Local Church Membership

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Local ChurchMembership
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The Lord Adds To The Church

• When one becomes a child of God by being immersed
  into Christ in baptism, the Lord adds this person
  to the one church
• Acts 2.41, 47
• 1 Corinthians 12.13 (cf. Colossians 1.18)
• It then becomes the responsibility of the
  Christian to join himself to the disciples of a
  local church

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Local Membership Is Necessary

• Without it, no local congregation
• No flockamong you for elders to have oversight
  (Acts 20.28 1 Peter 5.2)
• No local congregation, or church, to carry out
  discipline (Matthew 18.15-17 1 Corinthians 5)
• No assembling of ourselves together (Hebrews
  10.24-25)

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Examples

• The rest Acts 5.13
• Paul Acts 9.26-28 11.26
• Apollos Acts 18.27
• Phoebe Romans 16.1-2
• What did these people do? They
• Associated themselves with what the church
  preached and practiced
• Threw their influence behind the church
• Worked for growth and benefit of the church
• Worshipped with faithful saints

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Why Join A Local Church?

• It is Gods pattern Philippians 4.9
• To carry out the work and worship God has
  assigned to the church
• Work Evangelism, Edification, Limited
  Benevolence, Discipline
• Worship Singing, Preaching, Lords Supper,
  Contribution, Praying

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Accepting Rejecting Members

• Acceptance not an arbitrary decision 3 John
• Based on the persons walking with God 1 John 1
  (cf. 1 Corinthians 5 2 Thess. 3.6-14)
• Cant accept just anyone Acts 9.26-28
• We have the right and responsibility to ask and
  to know Acts 9.26-28 (cf. 1 Cor. 6.9-11)

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Practical Suggestions

• When local person is baptized, generally
  considered to join local church
• Approach elders/men with desire to join
• May require time to investigate
• Letter from previous congregations elders was a
  New Testament practice (Acts 18.27 Romans
  16.1-2 1 Corinthians 16.10)
• Do NOT assume you are a member

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Practical Suggestions

• If a visitor fails to approach the elders/men,
  then the elders/men need to approach the
  visitor with question of intent
• A church should not allow a visitor and the
  community to feel as if they are a member of the
  local church when they are not

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Are You A Member Of The Church?

• Local church membership does NOT equal
  faithfulness to God!
• If you are already a child of God, but have been
  unfaithful repent of your sins, pray to God for
  forgiveness, and confess your sins (Acts 8.22
  James 5.16)
• If you are not a child of God, do exactly what
  they did inActs 2 hearing the word, the gladly
  received it and obeyed it by repenting of their
  sins and being baptized

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