Gospel Prism

I was reading this post by Abraham Piper on a family that Bethlehem Baptist has chosen to reject as members of the church. I’m not even sure of the reason, but the fact that this man wants to continue to be a member is so counter-cultural to today’s world, that I almost think he should be a member because of his persistence (okay, I don’t really think so, but it still amazes me nonetheless). What I find, being a pastor who installs members into our church, is that some, not all, but some can hear the responsibilities of membership, they can hear the exhortation to consider the local body as one’s spiritual family, they can listen to the warnings against complacency and spiritual numbness, and still so quickly forsake that membership.

Sadly, members of our church have come and gone with almost the same frequency as non-members. Perhaps membership and its implications are still not taught well enough by me and my church. Perhaps the waves of life have so influenced people’s consumerist mindset, that even a hint of trouble at first feeling automatically leads to a pushing of the eject button. Whatever the case may be, one thing is certain, local church membership is still misunderstood and misinterpreted by both non-members and members of the church.

The ‘I can always go to another church’ mentality has plagued today’s Christian. Convenience far too often dictates spiritual decisions. And I am afraid that when this happens, much more is at stake than one’s schedule. Members are members of a body. The pinky toe does not decide to leave because he or she feels unuseful or neglected (1 Cor 12) or tired. When one part suffers or rejoices, the whole body experiences this suffering or joy together. When a member decides to forsake his membership, it is impossible for the body to feel neutral about the issue. The body suffers when the pinky toe decides to be sliced off on his own accord. And biblically-speaking, members should feel this way together, both in joyous times and in times of mourning and grieving as Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 12.

Membership does matter. There are members in my church whose loyalty to Christ AND to the local body is one that leaves me worshiping a great God. Such perseverance and loyalty makes me think of Joshua and Caleb, who though everyone else wanted to go home because of the giant Canaanites, they saw a far greater God at work and so they stayed. They remained loyal to Moses, to what God had promised to Israel should they remain faithful, and ultimately to God Himself. There are such members in my church and for them, I know that the Lord will bless them immeasurably. And it is through such people that ministry in a local church is incredibly joyous. Membership reaffirms this joy. For those who have come, committed, covenanted before God’s people, and then left, I can only ask for the same grace for them as we all need as well. This is why God is to be praised. He forgives sinners who remain faithful to their membership covenant and sinners who break their membership covenant.