Some bad preaching

Ayatollahs upset - too many new Christians in Iran

Iranian Ayatollahs Upset: 600 new Christians in one city, many youth in another

IRAN -- The Ayatollahs of Iran are upset.  They say that 600 Iranians have become Christians in the city of Nishapur and that many young Iranians are coming to faith in the Shiite holy city of Qom.

Ayatollah Sobhani in a recent meeting of the Islamic Guidance Foundation has warned of the ever-increasing activities of local mystics and "false" Christian groups (i.e., evangelicals and born-again Christians!). He said, “these Christian evangelists have converted 600 people to Christianity in the city of Nishapur," (2005 pop. 270K) located in northeastern Iran near the border with Afghanistan and Turkmenistan.

They are also horrified, said Grand Ayatollah Vahid Khorasani, a high ranking Shiite cleric, by the statistics of large numbers of young people becoming Christian in the city of Qom (2005 pop. 1M), 100 miles southwest of Iran’s capital, Tehran. Qom is the largest center of Shi’a scholarship in the world with 50,000 Islamic seminarians from 70+ nations, and 9 major universities for education, medicine, and computer science. Khorasani severely criticized Iran’s government security for neglecting this issue and demanded that this matter be dealt with in the strongest possible manner.

Despite the ongoing suppression of believers by Iranian security forces and measures creating difficulty for the Iranian Christian community, many people (especially youth) still willingly embrace the Christian faith. Young Iranians are curious about Christianity and use the internet to research and discover various beliefs. Despite their Islamic heritage, they are instead choosing true freedom in Christ Jesus.

Pray that young Iranians will continue to come to Christ at a rate that alarms the ayatollahs. 

Pray for the 600 new believers in Nishapur and the large numbers of young Christians in the city of Qom 

• to stand firm in their faith through trials, imprisonment, torture, and martyrdom, 

• to preach the Good News to their people with clarity and Biblical accuracy, 

• to obtain sufficient copies of Persian language Bibles, 

• to plant many new churches,

• to see many signs and wonders,

• to rescue them from security forces, witnessing to them of the person and work of Jesus Christ, and

•  to frustrate the persecution goals of the Iranian security forces, bringing them through dreams and visions to know the Way of Christ as their own Savior and Lord.

The influence of Charles P. McIlvaine

Charles Pettit McIlvaine

Richard G. Williams, Jr., who usually writes on his Old Virginia blog, has written a piece over at Civil War Gazette on the impact personal relationships have had upon history. 

"Even what may first appear as obscure and coincidental acquaintances often manifest themselves in profound ways regarding their impact on history," writes Williams, who specializes in the history of the Uncivil War and the Christian faith.

He illustrates his point with the life of Charles Pettit McIlvaine (1799-1873), an Episcopal minister of the gospel who, as the chaplain at the United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, preached the Good News of Christ and discipled the young men who later fought in the War between the States. In turn several of them encouraged and led in the Great Revival in the Confederate Armies in the winters of 1862, 63, and 64 when over 100,000 Southern boys came to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior.

McIlvaine was the son of New Jersey senator and a Princeton graduate. While studying at Princeton, McIlvaine came to faith in Jesus Christ along with many others in a campus-wide revival. Years later he wrote about the revival: “It was powerful and pervading and fruitful [in] the conversion of young men to God. In that precious season of the power of God my religious life began. I had heard before; I began then to know.”

After being ordained in the Episcopal Church in 1820, McIlvaine years later found himself as Chaplain of the U.S. Senate, regularly preaching to such luminaries as Kentucky Senator Henry Clay and lion of the Senate, John C. Calhoun from South Carolina. As Secretary of War, Calhoun appointed McIlvaine Chaplain of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. 

At West Point, McIlvaine did his greatest work. In the 1826-27 school year, the Holy Spirit moved among the cadets. Francis H. Smith (Class of 1833 and the first superintendent of Virginia Military Institute) recounted later McIlvaine's description of the academy's spiritual climate:

“He said, when he entered upon his duties at West Point, the spiritual condition of the Institution was deplorable — no sense of religious obligation — but few professors of religion [that is, believers] among the cadets — and not more than one, if one, among the professors. Skepticism, in its varied forms, was prevalent among officers and cadets, and his labors for some time seemed to be in vain. He finally determined he would combine, with his pulpit ministries, the distribution of religious tracts, leaving them in the rooms of the cadets while they were at drill. They would be as ‘bread cast upon the waters,’ and would return ‘after many days.’ The answer came sooner than he expected.”

Bishop C.P. McIlvaine

The first to come to Christ was Cadet Leonidas Polk, then other cadets including Robert E. Lee, Albert Sydney Johnston, Joseph E. Johnson, and Jefferson Davis. Another of those who came to faith was a cadet by the name of Martin Parks.

Parks would return to West Point fourteen years later as the academy's chaplain where he would impact another notable cadet: Thomas J. Jackson. Jackson would also be influenced by Parks while stationed at Fort Hamilton in New York after the Mexican War. Jackson’s biographer James I. Robertson notes, “The . . . person who helped turn Jackson more strongly toward God was the Rev. Martin Philip Parks.”

Thus, McIlvaine had a spiritual impact on both Lee and  Jackson. These two together would later encourage the Great Revival during the War Between the States.

As for Bishop McIlvaine, Richard Williams writes, he cast his lot with the Union in the War and on behalf of President Lincoln lobbied the British government not to recognize or materially support the Confederacy.

John 20:1-23 - The Provision of the Resurrection

Contextual Notes:

It had been an bewildering weekend for the followers of Jesus. From a sweet, intimate fellowship around the Passover meal, they found themselves on the Mount of Olives facing swords, torches, and the Temple Guard with an arrest warrant and one of their own, Judas standing with them. Then night of trials and accusations, of fear and denials, of corruption and illegalities, of beatings and scourges. Then Calvary, the mocking, the nailing, the screaming, the dread wait for death. Then the darkness, the gambling, the staring, the slow asphyxiation, the quick death. Then the burial, the deadly silent day of Sabbath. How could they rest on Sabbath when their minds were running wild? That brings us to John chapter 20. Let’s read it.

Key Truth: John wrote John 20:1-23 to show invite others to see that Jesus Christ is the Risen Lord and that the Resurrection provides us the defeat of death, a relationship with the Lord, and peace for the future.

Key Application: Today I want to show you what God’s Word says about the Resurrection.

Pray and Read:  John 20:1-23

Sermon Points:

1.   The Resurrection provides the defeat of death (John 20:1-9)

2.   The Resurrection provides a relationship with the Lord (John 20:10-18)

3.   The Resurrection provides peace for the future (John 20:19-23)

Exposition:   Note well,

1.   THE RESURRECTION PROVIDES THE DEFEAT OF DEATH (John 20:1-9)

a.   20:5-8: Grave robbers would not leave behind expensive linen wrappings or spices. The condition of the linen wrappings indicates the body had not been moved. The burial clothes were a shroud around the body and a head-cloth (cf. John 11:44). John’s painstaking detail of their undisturbed location, especially of the position separately of the still folded head cloth, possibly passing the strip under the chin and tied on top of the head to keep the mouth from falling open (20:7) tells us that Yeshua’s body was miraculously loosed from the burial clothes so that they collapsed in place. In resurrection, Jesus’ body was reinvigorated and it put on the immortal and left from within the linen strips, leaving them collapsed flat just as they had been wrapped. This is why John saw and believed (20:8). On the testimony of two or three witnesses, this testimony was admissible in court.

b.   20:8 – We have the explicit testimony of John that he saw and believed. Here John uses a different verb for saw. The first (20:6) is blepo, simply to see, look at. The second (20:8) is to see meaning to gain insight. It was the instant and instinctive conviction of his whole being that the Lord was really risen from the dead.

c.   20:9: The OT teaches that Messiah must rise from the dead at Isaiah 53:9-12; Psalm 16:10 (cited at Acts 2:24-32).

d.   APPLICATION: The Resurrection literally happened with a bodily resurrection. The evidence is here in the meticulous details John gives us. And in his resurrection, Jesus defeated death for us in order for us to have eternal life. Do you have eternal life? Have you appropriated for your life the power of the Resurrection to defeat death in your life?

2.   THE RESURRECTION PROVIDES A RELATIONSHIP WITH THE LORD (JOHN 20:10-18)

a.   20:11: This verse is the supreme evidence of the divinity and Messiahship of Christ. First is the unexpected nature of the encounter. They are astonished and seem not to have the faintest dream of a literal, bodily resurrection. Mary Magdalene was so unprepared that she did not even recognize the Lord until he called her very name. We also have explicit details of persons, places and minute details: an open door, linen clothes, burial cloth around his head wrapped and laid by itself. All these details point judicially to the question of evidence. 20:8: We have the explicit testimony of John that he saw and believed. Most conclusive of all is Mary’s testimony made stronger by her perplexity at first and her disappointment at not finding the body, then her delight and surprise by recognizing the Lord Himself and throwing herself at his feet (which she had perhaps earlier anointed), pouring out the fullness of her confidence and joy in crying out, Rabboni! (my great one! Or my teacher!) (20:16).

b.   20:15: Gardening is the oldest profession. Adam was a gardener (Gen 2:15). Here Jesus the second Adam (1 Corinthians 15:45; Rom 5:12-21) is perceived as a gardener. Christ redeemed us from all of the old.

                i.    The Creator (whom Colossians tells us was just as much Jesus as the other two of the Trinity) finished his first work of creation on the sixth day when he made man and breathed life into him. Our Lord finished his New Creation and final work of redemption on the sixth day when the perfect God-Man breathed his last on the cross saying, “It is finished.”

              ii.    The Creator in his first work rested on the seventh day. So did the Messiah in his second work of redemption.

            iii.    The Creator placed the first man Adam in a Garden. In the New Creation, the Messiah is resurrected in a Garden as well. “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. . . . (John 19:41).

c.   20:17: Stop holding on to me (not as KJV, “do not touch me”) Christ had work to do and could not be kept from it even by Mary’s joy.

d.   APPLICATION: The Resurrection gives us the opportunity for a relationship with the Lord. It opens a way where there was no way to give us a relationship with him, restored from the time of Eden when Adam and Eve broke that relationship. Now the Messiah has restored that avenue of relationship through the Resurrection. Do you have a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ? Is he ‘your’ Father and ‘your’ God? If not, why not? The only alternative is eternal punishment and separation from the Lord and those you love who have a relationship with the Lord. Let me encourage you now to receive Christ. Ask forgiveness of your sin. Submit yourself to the Lord Jesus Christ. Make him your Lord, your boss, your supervisory oversight, your provider, your redeemer. Won’t you do that today?

3.   THE RESURRECTION PROVIDES PEACE FOR THE FUTURE (John 20:19-23)

a.   20:19 – Jesus miraculously appears and greets them in the usual way, “Shalom aleikhem!” Jesus combines the supernatural with the ordinary in a way that makes it normal. This is the humor of Jesus. In the midst of an incredibly supernatural experience – a resurrection body appearing in the middle of a locked room full of his disciples, Jesus says the equivalent of, “What’s up, guys?”

b.   20:21 – I am sending you – with my message of Good News. The Great Commission in John. He is a missionary God.

c.   20:22 – Receive the Holy Spirit: How does this fit with Acts 2 and Pentecost? John Calvin said it was a partial giving of power, like a sprinkling and not a saturation. Others say Jesus was predicting the Holy Spirit’s coming so they would know the Holy Spirit was from the Risen Lord. “He breathed on them” is an Aramaic idiomatic expression still used today meaning simply that He encouraged them. If so, then Jesus was promising them the Holy Spirit. The Spirit is Jesus’ gift to the church.

d.   20:23 – If you forgive: the literal translation reads in the Greek NT, “those whose sins you forgive have already been forgiven; those whose sins you do not forgive have not been forgiven.” [1]

e.   APPLICATION: The Prince of Peace stands ready to secure your peace. He has peace for your present and peace for your future. Do you have His peace that passes understanding? Do you have that contentment in the midst of the storms of this life? Does the peace of Christ reign mightily in your heart?

Invitation:

You now stand at the empty tomb of Jesus. Can you see anything? To see, you have to look. To look, you have to think. And to think, you have to decide. Jesus’s tomb is the only one once occupied and now empty. So what will you decide — will you believe what your eyes, your mind, and your heart tell you, or will you turn away?

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[1] J.R. Mantey, “The Mistranslation of the Perfect Tense in John 20:23; Matthew 16:19; and 18:18.” Journal of Biblical Literature 58 (1939), quoted in Richards, 273.

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• Scripture for Resurrection Sunday (genebrooks.blogspot.com)

Luke 24:1-12 - An Unexpected Ending

Garden Tomb in East Jerusalem

Sonrise Service Meditation

Luke 24:1-12

Cemeteries and graves, as a general rule are not places people enjoy visiting, unless of course you are into archaeology or genealogy, looking for treasures or family connections. But most of us are just ordinary folks, and we have had our experiences with graves and cemeteries – none of it very pleasant.

Tombs represent finality. Graves represent loss. Cemeteries represent death. We go there to bury those we love and to mourn. Everyone knows that, including those who buried Jesus after His crucifixion.

But the story of Easter morning visit to a tomb is a celebration of a greatest story twist in history, a great reversal that changes everything for all time. What those dedicated women didn’t know then is that this tomb was a source of unimaginable joy – because this tomb was empty.

Jesus’ friends had been on an emotional roller coaster since Passover began on Thursday. After a wonderful, sweet time in the Upper Room, things began to move at a dizzying pace. They climbed the Mount of Olives, went to sleep from exhaustion as Jesus prayed in the Garden. Then they were shocked into reality by torches and Temple guards who took their Lord – arrested – for what? And what was going on with Judas, one of their own? Then the accusations from the authorities, the beatings, the fearing if they were next, the denials.

Then in the midst of blatant legal irregularity, illegitimacies, and corruption, the Roman procurator allowed him – for no cause under the law – to be executed as a criminal – executed by nailing! And the insults he took on the cross! And what was with the darkness between noon and three? And someone said something about an incident of cloth tearing at the Temple that afternoon.

But the one they called Lord had died so quickly. And goodness, everything had happened so quickly; what about burial? But then one of the men from the Jewish ruling council which had condemned him and pushed for his execution, one who was rumored to believe in Him too, offered to pay all the burial expenses. It had gotten so late by the time they got the body in the tomb. Sabbath was beginning and no work could be done to the body. They would have to wait until Sabbath Saturday was over to anoint it.

On Sabbath, the deep darkness of loss. The Lord had liberated Lazarus, Mary’s own brother, from the dead. But the grave had captured Him. There was the widow’s son and Jairus’ daughter. They were stunned. It seemed like the arrogant Pharisees at Calvary were right. “He saved others. Why could he not save himself?”

By the time we reach Luke 24, the morning of the first day of the week was completely baffling. They were totally desolate in their hearts. The women are completely confused. Nothing has gone according to their plans. All the men were in hiding for fear they were next. Nobody paid attention to women, so they would go early and tend to the body.

What a jolting shock, when the weeping Marys walk up on two calm angels dressed in white, sitting like the cherubim over the mercy seat of the Holy of Holies, overshadowing the news of an incredible victory of redemption, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here. He is risen.”

The fullness of the depth and preciousness of those words. And they continued, “Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: ‘The Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.’” Then they remembered His words.

When they ran and told the Eleven, they didn’t believe them, but Peter and John ran to see for themselves. They saw the strips of linen, but Luke says “he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.”

It would take some time and the Messiah’s post-Resurrection instruction for them to understand that the grave was not at all an interruption to the progress of His work. Instead, the grave was the straight street to His triumph and glory. For the joy set before Him, he endured the cross, scorning its shame. Up from the grave he arose, with a mighty triumph o’er his foes. He arose the Victor from the dark domain, and He sat down at the right hand of the throne of God, thereby becoming not only the Author, but also the Perfecter of our faith.

So we set our eyes on Him. Glory to the Holy One of Israel. Glory to the Son. Glory to the King. For the Son has Risen with healing in His wings.

Scripture for Resurrection Sunday

Resurrection Sunday, April 17, AD 29
 

Women Visit Tomb: Matthew 28:1; Mark 16:1
 

Stone Rolled Away: Matthew 28:2-4
 

Angels’ Message: Matthew 28:5-8; Mark 16:2-8; Luke 24:1-8; John 20:1
 

Report to Apostles, Peter/John Return: Luke 24:9-12; John 20:2-10
 

Christ Appears to Magdelene: Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-18
 

Christ Appears to Other Women: Matthew 28:9-10
 

Guards report to Jewish Rulers: Matthew 28:11-15
 

Emmaus Road: Mark 16:12-13; Luke 24:13-34
 

Christ Appears to Disciples: 1 Corinthians 15:5; Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25

Related articles

• Samuel Davies on Christ's Greatest Joy (epm.org)

Scripture for Sabbath Saturday of Holy Week

Sabbath Saturday, April 16, AD 29
 

Tomb Sealing, Guard Posted: Matthew 27:62-66

Farm Tithe Rap

Scripture for Good Friday

Crucifixion Day, Good Friday, April 15, AD 29
 

Jesus Tried, Condemned, Mocked, Beaten (1:30 – 3:00am): Matthew 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65; Luke 22:54, 63-65
 

Peter’s Denials (2:00 – 4:30am): Matthew 26:69-75; Mark 14:66-72; Luke 22:55-62; John 18:15-18, 25-27
 

Jesus Condemned by Sanhedrin (3–5am): Matthew 27:1-2; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66-71
 

Judas’ Suicide: Matthew 27:3-10; Acts 1:18-19
 

Jesus before Pilate (6:00-6:30am): Matthew 27:11-14; Mark 15:2-5; Luke 23:1-5; John 18:28-38
 

Jesus before Herod Antipas (6:30-7:00am): Luke 23:6-12
 

Jesus before Pilate 2nd time (7:00-8:30am): Matthew 27:15-26; Mark 15:6-15; Luke 23:13-25; John 18:39-40
 

Jesus’ Final Condemnation (8:30am): Matthew 27:27-31; Mark 15:16-19; John 19:1-16
 

Jesus’ Via Dolorosa (8:30-10:00am): Matthew 27:32-34; Mark 15:20-23; Luke 23:26-32; John 19:17
 

Jesus’ Crucifixion (10:00am – Noon): Matthew 27:35-44; Mark 15:24-32; Luke 23:33-43; John 19:18-27
 

Jesus on Cross, Darkness (Noon – 3:00pm): Matthew 27:45-50; Mark 15:33-37; Luke 23:44-46; John 19:28-37
 

Earthquake, Temple Veil Rent (3pm): Matthew 27:51-56; Mark 15:38-41; Luke 23:47-49
 

Jesus’ Burial (4-6pm): Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42

Life-Giving Church Membership

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Baptist Congregation in Tashkent

What is a Healthy Church Member?[1]  A healthy church member is a healthy Christian. Local churches and their members grow as they organize their lives around God’s Word and the Lord Jesus Christ. 

Here are several ideas that make a church member healthy and their membership in the local church something that is life-giving and honoring to the Lord Jesus Christ. A life-giving church member is characterized by the following traits:

1.      Passionately saved. Life-giving church members have a genuine relationship of repentance and submission to the Lord Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, some church members are not genuinely converted to Jesus Christ. Man is a sinner by nature (Rom 8:5-8; Eph 2:1-3). Simply walking an aisle, praying a prayer, being immersed or sprinkled, or doing any outward act that does not communicate the inward fact of submission to Jesus does not a Christian make. 

Self-examination of our own souls is the first order of business (2 Cor 13:5; Phil 2:12; 2 Peter 1:5-11). Life-giving church members have the evidence of Christ’s grace in their lives. They trust in the finished work of Jesus alone for their salvation. They are growing in the grace, knowledge, and the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22-24; Matt 5:3-12). They do not habitually walk in blatant, unrepentant sin (1 John 1:6-10; 3:5). They love God as Father and not the world (1 John 2:15, 22-23). They love other Christians (1 John 3:14-15, 18-19; 5:1). They have the testimony of the Holy Spirit (1 John 3:24b; 4:13-14; Gal 4:6; Rom 8:15-16.) Those who are genuinely converted persevere in the faith because of eternal security (1 John 5:4-5; Eph 1:13-14; 1 Peter 1:3-5).

2.      A passion for God’s Word. Life-giving church members listen to Bible teaching and sermons not just to claim their ‘word’ or for the how-to’s of life or to build their self-esteem, but they listen for the voice and message of God revealed in His Word in order to follow the Lord’s leadership in their lives (John 10:27). These members hunger for God’s Word (Psalm 119:103-104; John 17:21). They encourage faithful pastors (1 Tim 5:17). They can spot a fraud in life or doctrine and support their church’s statement of faith (Gal 1:8-9; Phil 1:27; 2 Tim 4:3-4; Jude 3). They bring unity to the local congregation and have a maturity that avoids needless disputes (1 Cor 1:10; Rom 12:16; 2 Cor 13:11; 1 Peter 3:8; 2 Tim 2:14-17; Prov 20:3). They are learning the big picture story and themes of the Bible (Heb 1:1; Luke 24:27, 44-45). 

Life-giving church members ask each other, “How did the Scripture challenge or speak to you today?” or “What about God’s character encouraged or surprised you?” (Heb 10:25). They cultivate the art of listening to the Word preached and taught (Heb 5:11-14). They listen and act in humility (1 Cor 1:8; Col 2:18; 1 Peter 5:6) on the sermon and their own personal Bible study throughout the week (James 1:22-25).

3.      A passion for prayer. Life-giving church members want their church to be a house of prayer for all the nations (Isa 56:7; Matt 21:13; Mark 11:17; Acts 1:14; 2:42). They pray constantly (1 Thess 5:17; Rom 12:12; Col 3:1-2; 4:2, 12). They pray under control and in the power of the Holy Spirit (Rom 8:26-27; 6:18). They pray for laborers and shepherds (Matt 9:36-38; Phil 1:20; Eph 6:19-20; Col 4:3-4). They pray for their fellow church members (1 Thess 4:3; Matt 26:41; Gal 5:16-25; Col 4:12). They pray for those in authority (1 Tim 2:1-3; Rom 13:1-2; Eph 6:1-3). They pray for those who abuse and persecute them (Luke 6:28; Matt 5:10-12, 45-47).

4.      A passion for God’s people. Life-giving church members attend regularly (Heb 10:24-25). They seek peace in the congregation (Rom 14:19; James 3:18). They edify, exhort, and encourage others (1 Cor 12, 14; Eph 4:11-16; Mark 10:45). They pursue reconciliation (2 Cor 5:18-21; Matt 5:23-24). They bear with others (Matt 5:5; 18:21-22; Rom 15:1; Gal 6:2). They do not neglect the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper. They support the work of the ministry through their spiritual gifts (Rom 12:6-8), giving generously to the work (2 Cor 8-9).

5.      A passion for the Great Commission. Life-giving church members have a strong desire to see the nations come to worship and be disciples of the King of Kings (Matt 28:19-20; Rom 10:14-15). They long for the day when we will gather around Christ’s Throne to worship forever the Lamb who was slain (Rev 7:9-10).

Life-giving church members are saturated with the Gospel, the Good News. They realize that the Gospel is not that (a) we are okay, (b) God is love, (c) that Jesus wants to be our friend, or (d) that we should live right. Neither is the gospel that all our problems will be fixed if we follow Jesus or that God wants us to be healthy, wealthy, and wise. None of these are sufficient statements about the Gospel. 

The Good News of Jesus is that God the Father, who is righteous and holy, is full of wrath against sin and must, for His character’s sake, punish sinners. Man, who disobeys God, is alienated from God’s love and in danger of an eternal and agonizing condemnation at God’s hand. But God, who is rich in mercy and great love, sent his eternal Son, born by the Virgin Mary, to die as a ransom and substitute for the sins of rebellious peoples. 

Now, through the perfect obedience and covenant of the Son of God with His Father through his willing death on the cross as payment for our sins, all who repent and believe in Jesus Christ, following him as Savior and Lord, will be saved from the wrath of God to come, be declared just in his sight, have eternal life, and receive the Spirit of God as a foretaste of the glories of heaven with God himself.

These Gospel-saturated church members organize their lives around the Good News. They look for opportunities to build relationships so that they can have gospel conversations. They use vacations as short-term mission trips. They volunteer in the community to be an influence for the Gospel. They invite neighbors and friends for dinner or parties and talk with them about Christ. They host Bible studies in their work place. 

They join neighborhood clubs to build relationships for Gospel opportunities. They invite friends to church and to special events where the Gospel will be clearly center stage. These church members realize that it is not their job to bring people to faith in Christ, but it is the Holy Spirit’s (Isa 55:11; John 6:44). They are only his witnesses (1 Cor 3:7, 9; 2 Cor 5:20; 6:1). They understand that Jesus is the exclusive avenue of salvation (John 14:6; Acts 4:12).

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[1] Adapted from Thabiti M. Anyabwile, What is a Healthy Church Member? (Wheaton: Crossway, 2008).

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• What's so important about Church membership?
• A Healthy Church Member is Gospel Saturated 
• Receiving New Church Members
• Church Membership: Privilege & Responsibility
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Scripture for Thursday of Holy Week

(Maundy) Thursday, Passover begins at sundown, April 14, AD 29
 

Preparation for Passover: Matthew 26:17-29; Mark 14:12-16; Luke 22:7-13
 

Passover (6:00-11:30pm):

• Sop - Betrayer Identified: Matthew 26:20-25; Mark 14:17-21; John 13:21-35

• Afikomen and Third Cup – The Lord’s Last Supper: Matthew 26:26-29; Mark 14:22-25; Luke 22:14-23; 1 Corinthians 11-23-26

• Who is greatest? Luke 22:24-30

• Jesus Washes Disciples’ Feet: John 13:1-20

• Peter’s denial foretold: Matthew 26:31-35; Mark 14:27-31; Luke 22:31-38; John 13:36-38

• Farewell Discourse: John 14:1-17:26

Gethsemane (11:30pm – 1:00am): Matthew 26:30; Mark 14:26; John 18:1; Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46

Jesus Betrayed, Arrested (1:00 – 1:30am): Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:2-11

Jesus brought to Annas, High Priest, sent to Caiaphas: John 18:12-14, 24

Church Membership: Privilege & Responsibility

Church Membership Privileges -- What Church Members Receive:

1.      The Ministry of the Body. The church takes responsibility to love and care for its members. This includes pastoral care from the church’s leaders, but also includes the one-another ministry of members. Ephesians 4:16 indicates that believers grow to maturity only through the ministry of the whole body.

2.      The Blessings of Corporate Worship. While personal worship should be a part of every believer’s life, Christ promises to meet his people when they gather in his Name (Matthew 18:20; 1 Corinthians 5:4). The preaching and teaching of gifted pastors, the observance of corporate ordinances, the edification of praying and singing together, and the pleasure of fellowship should all be part of what happens when the body gathers (Acts 2:42).

3.      The Blessing of Corporate Accountability. Not only are pastors charged to watch over their flocks (Hebrews 13:17) but members of the body are also to watch over one another (Hebrews 12:15), making sure that no one falls prey to bitterness. In the end it is the church which takes responsibility for discipline. It is possible for churches to become harsh and judgmental, but the greater danger today is the opposite extreme where we look the other way and see marriages and families fall apart with no one to say a word.

4.      The Blessing of Corporate Confirmation. The Body is designed to provide corporate confirmation of God’s guidance for an individual (for example, Acts 13:1-3). However most do not seek it. Most Christians struggle at some point in their life with finding God’s will for a particular situation. If relationships in the body are what they should be, one should be able to see God’s guidance with others to confirm one’s sense of guidance.

Church Membership Responsibilities -- What Members Give

1.      Covenantal Commitment. Members promise to love and care for the people who will be loving and caring for them. It will involve faithfulness in attendance, praying and caring for others, patience, and caring for the church’s welfare as a whole which includes informed participation in the church’s business (Hebrews 11:25).

2.      Use of Spiritual Gifts. Members are to discover and begin to use their spiritual gifts for the good of the body. One of the ministries of the body is to help individuals discover their areas of giftedness by advising, teaching, giving feedback and opportunities (Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:7, 27-30).

3.      Serve the Body. In addition to using their spiritual gifts, believers are called to serve the body in some of the common duties of the Christian life. Everyone is called to pray, love, serve, teach, forgive, and forbear with one another (Romans 12:9-12). Everyone is called to witness and serve in the ministries of the church (even the nursery!)

4.      Stewardship. Members practice stewardship of time, energy, and money. The time and energy involve a commitment to faithful attendance and service. The commitment to financial stewardship is to proportionate giving of one’s income (1 Corinthians 16:2). The Scripture sets that level at 10%, called a tithe. Faithful stewardship may also include support of other ministries as well within the church (2 Corinthians 9:7).

5.      Voting. Part of a members’ privilege and responsibility in congregational polity is to vote on matters affected the church’s life and health. Such matters include voting on who is to be baptized and admitted to church membership, who is to be disciplined, who is to be recognized as leadership (calling and ordination), and decisions with major financial consequences (budgets, buildings, etc.) There are both biblical and practical reasons to desire congregational input (Acts 6:2, 5-6; 2 Corinthians 2:6-8). 

The tendency to see church business meetings as boring and something to avoid betrays our weak understanding of church membership and our lack of commitment to meaningful membership. The business of the church will be boring to those who have no concern for the church other than getting what they can from the church. On the other hand, business meetings are things to be avoided if they involve gatherings of church members who show no signs of being regenerate. But those who love Christ and are in covenant relationship with a local body should be eager to gather, pray, seek God’s face together, and vote to see God’s guidance of the body. 

Pastors and leaders should train their people to be able to handle such a responsibility in a competent and godly manner, and the participation of members should benefit the leaders, in confirming what they have felt was the Lord’s will or giving them a check, to rethink what they thought. In the same way, participation should benefit the members, as it is one means of living out their covenant commitment and strengthening their sense of personal ownership in the life and health of the body. Voting is one reason we want to be careful about baptizing ever younger candidates. Believers’ baptism is for members who can believe on their own. How does it look for us to baptize candidates whom we say are old enough to be saved but are too young to discern God’s will about voting on an item of business?

When is it right to leave a church?

With the serious covenantal commitment in church membership, what would be proper grounds for breaking such a commitment? It must be more than mere convenience or minor disagreement. Three reasons cover most cases: (1) geographical move, (2) a call to minister (we may leave one church when we believe God calls us to minister elsewhere), (3) such a serious problem in one’s present church that one cannot be an effective agent for change but can only be damaged by the situation (moral failure, doctrinal problem, toxic spiritual atmosphere).

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• Congregational church government (genebrooks.blogspot.com)
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Scripture for Wednesday of Holy Week

Wednesday, April 13, AD 29
 

Gentiles seek Christ; Jews reject Him: John 12:20-50

Judas Agrees to betray Jesus: Matthew 26:14-16; Mark 14:10-11; Luke 22:3-6 

Jesus Anointed: Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:3-9; John 12:1-11

Receiving New Church Members

Welcoming a new church member

Most Baptist churches conclude with an invitation to place one’s faith in Christ and join the church. Difficulties arise when the person responding to the invitation does not in fact meet the requirements for membership.

Too many churches will move forward anyway, voting to receive this person into the fellowship or as candidates for baptism without knowing enough about them.

Because of this, the call for a vote has become a meaningless relic of our Baptist past when we took receiving a new member into the fellowship as a serious matter with covenantal responsibilities for the spiritual welfare of the one joining. With our loss of emphasis on regenerate church membership, welcoming new members simply became a rubber stamp, little was expected of new members, and there was little or no responsibility for them on the part of the existing church members.

Is there a better way? Perhaps there is. 

One thing I have done is to try to visit with prospective members ahead of time, to talk with them about their souls and ascertain whether they understand salvation, have been baptized, and are ready for membership. When they come forward I feel it is my responsibility to give you the information I have found so that you can vote intelligently on receiving a candidate for church membership. Other times a person has been visiting for a long time and we all have come to know their testimony. 

A  growing number of conservative Southern Baptist churches are receiving members in a way that they consider to have more integrity for covenantal commitment and responsibility before the Lord. 

At the Invitation at the end of the service they 

(1)   Welcome warmly anyone who desires to join the church. Coming forward is not the end of the process but the beginning. The candidate has indicated their interest in joining the church. No vote is taken at this time. Then at the end of the service these candidates are presented to the congregation and the following is said to them, “After the service please come and welcome these who will be beginning the process toward church membership.” 

(2)   New member/convert class. The next step in the process is a required new member class. The first topic is a review of what it means to trust Christ for salvation. The class is required for all applicants for church membership because some who come via transfer of letter may come from churches where the gospel is not clearly taught. A personal conversation with a pastor or deacon will insure that every new member is a genuine believer. Other topics will include the church’s beliefs, its government and leadership, its values and goals, its denominational connections, the history of the church and its future plans. The applicant would be assigned provisionally to the care of a Sunday School class. Later as a new member, the applicant could make a final decision on the class they choose to join.

(3)   Formal presentation and vote by the congregation. Following completion of the class the prospective new members would be presented to the church body (during a normal business meeting). For new converts, the one who led the class could recommend that the church vote to baptize the candidate, stating that the candidate had made a credible profession of faith and understood what it means to be a follower of Christ. On the basis of this type of recommendation, the church could make a responsible vote. Following baptism (and in some churches, signing the church covenant), the candidate would become a full voting member. For those previously baptized and transferring their membership from another church, there would be a recommendation from one who could vouch for the authenticity of the candidate’s faith. Then the church could responsibly vote to receive them. Such votes would not be covenantal commitments between the church and the new member.

Related articles

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