I'm dating myself here

Mr. Rogers

I'm sure

most of you

younger kids

have no idea

who Mr. Rogers is

but he would

he would ask

this question

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

And he would sing

a little ditty

which I will not

I will not do for you.

During the summertime

the last several years

what we have done

is we've had something

called Sunday Nights

in the Park

and that's been a great way

for us to enjoy

fellowship together.

This year

what we like to do

is maybe switch gears

a bit

and instead of

doing it in one place

we want to encourage you

to do fellowship

in lots of different places

with the friends

and families

of your choice.

So still

twice

a month

and the first

the first time

you meet

on that

during the month

we want to encourage you

to meet with another family

or group of families

here from Maranatha

growing in fellowship

growing in relationship

enjoying a meal

going out

and maybe going

to a game together

doing something together

that stimulates

some measure

of Christian community.

Then that next Sunday

the second Sunday

of that month

whatever

whatever

week you choose

we would like to encourage you

to still meet

with that family

but invite somebody

that doesn't know Christ

and the goal

is to do

what we see here

in Acts chapter 2

Acts 2:47

verse 47

and that is

when people

the unsaved people

see

your fellowshipping together

your relationship

with one another

they see how God

is working in your hearts

and creating

Christian community

that the favor

that God has given to you

they will be able to see

and in some way

be able to participate in

in joy

so that God might

draw their hearts

to a saving knowledge

of Jesus Christ

himself.

This QR code

that we have here

we want to encourage

everybody

who is at least

thinking about this

whether you have

families in mind

already or not

we want to encourage

you to register

so that

two things can happen

one we know

who is registered

and who is a part of this

and two

for those of you

who want to be a part of it

but don't know of a family

that you could

partner with

then we can

access

this other resource

and be able

to pair you up

with others

who would like

to do this as well.

This is an experiment

but I think

this might be a great way

for us to get to know

each other better

and to see

how easy it can be

to neighbor

in our communities.

So we want to encourage you

to do this.

There will be a

Miranatha Minute article

that will come out

in the next week or so

about this too.

So that's the purpose

of the church.

That's what God

has called us to do.

Now I want to turn

our attention

in this last few moments

to this final question.

Who is the church?

If God has given

these objectives

to his people

well who are his people

and how do we know?

Well what happened

in Acts chapter 2

Acts 2 · chapter mention

was not invisible.

It wasn't vague.

It wasn't artificial.

It was real.

It was physical.

It was obvious.

This group of individuals

who gathered together.

Now what was true of them?

And there are seven things

that were true

and I want to just work

through these things

quickly and briefly.

Who is the church?

First,

the church is those

who are saved

by grace

through faith.

Those who are saved

by grace

through faith.

We understand

that we are deserving

of God's wrath.

That all have sinned

and come short

of the glory of God

and what we deserve

because of our sin

is God's punishment.

God's wrath.

But,

he made a way

through his son,

Jesus,

who lived a perfect life,

who died the death

that we deserved,

who then rose again

and is now seated

at the right hand of God

so that we

can enjoy the benefits

of salvation.

That salvation happens

not because we earn it,

but it happens

because of God's grace.

And we access

that salvation

through faith

in Jesus Christ.

Christ.

And once that happens,

we recognize

that Christ paid

for everything.

It's not deserved

and so there's nothing

for us to boast about.

God gets the glory.

If you belong

to the church,

this has happened for you.

This is the starting point

for you.

This is the gateway

for us to experience

the benefits

of what Christ

has accomplished

for us.

Second,

those who are part

of the church

are those who have been

placed into a body

with Christ

as the head.

Been placed into a body

with Christ

as a head.

And this has already

happened for those

of you who believe.

This is something

that Christ has already

accomplished for us

who believe.

He's placed us

into a body

that you belong

to God.

And because you belong

to God,

you belong

to the body

of Christ.

You belong

to the people

who Christ

has drawn

into relationship

with Him.

And that while

Jesus came

in the flesh,

that the outworking

of this spiritual

life that He's

produced in us

also has a physical

dimension to it.

We see that

in Colossians 1,

Colossians 1:18

verse 18

when it says,

and He

is the head

of the body,

the church.

He is the beginning,

the firstborn

from the dead,

that in everything

He might be

preeminent.

Jesus is the head

of the church.

He is the head

of the body.

He is preeminent.

He is overall.

He is the one

who has the right

to call the shots.

And because

He is the head

and we are the body,

the body

obeys the head.

That's our next

point here.

The churches

are those

who follow

Christ's instructions.

They follow

God's instructions

because He

is the head

and we belong

to Him

as the body.

And we saw

all these

one another commands

as we worked

through this

last week.

It is

encouraging

and overwhelming

the number

of things

that we are

called to do

for one another.

Bear one another's

burdens,

encourage one another,

care for one another,

admonish one another,

exhort one another.

And then we find

that this is

the will of God

for you.

This is what

God has called

us to.

You see,

the Lord Jesus

modeled a life

of perfect

submission to the

Father.

And He calls

us and

indwells us

with His Spirit.

He empowers us

to do this,

to carry out

these commands.

And so Christ

has given us

some commands.

John chapter 14

John 14:15

verse 15

says this,

If you love

me,

you will keep

my commandments.

Those who love

Jesus

will do

what Jesus

says.

And John

in his epistle

says this,

1 John chapter 5

1 John 5:3

verse 3,

For this is

the love of God,

that we keep

His commandments,

and His commandments

are not burdensome.

You see,

when you're in love

with someone,

doing hard things

is not so hard.

It becomes

pretty easy.

And the more

we grow in love

for our Lord Jesus,

the easier

obedience becomes.

It's not burdensome.

It's something

that we delight in,

something we enjoy.

fourth,

those who are

part of the church

are those who

pursue spiritual

maturity.

They pursue

spiritual maturity

because the word

of God is living.

It's active.

It's sharper

than a two-edged sword.

And because the word

of God is living

and it comes

and does something

for His people,

it creates

living creatures.

People who are alive.

People who grow.

People who are

stimulated.

People who grow

in spiritual maturity

and love for God

and love for one another.

We see that

in Ephesians 4,

Ephesians 4:15

verse 15 and 16.

It says,

Rather,

speaking the truth

in love,

we are to grow up

in every way

into Him

who is the head,

into Christ,

from whom the whole body,

joined and held together

by every joint

with which it is equipped,

when each part

is working properly,

makes the body grow

so that it builds

itself up in love.

Do you see all those

connective,

living,

active kinds of words?

That the church

is growing up.

The church

is joined together.

The church

is equipped

and working properly.

The church

is the one

who is making

the body grow

and it's all bound together,

starting

and finishing

with love.

That we grow

in love.

We grow

in spiritual maturity

as we're growing

in Christ.

Fifth,

those who are part

of the church

are those who accept

personal accountability.

They accept

personal accountability.

You see,

there are real instructions

in how to engage

one another,

not only in caring

for one another's needs,

but especially

in how to protect

one another

from the dangers

of sin.

We're told

to exhort

one another.

We're told

to encourage.

We're told

to admonish

one another.

We're told

to restore

one another

in the spirit

of gentleness.

We're told

to rebuke

one another.

We're told

to strengthen

one another.

All of these words

that have

accountability

in mind.

And those of you

who are parents

understand

how this works.

That fathers

are to raise up

their children

in the nurture

and admonition

of the Lord.

There's some

accountability there.

There's some

instruction there.

There's responsibility

of parents

to their kids

to help them grow.

And as spiritual

leaders,

we have a responsibility

to you.

And as part

of the body,

you have a responsibility

to one another.

Hebrews 13,

17 says this,

Obey your leaders

and submit to them

for they are keeping

watch over your souls

as those

who will have

to give an account.

Let them do it

with joy

and not with groaning

for that would be

of no advantage

to you.

God has put us

in community

with one another

for the sake

of spiritual protection

and safety

and flourishing

and we have a responsibility

to be accountable

to one another

in that way.

Sixth,

those who are part

of the church

are those who exercise

their spiritual gifts.

We saw that

at the beginning

of chapter 2 in Acts.

We saw this church

that was indwelt

by the Holy Spirit

and what do they do?

They start practicing

spiritual gifts

that God has given us

as believers

a gift

through the indwelling

power of His Spirit.

It's not meant

to be put on the shelf.

It's meant

to be put to work.

God has given us

this great responsibility

and privilege.

We find that

in 1 Peter 4

1 Peter 4:10

verses 10 and 11.

It says this,

As each has received

a gift,

use it

to serve one another

as good stewards

of God's very grace.

Whoever speaks

is one who speaks

oracles of God.

Whoever serves

is one who serves

by the strength

that God supplies

in order that

in everything,

here it is,

the goal,

God may be glorified

through Jesus Christ.

To Him belong

glory and dominion

forever and ever.

We exercise

our spiritual gifts

not just because

we have them,

but we do it

because of the glory

of God.

And finally,

those who are part

of the church

are those who make

the gospel visible.

They make the gospel visible.

You see,

our belonging together,

our togetherness,

helps to reinforce

what Christ has accomplished

through His work.

If His work

of dying on the cross

and rising again

brings unity

to the church,

then we demonstrate

the outworking

of that gospel power

by being together,

belonging together.

John chapter 17

John 17:20

verses 20 and 21

says this,

this is Christ's prayer,

I do not ask

for these only,

but also for those

who believe in me

through their word,

that they may all

be one,

just as you,

Father,

are in me

and I in you,

that they also

may be in us,

so that the world

may believe

that you have sent me.

The power of the gospel

that's noticeable,

observable

through a people

who are united together.

So this group

of gathered believers

are here

not just loosely affiliated,

they're gathered together

as those who are connected,

who are bound,

who have this obligation

to one another.

And so membership

then becomes

a visible expression

of our belonging together.

membership is a way

for us to say,

God has not just

accomplished something,

but we recognize

the importance

of what he's done

and we want to affirm

that in our expression

of opting in

and becoming

a visible part,

an active part

of the fellowship

that God has already

connected us to.

Many of you heard

the expression,

membership

has its privileges,

right?

And we're acquainted

with membership.

You'll either have

gym memberships

or shopping memberships

or phone plans,

whatever memberships

you're a part of,

but those memberships

in this day and age

have a purpose.

It gives us access,

it gives us discounts,

it gives us convenience,

but as long as

those memberships

serve us well,

we keep them.

But as soon as

those memberships

no longer serve us

the way we want to,

we opt out

and we switch allegiance.

That's kind of

what we've been

conditioned to do

as it relates

to membership

in the world.

But the membership

that Christ has created

is a membership

of belonging

that happens

as long as we are

a part of the family

of God.

And as long as God

has put us in

community with one another.

There is

the universal church

as it were.

We belong to Christ.

We belong to all

the believers

that are in the world.

But we recognize

the beauty

and uniqueness

of the local fellowships

that God has put us

in connection with

and the joy

of demonstrating

that commitment

to that local fellowship

through membership.

One of the statistics

that I found

from the Gallup poll

is that in 2023

only 45%

of Americans

said they belonged

to a formal

house of worship.

That doesn't even

include membership.

But in their minds

they were a part

of a fellowship.

That is down

from 73%

in 1937

and 70%

as recently

as 1999.

That is the spirit

of the age

to be disconnected

to be autonomous

to be independent.

But these people

in Acts chapter 2

Acts 2 · chapter mention

understood

that the church

was something

entirely different.

It was not a product

to consume.

It wasn't a club

to sample.

It wasn't a place

just to access

with benefits

but a body

to belong to.

In a world

that idolizes

independence

and freedom

and autonomy

membership says

something entirely

different.

It says

I want to live

the Christian life

together.

I want

to live

the Christian life

and not

remain autonomous.

Not to remain

unknown.

Not to avoid

obligation.

I want to be

connected to

the body

that Christ

has connected

me to.

I want to be

joined to Christ's

people in a way

that is visible

and meaningful.

So I would

encourage

those of you

who are part

of this fellowship

to demonstrate

the beauty

of what Christ

has accomplished

and to carry out

the purposes

that God

has given to us.

For those of you

who are still

unsure

we have several

resources in the

back

as you're walking

out towards the

lobby.

I want to

encourage you

to look at those.

Some of those

are free resources.

Some of them

are not

but they're very

helpful in just

helping.

What is membership?

What's it about?

Why is it

important?

And is this

something that I

should consider?

It's been

a good

it's been good

for my own

heart to

remind myself

of what is

the church

and what is

my commitment

to the people

that God

has put me

in community

with.

May God

help us

as we

consider

his word

and apply it

to our lives.

Let's pray.

Father thank you

for the scripture.

Thank you for

stimulating us

in such a way

convicting us

in such a way

that reminds us

of our

responsibility

first to you

in bringing glory

to you

but also

our responsibility

to the people

you put us

in fellowship

with.

May we

please you

and may we

be used of you

in a way

that makes the

gospel look

beautiful

and our savior

look precious.

we pray

these things

in Jesus

name.

Amen.

God bless you.

Have a great week.

Thank you.