Healthy Members pt1 - Ephesians 1-3

Father, you have given to us wonderful gifts.

You have given to us the gift of your word,

inspired by you, written down,

so that we can read it and hear your voice to us today.

And thank you that you have given to us also the gift of your Holy Spirit

to open up our minds,

that we may understand not just intellectually,

but we may understand spiritually the things that you are teaching us and showing us.

And we ask for his help,

that we may understand what it is to be your people.

And we ask, Father, that through our study this morning,

we would be encouraged,

and we would be built up together,

and that we would live well as your people in this world.

We ask this in Jesus' name. Amen.

So what comes to mind when you hear the word church?

Perhaps a worship service you attend on a Sunday morning.

Maybe it's an old building with beautiful architecture and stained glass windows.

Maybe you see church as an outdated institution that's no longer relevant.

Or perhaps church stirs up emotions of fear and hate,

memories of abuse and hurt.

It's important then for us when we think about church

to understand what we mean by church.

Well, in the Bible, the word simply means

a gathering of God's people.

In fact, the whole story of the Bible is God's plan

and God's promise to create a people for himself,

a people who are gathered around the Lord Jesus.

So at the very beginning of our Bibles,

in Exodus 6 verse 7, it says this.

Exodus 6:7

I think it's all on your notes there.

I will take you as my own people

and I will be your God.

So God's promise to his people Israel

to gather them to himself, to rescue them,

and they would be his people.

And then at the very end of the Bible,

in Revelation chapter 21,

Revelation 21 · chapter mention

we get the fulfillment of that promise

and that plan.

where it says,

look, God's dwelling place is now among the people.

They will be his people

and God himself will be with them

and be their God.

So God's plan from before the creation of the world

is to create a people for himself

and he is fulfilling that throughout history.

And one day,

that will come to its ultimate fulfillment

as we are gathered around the Lord Jesus

in the new heavens and the new earth.

So first, when we come to think about church,

we need to see it as a who,

not a what.

Church is not a building.

This is not church.

This is the community center.

The church may be in this building,

but it's not the building itself.

It's not a service

or it's not an institution.

It is a people who are saved by God

and are belonging to God.

So look, for example,

how Paul writes his letter to the church

in Ephesus chapter 1, verse 1.

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus

by the will of God,

to God's holy people in Ephesus,

the faithful,

that is those who have faith in Christ Jesus.

And then at the end of the letter,

the very last couple of verses,

chapter 6, verse 23 and 24,

he says,

Peace to the brothers and sisters.

And love with faith from God,

the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace to all who love our Lord Jesus Christ

with an undying love.

So the church is a people,

brothers and sisters,

united together in their faith in Christ

and their love for Christ.

They are God's holy people

who have been called out

from the world to himself.

So when we think about church,

we think who,

not a what.

Second, when we think of church,

we need to see it as both

a local gathering

and a heavenly gathering.

So again, go back to chapter 1, verse 1.

So we're thinking of church as a who,

it's a people,

but it's also a local gathering

and a heavenly gathering.

So verse 1, he says,

to God's holy people in Ephesus.

It's a local gathering of God's people

in the city of Ephesus.

And that's how Paul writes many of his letters.

So he writes to the church of God in Corinth.

Or to all God's holy people in Christ Jesus at Philippi.

To God's holy people in Colossae.

So the church is a local gathering of believers in Christ.

And this is what this gathering is here.

It's a local gathering of believers in Christ,

in Carigalline.

But it's much more than just a local gathering of believers.

Ralph referred to this earlier on,

just before we sang.

So chapter 2, verse 6.

So the believers are a local gathering,

but also, chapter 2, verse 6,

And God raised us up with Christ

and seated us with him

in the heavenly realms in Christ Jesus.

So where is the church now?

Well, it's a local gathering,

but in verse 6, chapter 2, verse 6,

it's also saying that we are already seated

with Christ in the heavenly realms.

Now, we don't fully experience that yet

in all its fullness,

but from God's perspective,

as he looks at the church now,

we are already part of the eternal heavenly gathering.

You see, the church is not just this temporary thing we do

until we get to heaven

and then we dump church and put it to one side.

No, heaven is church in all its fullness.

It's a continuation.

We don't stop being the church

when Christ comes again.

We continue as the church for all eternity.

You see, the local church,

this gathering of believers here in this location,

is a visible manifestation.

It's a picture of the eternal heavenly gathering

that is to come.

John Stott, a well-respected writer and pastor,

put it like this.

You have it on your notes.

Follow along with me.

He explains it like this.

He says,

The church lies at the very centre of the eternal purpose of God.

It is not a divine afterthought.

It's not an accident in history.

On the contrary, the church is God's new community.

For his purpose, conceived in past eternity,

being worked out in history,

and to be perfected in a future eternity,

is not just to save isolated individuals

and so perpetuate our loneliness,

but rather to build his church.

That is, to call out of the world

a people for his own glory.

So the church isn't just this made-up idea.

It is God's plan and purpose from before time began,

which will reach its fulfilment

when all God's people

from all lots of local churches

from around the world

will be gathered together with him.

God's church is at the very centre

of his plan and promise for the world.

So let's unpack this a little bit more

under two headings.

First, defining who the church is.

Defining who the church is.

We've seen that the church is a who.

It's a people.

It's also a local gathering,

which is a visible expression

of our eternal heavenly gathering.

But who is the church?

Is everybody here in this room

or in this building

part of the church?

Can anyone be part of the church?

I mean, how do you become

part of the church?

Well, hopefully, the Bible gives us

a great image for the church,

the head and the body.

So have a look at chapter 1,

verse 21.

Ephesians chapter 1, verse 21.

Ephesians 1:21

So here, Paul has been talking about

how God had raised Christ from the dead.

And he tells us Christ was raised,

verse 21,

far and above all rule and authority,

power and dominion,

and every name that is invoked,

not only in the present age,

but also in the one to come.

And God placed all things

under Christ's feet

and appointed him to be head

over everything for the church.

So Christ is the head.

Christ is the ruler of the church.

He has absolute power

and supreme authority

over all people

and over all things,

over everything in this universe.

He is over it all

for the good of the church.

I don't own the church.

I may be pastor of this local church,

but I don't own it.

We don't own the church.

The church belongs to Christ.

He is the head.

He is the supreme one

over all things.

Now read on.

The church, verse 23,

which is his body,

the fullness of him

who fills everything

in every way.

So the church,

Christ is the head.

The church is the body.

We're under the head.

We submit to the head.

But more than that,

the head is our source of life.

That's what I think is meant

by that little phrase,

the fullness of him

who fills everything

in every way.

Not only is the church

an expression of Christ,

the body of Christ,

but all of Christ

is in his people.

So he is the source

of true life.

And without the head,

there is no life.

So if Christ is the head

and the church,

the people,

are the body,

well, we're still back

to the same question.

Who is part of the body?

Who gets to make up

the body of Christ?

Well, two things.

First,

the body

are sinners

who are saved

by grace.

The body

are sinners

saved by grace.

So chapter 2,

verse 1.

As for you,

he's talking to

the local church,

as for you,

you are dead

in your transgressions

and sins.

Now that leaves us

in a dangerous position.

To be dead in our sin

is not a good place to be.

It's not just living

as we please.

It puts us in danger.

We see that at the end

of verse 3.

Because of our sin,

end of verse 3,

like the rest,

we were by nature

deserving of wrath.

Because of our rebellion,

because of our turning

against God,

we're under

his just judgment.

And that's a dangerous

place to be

because to stand

before God's judgment

means to be

separated from him

for all eternity,

not as the gathered

people of God

in the new heavens

and the new earth,

but separated

from the people of God

and from God himself

in hell.

But thankfully,

God kept his promise

to gather a people

to himself.

So, verse 4,

but because of his

great love for us,

God, who is rich

in mercy,

made us alive

with Christ

even when we were

dead in transgressions.

It is by grace

you have been saved.

God has intervened

into our lives

by his Son,

the Lord Jesus Christ.

He has saved,

he has rescued

his people

by taking upon himself

the judgment

they deserve,

the wrath of God

has fallen on Christ

and in its place

they are given

new life

with Christ.

And that gift

of salvation

is for all those

who will trust in him.

So,

if today

you are here

and your faith

is in Jesus Christ,

you are saved.

It's by grace.

It's not because

of something you've done.

It's not because

of your background

or your heritage

or your family

who you belong to.

It's by God's

gracious gift.

You are no longer

dead.

You are no longer

under God's wrath

and judgment

but you are now

living under

your new head,

your new ruler,

Jesus Christ.

Verse 6,

And God has raised

us with Christ

and seated us

with him

in the heavenly realms

in Christ Jesus.

So,

those who are

in the body,

those who are part

of the body of Christ

are sinners

who have been

saved by grace

and are now,

as it were,

gathered with the

Lord Jesus

in the heavenly realms.

But not only

are those saved

by grace,

they are now

members

of one body.

So,

have a look at

chapter 3,

verse 6.

Those who are

saved by grace

become members

of the one body.

Chapter 3,

verse 6.

This mystery,

so the mystery

he's been talking

about is not

something that's

secret,

it has now been

revealed by God,

his plan and promise

to make a people

for himself.

That's the mystery

that has been

revealed.

So,

he tells us,

this mystery,

is that through

the gospel,

the Gentiles,

Gentiles are people

who are not Jews,

are heirs together

with Israel.

Members together

of one body

and sharers together

in the promise

in Christ Jesus.

So,

through the gospel,

through the good news

of Jesus Christ,

as that good news

spread to all

different peoples

from all different

backgrounds,

they were achieving

God's plan

and promise

which was to bring

a people together

for himself.

They would become

members of one

body,

the body of Christ.

So,

no matter what

your race is,

no matter what

your culture,

or what your

background,

it doesn't matter

whether you are

Jew or Gentile,

rich or poor,

whether you are

male or female,

through faith in

Christ,

we become

members of

the body of

Christ.

Or as it has

at the end

of verse 6,

we are sharers

together in the

promise in

Christ Jesus.

We are incorporated

together as

God's people.

So,

the body

are sinners

saved by grace

who become

members of

that one body.

And if we are

members of the

body of Christ,

that is expressed

in two ways.

It's expressed

through baptism

and the Lord's

Supper.

So,

let's take

each one in

turn.

First,

baptism.

You can turn

to this if you

like,

but I think

it's on your

notes.

In Acts 19,

Luke,

the author,

gives an

account of

when Paul

first went

to Ephesus.

So,

before there

was a church,

before there

was a gathering

of God's

people,

Paul went

there,

others had

been there,

they'd been

teaching and

sharing the

good news

of Christ.

And as

Paul went

there,

they had

been talking

about John

the Baptist.

And they

talked about

the baptism

of John

the Baptist.

And Paul

responds to

their discussions

and he says

this in Acts

Acts 19:4

19,

verses 4 and

5.

He told,

Paul told

the people

to believe

in the one

coming after

him.

that is the

one coming

after John

the Baptist,

that is in

Jesus.

And as they

heard about

Jesus on

hearing this,

they were

baptized into

the name of

the Lord

Jesus.

They heard

the gospel,

they believed

the gospel,

and in

response,

they were

baptized into

the name of

the Lord

Jesus Christ.

So they

effectively,

when we

are baptized,

when they

were baptized,

they were

saying,

yes,

on the one

hand,

I believe

in Christ,

I believe

in Jesus,

but yet I

also belong

to his

family,

to the

body of

Jesus,

to Christ's

family.

So when

we're being

baptized,

it is both

a commitment

to Christ

to say,

yes,

I believe

in Christ,

but it is

also a

commitment to

the church

saying,

yes,

I am

now part

of God's

family.

And second,

the Lord's

Supper.

I think

we need

to go to

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11

for this.

When we

think about

church,

it's not

that there's

one particular

letter or

one particular

passage in

the Bible

which says

this is what

church is

all about.

it's taught

throughout in

many different

ways.

So let's

go to

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11.

It's back

a few

pages.

1 Corinthians

1 Corinthians 11 · chapter mention

chapter 11.

So in

this section

chapter 11,

the second

half of it

is all about

the Lord's

Supper.

chapter 11,

but there's

been a problem

in the church.

So chapter 11,

verse 18.

And he's

responding,

Paul's

responding to

the problem

in the church.

He says,

in the first

place,

I hear that

when you come

together as

a church,

now isn't

that significant?

He's writing

to a church

and he's

saying,

look,

as you come

together,

as you meet

together as

God's people,

there are

divisions among

you.

And to some

extent,

I believe

it.

You see,

the Lord's

Supper was

to be a

meal to

remember

Christ's

death,

which was

also an

expression of

their unity

in Christ.

But that's

not how they

were celebrating

it.

Look at

verse 20.

He says,

so then,

when you

come together,

it is not

the Lord's

Supper you

eat.

For when

you're eating,

some of

you go

ahead with

your own

private

supper.

So,

you can

imagine this

church gathering,

there's people

who are very

rich and

wealthy and

they've got

their own

homes and

things are

going well

for them and

then there's

people who

aren't so

well off and

it seems

they've kind

of divided

themselves and

the wealthy

ones are all

off together

having a

great time and

they're forgetting

those who

don't have

anything.

So,

as a result,

one person

remains hungry

and another

one gets

drunk,

don't you

have homes

to eat and

drink in?

Or do you

despise the

church of

God by

humiliating

those who

have nothing?

What shall

I say to

you?

Shall I

praise you?

Certainly

not in

this matter.

Verse 29,

for those

who eat

and drink

without

discerning

the body

of Christ

eat and

drink

judgment

on

themselves.

So,

it was a

serious

matter when

they came

to celebrate

the Lord's

Supper.

They needed

to remember

that not

only were

they remembering

that Christ

died for

them as a

people,

but it was

also a

meal where

they came

together in

unity to

express the

fact that

they were

one body,

that Christ

had brought

them together

from all

kinds of

different

backgrounds

to be

one people.

So,

as they

ate the

Lord's

Supper,

as they

ate the

bread and

drank the

wine together,

it was an

affirmation of

their ongoing

faith in

Christ.

Yes,

in our

baptism,

it was a

once-off,

I believe

in Jesus,

and as they

shared in

the communion

or in the

Lord's

Supper

together,

they were

saying,

yes,

I continue

on in my

faith in

Christ.

But not

just that,

I continue

on in my

commitment

to the

church

body,

to the

church

family.

So,

we could

put it

this way,

baptism is

a celebration

of a

family birth.

When somebody

is baptized,

it is like

a new

birth.

Someone is

being added

to God's

family because

they've trusted

in Christ.

And the

Lord's

Supper is

like a

family meal.

family.

It's

where the

family gather

together to

renew and

to remind

themselves of

being one

body together,

trusting in

Christ.

Now,

before we move

on,

I'd like us to

think about this

a little bit

more for our

own lives.

You can answer

these for

yourself.

And the

first one is

this,

are you in

the body

of Christ?

Very simply,

are you a

Christian?

are you

trusting in

Jesus?

The invitation

from Ephesians,

you can go back

to Ephesians,

is very clear

that Christ

has done all

the work for

you.

He's died

your death

for you.

He's lived

the perfect

life for you.

So trust

him.

Know his

forgiveness.

Know his

acceptance so

that you can

be part of

the body

of Christ.

Christ.

So are you

a Christian?

Are you in

the body

of Christ?

You need

to answer

that question

today for

yourself.

If you are

in the body

of Christ

and you say,

yes,

I am a

Christian,

let me ask

you,

have you

been

baptized?

Do you

take the

Lord's

Supper?

Supper?

If not,

why not?

Or maybe

you're a

Christian,

you say,

well,

I've been

baptized,

but I

don't take

the Lord's

Supper,

or,

yes,

I'm a

Christian,

I take

the Lord's

Supper,

but I'm

not

baptized.

Both are

commands from

the Lord

to make it

visible and

clear that,

yes,

I believe

in Christ,

and yes,

I belong to

his church

family.

The two go

together.

They shouldn't

be separated.

So let me

ask you,

if you are

in the

body of

Christ,

have you

been

baptized,

and do

you share

in the

Lord's

Supper?

And if

you don't,

why not?

So,

summary so

far,

under

defining who

the church

is.

The church

are those

who are in

the body

of Christ

through faith,

which is

expressed in

baptism

and the

Lord's

Supper.

Very simple.

The church,

the true

church,

are those

who are

in the

body of

Christ

through

their faith

in Christ,

and that

faith in

Christ is

expressed in

baptism,

which is

once-off,

and the

Lord's

Supper,

which continues

until Christ

comes again.

So,

that's

defining who

the church

is.

Second,

identifying

who the

church is.

So,

they're

parallel,

they're

similar,

but I

hope as

we go

along we'll

see that

there's a

difference.

We define

who the

church is,

and now we

want to

identify who

the church

is.

It's

important to

understand that

we don't

separate being

a Christian

from being

in the

church.

So,

if you

are in

Christ,

you are

in the

church.

Look at

the three

images or

pictures that

were given

in Ephesians

Ephesians 2 · chapter mention

chapter 2.

Let's have

a look at

verse 15.

Ephesians

Ephesians 2:15

chapter 2

verse 15.

The middle

of verse 15.

So,

it's going

back to

God's plan

and God's

promise.

Ephesians

Ephesians 2:15

2

verse 15.

His

purpose

was to

create in

himself one

new humanity

out of the

two.

So,

from the

Jews,

from the

Gentiles,

to creating

himself out

of all

these people

one new

humanity,

thus making

peace.

And in

one body,

so through

the body

of Jesus

Christ,

to reconcile

both of

them to

God

through the

cross,

by which he

put to

death their

hostility.

So,

Christ has

come through

his death

on the

cross and

by his

resurrection

to bring

a people

together for

himself,

a new

community,

a new

people under

him.

Verse 19.

consequently,

so he's

saying,

look,

in light

of what

Christ has

done,

this is

who you

are.

Because

Christ has

died for

you,

because he's

brought you

together,

this is

who you

are.

And he

gives us

three brilliant

pictures to

describe who

the members

of the

body are.

First,

he says,

you are

citizens with

God's people.

Verse 19,

consequently,

you are no

longer foreigners

and strangers,

but fellow

citizens with

God's people.

You see,

when you're

born in a

country,

you become a

citizen of

that country.

It's an

automatic right.

You're born in

Ireland,

well,

you're Irish.

You receive

all the

privileges and

responsibilities

of being a

citizen.

In the same

way,

Christ's death

for us

makes us

citizens

of God's

nation.

We become

citizens with

the already

citizens that

God has

made.

We are

God's people

together.

Not only

citizens with

God's people,

another picture

he gives,

he says,

we're like

children of

God's family.

So look at

the end of

verse 19.

We are

also members

of his

household.

So again,

when a

child is

born into

a family,

they get

to be

treated as

part of

the family.

They don't

become a

brother and

sister to

their siblings

by their

very birth

into the

family.

They are

already a

brother and

sister with

their siblings.

It's

something the

child receives

and enjoys

at birth.

Well,

through our

faith in

Christ,

we become

children.

we become

part of

his family.

It's an

automatic

privilege.

And then

the third

picture,

verse 22,

he describes

church as

being a

dwelling for

God's

presence.

So verse

22,

and in

him,

in Christ,

you too

are being

built together

to become a

dwelling in

which God

lives by

his spirit.

So just

as a

builder goes

out and

he takes

his blocks

and he

puts them

one on

top of

the other

to build

a house,

so Christ

takes us

as individuals

and builds

us together.

We're

incorporated

together.

We're a

living structure

where God

dwells by

his spirit.

Now,

these are all

images and

pictures of

the local

church.

In each

picture,

the individuals

make up the

whole.

Citizens

make up the

nation.

Children

make up the

family.

People like

stones make

up the

building.

And they're

also related

to each

other.

There is a

union, a

relationship,

an interdependence.

You see,

the Bible never

ever speaks of

Christians in

isolation.

If you are a

Christian,

Christian, you

don't get to

decide whether

or not you

become part of

the church.

It's not

something you

think, well,

I'm a

Christian, and

go, I

wonder if I'll

become part of

the church.

If you are a

Christian, the

question is not

will I become a

member of the

church, but how

am I going to

live out my

membership?

Here's a

quote, and I

think it's on

your page from

Timison Chester.

They say, by

becoming a

Christian, I

belong to

God and I

belong to my

brothers and

sisters.

It is not that I

belong to God and

then make a

decision to join a

local church.

My being in

Christ means being

in Christ with

those who are

in Christ.

Christ.

And that's how

Paul treats these

believers here, as

he writes.

He speaks to the

church, the body of

believers.

He's not writing to

individuals, but to

a family, a

nation, a

building, people

who are one.

So we look to

that one example in

chapter 3, verse 6.

He says, you are

members together of

one body.

Look at chapter 4,

verse 16.

From him, from

Christ, the whole

body is joined and

held together by

every supporting

ligament and it

grows and it

builds itself up in

love as each part

does its work.

Or chapter 4,

verse 25.

Therefore, each of

you must put off

falsehood and speak

truthfully to your

neighbour, for we

are all members of

one body.

You see, we can't

live in isolation.

It never, ever

speaks of a

Christian being on

their own, ever.

So, we are

members of one

body.

Second, identifying

through membership.

Now, all of this is

good, what we've

looked at so far.

It helps us see that

we not only belong to

Christ, but we

but we also belong to

the church.

But how do we

identify who is in

the local church?

We've already

identified at one

level or defined it

as those who believe

in Christ and trust

Christ, which has

been expressed through

baptism and the

Lord's Supper.

But how do we

identify who is in

the local church?

How do we know who

belongs to

Carigoline Baptist

Church?

It would be an

interesting thing to

ask, and I'm not

going to ask you to

do it, but for

people to put up

their hands and

say, do you belong

to Carigoline Baptist

Church?

Who of you would put

up your hand?

I'm not asking you to

do that, just putting

it out there.

Is it whoever turns up

on a given Sunday?

So what about somebody

who comes just once a

month or somebody who

appears twice a year?

Does that make you

part of Carigoline

Baptist Church?

How do you define it?

How do you identify

who the people are?

Do we just have to

kind of have this

magical kind of,

oh, and we all know

who it is?

Well, church

membership is the

formal way of

identifying who

belongs to a local

church.

But you say, ah,

Johnny, you haven't

read your Bible very

well.

Because membership

isn't in the Bible,

is it?

I've read my Bible,

I've read through

Ephesians, and

membership in this

formal sense is not

there.

Well, let me ask you,

is the word Trinity

in your Bible?

Anybody ever come

across the word

Trinity?

It's not there.

But the teaching of

Trinity is.

God is one in three

persons, Father, Son,

and Holy Spirit.

It's a word that

teaches us and tells

us what and who

God is.

Now, the word

membership in this

formal way might be

in your Bible, but the

teaching and the

practice is.

It's all over the

place.

Let me give you one

example.

In fact, it's

assumed in the

book of Ephesians,

as we've been

reading, it's

addressed to a

particular people in

a particular place.

But I want to go and

show you this a little

bit more.

Go to Acts chapter

Acts 20 · chapter mention

20.

Acts chapter 20.

Acts 20 · chapter mention

So if you wanted

further background on

Ephesians, you could

read chapters 19 and

20.

So at this point, the

church has already been

established.

Paul had visited it a

number of times.

And now he's

traveling back from a

visit from modern-day

Greece, and he's kind

of coming back down

sort of around the

Mediterranean, down

along the coast of

modern-day Turkey, and

he's heading towards

Jerusalem.

And on the way, he

stops at this little

place called Miletus,

which is just south of

Ephesus on the coast.

So chapter 20, verse

16.

Paul had decided to

sail past Ephesus to

avoid spending time in

the province of Asia, for

he was in a hurry to

reach Jerusalem, if

possible, by the day of

Pentecost.

From Miletus, so he

stopped there for a

little while, Paul sent

to Ephesus for the

elders of the church.

So it's like a meeting

he'd arranged.

He sent a message

saying, guys, come

over down to Miletus,

I want to have a chat

with you.

And listen to what he

says to the elders of

the church.

Verse 28.

Keep watch over

yourselves and all the

flock of which the

Holy Spirit has made

you overseers.

Be shepherds of the

church of God, which

he bought with his own

blood.

I know that after I

leave, savage wolves

will come in among you

who will not spare the

flock.

The savage wolves, of

course, were false

teachers.

Verse 30.

Even from your own

number, from your own

number, men will arise

and distort the truth in

order to draw away

disciples after them.

So be on your guard.

Now, that simple

reading implies three

things that I want us

to think through

carefully.

First, there is

clearly an

identifiable church

with elders.

A clearly

identifiable church

with elders.

He sends a message

for the elders

in the church at

Ephesus.

In other words, it's

a defined local

church of believers.

And even when he

goes on to warn

them, he says,

look, there may be

people who come

from within your

own number.

A defined group of

people he's talking

about again.

So there were those

who were definitely

in the church at

Ephesus and they

were able to define

and know who they

were and identify

who they were.

And there were

those who were not

in the church at

Ephesus.

So first, there was

a clearly identifiable

church with elders.

Second, the church

knows who the

elders are.

So as we read

through 28 and 29,

the elders are given

the responsibility

for shepherding,

for caring,

for protecting

the flock.

the church, yes,

are God's people.

He died for them.

He bought them with

his own blood.

Nevertheless, the

elders are given

responsibility for

the church.

The elders are not a

secret society that

nobody knows who

they are.

The church all knows

who the elders are.

They've been affirmed

and appointed by the

church and we can

read that through

Titus.

So if you have a

look at Titus

Titus 1 · chapter mention

chapter 1, that

when people went,

they appointed elders

for every church.

So practically,

yes, we have elders

in this church.

If you don't know

who they are,

they're Alex,

Jonathan,

Ralph,

and myself.

But how were the

elders appointed in

this church?

Is it whoever

happens to be here

on a Sunday gets

to decide and say,

yep, we'll have

them as elder?

No, the elders are

appointed and affirmed

by the members of

the church.

It wouldn't be good,

for example,

if 20 people,

let's just say,

and why not think

this, like 30 people

decide to come in

next Sunday and

they're here for a

couple of weeks

and they decide,

well, we'll have

them, they'll be elder.

And then they leave

and we never see

them again.

I mean, is that

how it works?

No, it doesn't.

The church knows

who the elders are

because they have

been affirmed

by the church

themselves.

And then third,

the elders know

who the church are.

God has made

the elders shepherds

over the flock.

That doesn't mean

that every single

Christian in the

whole region of

Turkey, Ephesus

was in Turkey,

does that mean the

elders were over

all the Christians

in that place?

No, the flock

are a defined

number of people.

They are shepherds

of the flock,

look at verse 28,

of which the Holy

Spirit has made you

overseers.

There are specific

people, specific

sheep that the

shepherds are to

look after, to care

for.

It's specific.

So let's ask another

question.

How do the elders of

Caragalline Baptist

Church know who the

flock are?

How do I know who I

am meant to pastor?

Are they all the

people who ever

come in?

Or people who

regularly come?

Or all the

Christians that there

might be around

Caragalline?

Who's responsible?

Well, they need to

be identified.

And membership is

the way of doing

that.

So membership is

not just this mad

idea that we've

come up with.

It's a teaching and

a practice of the

local church which

is set out in the

New Testament.

And we believe that

membership is best

and right.

It's good for the

church.

We don't and we

can't force people

to become members.

members.

Yet we see it as

the best way of

identifying who the

church is so they

are incorporated

together and, well,

hold elders

accountable and the

elders know who

they are caring for.

So if you're here

this morning and you

consider this to be

your local church

and you would put up

your hand and say,

yes, Caragalline

Baptist Church is the

church that I belong

to.

Well, let me

encourage you.

Why don't you speak

to one of the

elders and let's