Deconstructing Church: What IS Church?

Deconstructing Church:
Membership: What’s The Point?

Introduction: why should we bother with church?
Church SUBTITLES: A Church for those Not Comfortable With Church
A Church for those Not Into Church
A Church for those Tired of Their Church
IF some THE LARGEST CHURCHES ON THE CONTINENT CHOOSE THESE STATEMENTS FOR SUBTITLES, then perhaps it’s time for us to DECONSTRUCT CHURCH, reexamine the point of church Jesus’ own words, from Paul’s direct statements as to the meaning of church.
CHURCH: Why should we bother?
What makes us a church?
How do I become part of a church?
Here, we have another reason to ask and answer these questions, because we just completed 40 DAYS OF COMMUNITY.
Community only happens in a context, with other people; CHURCH IS GOD’S IDEA, DESIGNED TO MEET MANY NEEDS AND FULFILL MANY OF HIS INTENTIONS.
We know that because so many different METAPHORS ARE USED TO DESCRIBE THE CHURCH…
What is the church?
What makes us a part of the church?
What does “membership” mean? Or, Should we “join” a church?
How do we experience “life together”?

1. What is the church?
• Multiple metaphors:
o Field
1Cor. 3:9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field… TO BE CULTIVATED

o Building TO BE INHABITED

1Cor. 3:9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, God’s building.

Eph. 2:19-22 So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

o Household TO BE PROTECTED
Matt. 10:25 “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!

o Family TO BE NURTURED
• Matthew 12:48-49
Matt. 12:48-49 But Jesus answered the one who was telling Him and said, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” And stretching out His hand toward His disciples, He said, “Behold My mother and My brothers!
o Nation/People TO PROCLAIM
1Pet. 2:9 But you are A CHOSEN RACE, A royal PRIESTHOOD, A HOLY NATION, A PEOPLE FOR God’s OWN POSSESSION, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light;

o Flock/Sheep TO BE FED

John 10:16 “I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also, and they will hear My voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.
Acts 20:28 “Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.
1Pet. 5:2 shepherd the flock of God among you, exercising oversight not under compulsion, but voluntarily, according to the will of God; and not for sordid gain, but with eagerness;

o Body TO EXPRESS HIS WILL

Ephesians 4:11–12 “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;”

o Members PARTS OF A WHOLE
Matt. 10:25 “It is enough for the disciple that he become like his teacher, and the slave like his master. If they have called the head of the house Beelzebul, how much more will they malign the members of his household!

1Cor. 12:12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.
1Cor. 12:22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary;
1Cor. 12:23 and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable,
Eph. 5:30 because we are members of His body.

Col. 3:5 Therefore consider the members of your earthly body as dead to immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed, which amounts to idolatry.

• Body of Jesus: WE ARE CHRIST’S BODY!

1Cor. 12:27 ¶ Now you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it.

2. What makes us a part of the church?
• Common faith (Eph 4), which connects us to the…
o Universal church
Eph. 4:4-6 There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all who is over all and through all and in all.
1Cor. 12:12-13 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.
For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

• Common life (Acts 2:42ff.), which connects us to a…
o Local assembly = most common NT usage
Acts 2:44-45 And all those who had believed were together and had all things in common; and they began selling their property and possessions and were sharing them with all, as anyone might have need.

* Common confession (Rom. 10:9 that if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; Rom. 10:10 for with the heart a person believes, resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, resulting in salvation.

3. What does “membership” mean? Should we “join” a church?
• At the gym? At Costco?
• Is secular membership the same as biblical membership?
• Why do contemporary congregations ask for membership, when the NT says nothing about such a thing?
1. The NT assumes that all believers are “members” of the congregation where they worship.
a. Membership means “of faith in Christ.”
b. Today: if you have placed faith in Christ…
i. You are a member of the congregation where you worship and serve
ii. You are subject to the elders of the congregation: Hebrews 13:17
Hebrews 13:17 NASB)
“Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”
iii. In a small house group, we speak of Christ either as people with faith or without faith.
iv. In a larger congregation, the elders must know you are of faith if they are to…
1. Pray for your growth (Acts 6:2,4)
2. Teach you the word (Acts 6:2,4)
3. Encourage you to follow Christ/Keep watch over your soul (Hebrews 13:17)
2. Assumes, maybe; but does it TEACH that we are to be members?
i. Acts 5:12-13: “Now many signs and wonders were regularly done among the people by the hands of the apostles. And they were all together in Solomon’s Portico. None of the rest dared join them, but the people held them in high esteem.” There seems to have been a qualifying choice made in Jerusalem: some chose to be a part of the church, some not.
ii. 1 Corinthians 5:12-13: “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside.” …This passage makes no sense if the Corinthian church didn’t have some public, formal means by which people identified themselves with the church.
iii. I Corinthians 5:1-2: the fellow who was sleeping with his father’s wife was to be expelled from the congregation, not from the Body of Christ (no human can do that).
1Cor. 5:1 ¶ It is actually reported that there is immorality among you, and immorality of such a kind as does not exist even among the Gentiles, that someone has his father’s wife.
1Cor. 5:2 You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead, so that the one who had done this deed would be removed from your midst.

iv. The fellow apparently repented and was restored to the congregation (not to the Body of Christ). 2 Corinthians 2:6: Paul writes again about the fellow, “For such a one, this punishment by the majority is enough, so you should rather turn to forgive and comfort him, or he may be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.” This man’s exclusion from the church was a punishment by the majority. You can’t have a majority unless you have a definite set of people from which a majority is constituted.

If one can be removed from the congregation and restored to the congregation, without gaining or losing position “in Christ”, then we have the essence of “membership” in a local assembly.
v. Matthew 18:15-17: "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault…if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you…If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” The ability to exclude someone from “the church” presupposes that it’s known who belongs to “the church” as a member in the first place.

vi. Scripture repeatedly commands Christians to submit to their leaders (Heb. 13:17; 1 Thess. 5:12-13). The only way to do that is by publicly committing to be members of their flock, and saying in effect, “I commit to listening to your teaching, following your direction, and to submitting to your leadership.” There’s no way to obey the scriptural commands to submit to your leaders if you never actually submit to them by joining a local church.

Therefore, I am a member of this congregation, for the health of my soul.
1. I am subject to the elders.
2. I am subject to you.

4. How do we live well in/with the Body? How do we experience “life together”?
• Common transparency: care for, encourage, rebuke, teach, and learn from each other (Eph. 4:15-16).
Hebrews 13:17 NASB
“Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.”

• Common commitments: I am no longer making all my life decisions alone
o Use the spiritual gifts God has given to build up the body (1 Cor. 12:7).
o Walk in sync with the Mission of God
o Submit to the church’s leadership and teaching (Heb 13:17).
o Promote unity in the body (Eph. 4:3).
o Financially support the church’s work (Gal. 6:6).

“Engaging membership” means at least these five things:
• Be in transparent relationships with other church members in which they care for, encourage, rebuke, teach, and learn from each other (Eph. 4:15-16).
o Eph 4:15-16
we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”

• Submit to the church’s leadership and teaching (Heb. 13:17).
• Promote unity in the body (Eph. 4:3).
“being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

• Financially support the common service efforts (Gal. 6:6).
“And let the one who is taught the word share all good things with him who teaches.”

• Use the spiritual gifts God has given them to build up the body however they can (1 Cor. 12:7).
“But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”


Romans 12:1–13 NASB
For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Let love be without hypocrisy.
Abhor what is evil; cling to what is good.
Be devoted to one another in brotherly love;
give preference to one another in honor;
not lagging behind in diligence, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord;
rejoicing in hope,
persevering in tribulation,
devoted to prayer,
contributing to the needs of the saints,
practicing hospitality.”