“All the believers were together and had everything in common…every day they continued to meet together in the temples courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.” (Acts 2:44-47)
The Westminster Confession of Faith explains: “The visible church . . . consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion, together with their children; and is the kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ, the house and family of God, out of which there is no ordinary possibility of salvation.”
That is all fine and good, but does God really require that I join a local Church? Do I really need to take formal vows of Church membership? We believe that the answer to both questions is, Yes. Membership in a local congregation of Christ’s Church is not an option. Christians should join a local Church, and their effectiveness as Christians suffers if they do not. The following are biblical reasons for joining a local congregation. (This particular list comes from Dr. Peter Leithart…there are many lists, but this one best represents what we believe, here)
1. The Church is a covenant community. When Peter described the Church in his first epistle, he quoted several phrases from the Old Testament, all of which describe the covenant relationship between God and His people (1 Pet. 2:9-10). Just as Israel maintained their status through sacrifice to God, the Church as a whole was confirmed as God’s covenant people by the covenant sealed with Christ’s blood on Calvary.
2. Admission to the covenant community is by vow. In the Old Testament, we see God’s people being admitted to the privileges of the covenant by circumcision, and in the New Testament, admission to the Church is by baptism. Both circumcision and baptism are, among other things, vows of allegiance to God and to His people.
3. It is in the community that God commands us to meet together to worship before Him. Whether in the feasts or holy Sabbaths to the New Testament Lord’s Day the Church has always been commanded and expected to meet together in community. There are no solitary Christians in the Bible; God always calls those He loves into a community.
4. For the good of His people God has always commanded us to submit to the authority of His representatives, from the priest, the prophets, to the Apostles then to the elders of a local Church. The apostles set up an organized government for the Church. Paul instructed Titus to appoint elders in each city (Tit. 1:5). Throughout the book of Acts, we find references to these rulers of local Churches (Acts 11:30; 15:2ff.; 16:4; 20:17ff.) Hebrews 13:17 even instructs us to obey the leaders who keep watch over our souls. If God wants us to submit to the authority of a local Church government, He surely wants us to join a local Church. Otherwise, who keeps watch over our souls? Who warns us when we stumble?
5. In the Church, only, we receive the sacraments of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. It is here alone where we share in the means of grace God has apportioned for us. We have no life in ourselves. Christ is our life (Col. 3:4). The act of covenant baptism brings His people into a covenant relationship either through confession of faith or through anticipation of a profession by our children. Faithful participation in the Lord’s Supper is the source of our life. Moreover, when the Church eats the one bread, it shows itself to be one Body. Just as full citizenship in Israel was marked by participation in the Passover, so citizenship in the One Church is marked by participation in the Lord’s Supper.
This is the Church, the Body of Christ. We are commanded to be a functioning part of it to the glory of God. It is to be a regular part of our life so that our children see the importance of the Church for the people of God. And we are to give thanks to God for providing us with “the place” He promised throughout the Bible for His people.
God Bless y’all today!
In His Grip,
Pastor Mike
