Archives for 2015

When my children were young, if they ever asked, “Do we have to go to church again?” I usually responded with the same answer. We jokingly called it “the Wilson catechism.”

Question: “Do I have to go to church again?”
Answer: “No, you don’t have to; you get to.”

I think the following article is a good commentary on “the Wilson Catechism.” It applies just as much to the second worship service as to the first, that is, not only to Morning Worship but also to Evening Worship. Richard Bucher writes:

Why on earth would you, a busy person, want to sacrifice what little R&R time you have to attend public worship regularly? In the final analysis, those who attend public worship regularly do so because they believe they are gaining more than they are giving up. The benefits of attending far outweigh any deficits (real or imagined). If you have never attended a Christian congregation regularly — or if you have fallen into a habit of not doing so — especially if you don’t feel ready or motivated to go, then I invite you to read the following “Ten Good Reasons to go to Church.”

1. To meet with Jesus Christ himself

If you knew that Jesus himself was going to be at a particular place at a particular time, would you not be motivated to go? The local Christian congregation is that place. Christians gather publicly to be with their risen Saviour. When they worship, they are in the presence of the Lord himself!

Although it is true that Christ is always with individual believers, it is also true that he is present in a unique and special way where Christians gather in his name around his Word. He promised to be where Christians gather: “For where two or three come together in my name, there am I with them” (Matthew 18:20) and “surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Both of these statements are spoken to Christians in the plural, to the believing community. Further, Scripture calls Christians assembled together, “the body of Christ.” In other words, the answer to the question, “Where can I find Jesus today?” is “where Christians gather” for they are his body.

Specifically, Jesus comes among his people through the preached Word and the sacraments. What Jesus said to the disciples applies to every sermon which proclaims his Word truly: “He who listens to you listens to me; he who rejects you rejects me; but he who rejects me rejects him who sent me” (Luke 10:16). We hear the preacher, but as he expounds God’s Word, ultimately it is Christ speaking through him. The Lord also comes among us through the holy Supper. If it is true that the Lord’s Supper is a participation in the crucified and risen Christ’s body and blood, then this has awesome ramifications. It means that as the people of God receive this meal, they are entering into intimate fellowship with Christ himself. The Lord’s Supper is called “communion” (Greek koinonia) because there the people of God have intimate communion with Jesus and with one another (1 Corinthians 10:16–17). After communing, with Simeon we can say, “Lord, lettest now thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation” (Luke 20:29–30).

2. To be forgiven

Why come to church? Because the Lord Jesus is there. And he is there primarily to give forgiveness to all who repent and believe. Proclaiming the full forgiveness that Jesus won for us on the cross is the main point of all Christian worship services. This is the amazing thing about our God. He comes among his people not primarily to receive but to give. To give the precious forgiveness of sins. He does this through the preaching of the gospel and the Lord’s Supper. What a joy it is to weary souls who have been struggling with their sin all week to hear and receive God’s pardon given through Word and Sacrament.

3. To hear the voice of God

Never before have people been confronted with so many voices. Never before have people been confronted with so many choices. Life can be confusing and at times overwhelming as we try to sift through and sort out right from wrong, truth from error. All the more reason to go to church regularly. For there the voice of God himself speaks to us through sermon, Scripture, liturgy, and hymnody. God speaks to his people as a whole and he also speaks to them individually, guiding them into truth, reminding them of what is right, warning them about what is wrong. His is a voice of strength and comfort, a voice of healing and binding up. His is a voice of sanity amidst the insanity. His is a voice that tells the truth when so many other voices cannot be trusted. How sad when believers pray for guidance but fail to show up at the place that God has chosen to give that guidance.

4. To grow in the knowledge of the Bible, God’s Word

This reason is related to the previous one but is not redundant. Here I am responding to a common excuse: “I don’t need to go to church to hear the Word; I can read the Bible on my own.” On the one hand, private study of God’s Word is wonderful. Would that all believers had a daily diet of God’s Word! But private study of Scripture must never be a substitute for hearing the preached Word.

Why not? There are two reasons, the first theological, the second practical. Because the Pastor, who holds the divinely appointed preaching office, is, by God’s will, the chief teacher of God’s Word, the one through whom Christ himself speaks (see Luke 10:16; Ephesians 4:11-16; 1 Timothy 4:13-16; 2 Timothy 4:1-5; Hebrews 13:17). The Pastor has been blessed with a gift of teaching. Furthermore, he has gone through extensive schooling and study so as to become an “specialist” in God’s Word (though he also is always growing and learning). He has learned Biblical Hebrew and Greek. He has spent many years in prayer and study learning God’s Word. Why not benefit from his area of expertise?

I find it ironic that though we are willing to acknowledge and turn to self-proclaimed experts in every branch of human knowledge, we do not see the need for an expert in the Word of God. In other words, in so many areas of knowledge we freely admit that we lack the expertise to form judgements and we seek out the experts to help us. We turn to doctors for our health, CPAs for our taxes, auto mechanics for our vehicles, psychologists for our problems, etc. However, when it comes to the Word of God, some apparently know it all. Yes, every Christian can and should read the Bible. Yes, the people of God are to judge the teaching of the Pastor against God’s Word. I am not promoting clergy tyranny, but I am warning against lay anarchy.

5. To feed your soul

Feed the soul? Does the soul need nourishment? According to Scripture, yes. There we are reminded that “man does not live on bread alone but on every Word that comes from the mouth of the LORD” (Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4). There we are encouraged, “like newborn babies, long for the pure milk of the Word, so that by it you may grow in respect to salvation” (1 Peter 2:2). God’s Word is food for the soul. Public worship is the best place to give your soul the Word-of-God-nourishment it needs. In another place Jesus says, “Do not work for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give to you” (John 6:27). How tragic to see people zealously provide for their bodies but not their souls.

6. To be loved and encouraged

Why go to church regularly? To be loved and encouraged. We all have troubles. We all face dilemmas and disappointments. We all wrestle with discouragement and heartache. Life can be cruel in a fallen world. What God said of Adam applies to us all: “It is not good for man to be alone.” Why bear your burdens alone? Coming to church means interacting with your fellow Christians, the body of Christ. It means receiving an encouraging word, a hug and a smile. It means having someone listen. More profoundly, it is often through his body that Christ speaks the comfort and crucial direction that we need. How often a timely word of gospel spoken by one Christian to another dispels the gloom! How often one Christian will have a spiritual insight that benefits another. Come to church to be loved and encouraged.

7. To be prayed for

Jesus once promised, “if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by my Father who is in heaven” (Matthew 18:19). There is power when the people of God pray. But for those unfortunate souls who have cut themselves off from regular attendance at the Christian assembly, their needs are unknown, and they pray alone. An often overlooked reason to come to church is to be prayed for.

8. To love and encourage your fellow Christians

At the heart of the Christian ethic is the obligation to love our neighbour as ourselves. Jesus sharpens this in John 13 when he says, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35). The apostle Paul echoes this when he writes, “Bear one another’s burdens, and thereby fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2) and “So then, while we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, and especially to those who are of the household of the faith” (Galatians 6:10).

Failing to attend public worship regularly not only transgresses the Fourth Commandment (“Remember the Sabbath Day to keep it holy”), but also it transgresses the law of Christ, to love one’s fellow Christians and to bear their burdens. When we refuse to gather with our fellow Christians, this is not love! By such refusal we lose touch with them and in most cases have no idea what they are going through. And if we have no idea what they are going through, then how can we encourage and help them? Furthermore, our absence is a powerful nonverbal discouragement to them. But our presence is a powerful nonverbal encouragement, even when no words are spoken.

9. To worship

That Christians are to worship God publicly is a Biblical given. Behind this given is the reality that we are creatures and God is the Creator. Everything we are and have is a gift from him. Therefore God richly deserves our worship, our praise, thanks, and prayer. At the heart of New Testament/Christian worship is the gift of forgiveness that God has given us in Jesus Christ. Because God through Christ has forgiven us and given eternal life to us out of pure grace, He richly deserves our public praise and thanks through word and song.

When we worship the true God–Father, Son, and Holy Spirit–we are doing what we were created to do. Worshiping our Creator is being in sync with who we really are. It is not by accident that the book of Revelation pictures heaven as a place were the ransomed of the Lord will worship God forevermore.
Because we were created to be worshiping beings, we will inevitably worship someone or something. Either God, our Creator, who alone deserves our worship, or someone or something else: ourselves, possessions, wealth, a cause, a career, a hobby, or another person.

10. To promote the gospel

One last reason to attend corporate worship regularly is that by doing so we promote and defend the gospel. Remember, the Christian church exists, ipso facto, “to make disciples of all nations” (Matthew 28:19). We exist to tell the good news that through Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection, God forgives sinners and offers heaven as a gift to those who follow Jesus in faith. The church’s main mission is to populate heaven, not to make people better (though through the gospel this happens, too!).

How does attending church regularly promote the gospel? In a variety of ways. First, by supporting the local congregation through weekly offerings, you allow the gospel to be preached to our local communities. Without the financial support of faithful members, such local mission work would cease. Can’t financial giving be done without attending? Yes, but apart from the inappropriateness of such non-attending giving, this rarely happens (“Out of sight, out of mind.”). In reality, only those who attend regularly contribute regularly. Second, as we hear and receive the gospel through preaching and sacrament, we are equipped, empowered, and motivated to share the gospel out in the world. Third, those who attend regularly give a very positive message to others about what Jesus Christ means to them. He means enough for us to set aside several hours a week to hear his Word and praise and thank him. This can’t help but attract others to Christ. Fourth, when we come regularly we will from time to time invite others to hear the gospel.

We hope to see you in God’s house soon.

[from http://www.orlutheran.com/html/10go.html (slightly edited)]

10 AM Worship

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3 PM Worship

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3 PM Worship

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Brent Ferry writes:

Is church membership a biblical concept? Is the church anything more than a loose-knit group of free agents who believe the gospel? Yes! The Lord Jesus Christ organized his church into familial groups of members with governors, responsibilities, and loyalties. But, it is not uncommon to find professing Christians with no ties to a local church. This is often due to a misapplication of the doctrine of the invisible church, a prejudice against organized religion, the growth of parachurch ministries, a log in the eye, or a lack of regard for the visible church.

There are many bad models of church membership. One that is common among some home schoolers (by the way, I am a home schooler) is the patriarchal model, in which the family is the church. Dad takes on the role of Abraham. These families do not go to church, but stay at home to worship as a family.

A second bad model is the Theocratic model, in which national citizenship and church membership go hand in hand. For example Constantine made Christianity the national religion of the Roman empire. Historically, national citizenship has expressed itself as a religion in one degree or another.

A third bad approach is the consumer model, which dismisses the idea of church membership. Instead you go to church, get what you want, pay, and leave. You have no more connection with the people and officers of the church than you do with the customers and employees of Walmart.

A fourth wrong approach is the country club model, in which church membership carries little to no obligation, and the church roll is of no importance beyond the expectation of giving contributions to the church and the reciprocal right to vote in congregational meetings.

A fifth bad model is the cultic model, in which members are abused at the whim of their leader by being manipulated into doing things the Bible does not require or even forbids. The church leaders exercise an undue control over the lives of members.

Finally, a sixth bad model is the invisible-church-only model. Proponents of this view are often heard saying, “all that matters is if you are born again,” suggesting at the same time that membership rolls are a man-made invention.

Even in churches that aspire to a Biblical practice of church membership, errant tendencies can creep in. In Hebrews the Christians were not faithfully going to church, and were ignoring their church officers. In Jude a number of people were posing as Christians, but were really godless unbelievers. James warns against treating certain church members with partiality. In Galatians the Apostle Peter fell into sin of showing preference to the Jews over the Gentiles. The Corinthians turned membership into a field of competition.

The Bible teaches that the invisible church (the elect) manifests herself as a visible body of people, distributed among organized congregations with elders, constituted of identifiable members endowed with spiritual gifts to edify one another. In the New Testament, when people are removed from an organized congregation it is an act of church discipline called excommunication (1 Cor. 5:13). When people remove themselves it is an act of rebellion called apostasy (1 Jn. 2:19). Exceptions arise where converts have no local church to join. The Ethiopian eunuch was baptized in the desert (Acts 8:38). Yet, ordinarily when circumstances permit, believers unite with a church.

As the apostles planted churches they established a congregation and a government in each place. (Acts 20:17; Titus 1:5). These governments had jurisdiction over the members of their congregations (Heb. 13:17). The apostles were building an organized religion.

In one word, church membership establishes jurisdiction. 1 Peter 5:2–3 says to church elders, “shepherd the flock of God among you exercising oversight… [not] as lording it over those allotted to your charge….” To be allotted to the charge of elders means to be subject to the jurisdiction of elders. This is what membership defines. To avoid church membership is to keep oneself above and beyond the jurisdiction of those who enforce the law of the church.

Those who were subject to the churches’ government were called “insiders.” Others were called “outsiders.” Colossians 4:5 says, “Conduct yourselves with wisdom towards outsiders.” 1 Corinthians 5:12–13 reads, “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? But those who are outside, God judges.” 1 Timothy 3:7 says that an overseer of the church “must have a good reputation with those outside.” These terms distinguish between those who were, and were not part of the organized churches to whom the various New Testament letters were written.

Insiders are subject to excommunication, but outsiders are not. This is why Paul says, “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church” (1 Cor. 5:12)? To excommunicate someone is to identify that person as an outsider.

The very practice of excommunication assumes the practice of identifying members. And the obligation to excommunicate people who stubbornly live in sin assumes the obligation to establish membership rolls in the church of those who forsake their sin.

The Bible also talks about improper excommunication. 3 John 10 mentions an elder who was illegitimately expelling members. John writes that Diotrephes wrongly “puts out of the church” members with whom he disagrees. You can’t put someone out unless they have first been put into the church.

Not only that, 2 Corinthians 2:8 prescribes the restoration of the excommunicated person in 1 Corinthians 5. This is a specific example of one person being given the privilege of membership in the local church. Paul was requiring the church’s elders to place this individual on the church roll from which he was previously removed.

Those who are not members of the church are in a dangerous place. Paul calls being excommunicated, “handed over to Satan” (1 Tim. 1:20), and “delivered to Satan for… destruction” (1 Cor. 5:5). People who are removed from the accountability and jurisdiction of the church’s government are left to their sin which will likely consume them.

The principle of church membership is also exemplified in the church’s right to diaconal aid. The church’s government is responsible to provide for their needy members who qualify for help (Acts 6). Moreover, the church had lists of members who received this aid (1 Tim. 5:9, 11), illustrating the church’s practice of keeping lists of members in accordance with their needs and duties.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12ff Paul describes the universal invisible church as a single “body” composed of “members,” (eyes, ears, hands, etc.). Then Paul applies this universal principle to the local visible church in Corinth, requiring them to manifest this universal reality in their local assembly. They are to act like a single “body” with a diverse variety of unified “members.” There is a unity to the body that should express itself in the Corinthian “assembly” (14:23, 26), such that “each one is given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

Most people who avoid church membership say they are a part of the invisible church, and nothing else matters. But the Bible does not speak highly about people who say they are something on the inside without manifesting the reality on the outside. The invisible church manifests itself outwardly in organized local assemblies. It is hypocritical to identify with one apart from the other if the opportunity is available.

Another metaphor used to describe the church is that of a family (1 Tim. 5:1). The church relates to one another like a family with sons and daughters, sisters and brothers, mothers and fathers. Inherent in this metaphor is the notion of loyal membership.

Where does the Bible explicitly require Christians to establish church membership? Two passages are worth considering. Hebrews 13:17 says, “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.” Secondly, Ephesians 5:21 says, be subject to one another in the fear of Christ.” These two passages define the essence of church membership which is expressed in your accountability to the elders and to your fellow members.

The author is the pastor of Covenant Reformed Presbyterian Church (Orthodox Presbyterian), Mt. Airy, North Carolina, USA.