ECHOES of the Bible | Q44 - Is church membership Biblical?
September 21, 2024

INTRODUCTION: ‘Membership Has Its Privileges’

Q1: Church membership isn’t in the Bible - so, where did it come from?

Q2: Back in 1657, the church in the new world created something called ’The Half-Way Covenant’ - what was it?

Q3: What is a ‘membership economy’?

REVIEW: ‘7 UNIQUE PICTURES THAT DEFINE THE CHURCH!’

  1. The Church is a Portal of Heaven!

  2. The Church is a Wifi Router of Grace!

  3. The Church is an Emergency Room for the Soul!

  4. The Church is a Charging Station for the Human Spirit!

  5. The Church is a Symphony of Worship!

  6. The Church is a Firewall of Faith!

  7. The Church is the Creative Studio of the Kingdom!

THIS WEEK: ‘7 REASONS NOT TO BECOME A CHURCH MEMBER!’

1. You Prefer being Spiritually !

Hebrews 10:19-25 (NLT) - 19And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus…. 21 And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, 22 let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting Him…

23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise.

24 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. (Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out…MSG) 25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

2. You Prefer from the Couch!

Matthew 25 - Story of the ’Talents’ (investments)

Matthew 25:26-30 (NLT) - 26 …‘You wicked and lazy servant! If you knew I harvested crops I didn’t plant and gathered crops I didn’t cultivate, 27 why didn’t you deposit my money in the bank? At least I could have gotten some interest on it.’

28 “Then he ordered, ‘Take the money from this servant, and give it to the one with the ten bags of silver. 29 To those who use well what they are given, even more will be given, and they will have an abundance. But from those who do nothing, even what little they have will be taken away. 30 Now throw this useless servant into outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’

3. You are Afraid of !

Galatians 5:22-24 (MSG) - …what happens when we live God’s way? He brings gifts into our lives, much the same way that fruit appears in an orchard—things like affection for others, exuberance about life, serenity. We develop a willingness to stick with things, a sense of compassion in the heart, and a conviction that a basic holiness permeates things and people. We find ourselves involved in loyal commitments, not needing to force our way in life, able to marshal and direct our energies wisely…Among those who belong to Christ, everything connected with getting our own way and mindlessly responding to what everyone else calls necessities is killed off for good—crucified.

4. You are More of a than a !

Acts 20:35 (MSG) - “I’ve never, as you so well know, had any taste for wealth or fashion. With these bare hands I took care of my own basic needs and those who worked with me. In everything I’ve done, I have demonstrated to you how necessary it is to work on behalf of the weak and not exploit them. You’ll not likely go wrong here if you keep remembering that our Master said, ‘You’re far happier giving than getting.’”

2 Corinthians 9:7 (NLT) - 7 You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.”

5. You are Way More into Me than !

Romans 12:4-5 (NIV) - 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Bronze Tier - C.E.O. Membership

(Christmas & Easter Only)

Silver Tier - S.O.S. Membership

(Some Other Sunday)

Gold Tier - F.I.S.H. Membership

(Flexible Involvement/Sometimes Here)

Platinum Tier - B.A.T.T.L.E. Level Membership

(Biweekly Attendance - Thoroughly Loyal Every-other-week)

Diamond Tier - V.I.P. Membership

(Very Involved Parishioner)

6. You are More into Month-to-Month Subscriptions than -Term-Investments!

Luke 9:62 (ESV)…’No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God.’”

7. You are Looking for Membership !

Matthew 6:19-21 (ESV) - “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Matthew 5:12 (NIV) - “Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”

CONCLUSION: