Responsibilties of Members: Attendance & Support

The point: Understand the foundational issues of conversion, baptism, and doctrinal distinctives before joining the church.

Martin sets up the class by asking attendees to pretend they are applying for church membership, creating a scenario to explain the necessary information for joining with a good conscience.

What we're doing in our Sunday school class is we are pretending that everyone sitting here this morning is applying for church membership. And it is our purpose to tell you those things that you need to know if you are to be able to join this church with a good conscience. Already we've considered the subject of conversion. Because that's the first and foundational issue that has to be faced when someone wants to join the church.

0:30 - 1:00 Read in full sermon

The point: Take to heart the seriousness of church membership requirements before applying.

Martin alludes to Acts where 'no man dared join them' due to the seriousness of God's dealings, using it to illustrate that the church's strict requirements, while potentially off-putting to some, will not deter serious believers.

You think of the text of the book of Acts. No man dared join them. You say, well, if that's the way it is, I don't want to be a member of a church like this that requires you. Okay.

13:09 - 13:21 Read in full sermon

The point: Be serious about the requirements of church membership, understanding they are not suggestions or optional.

Martin recounts an anecdote about people balking at the word 'required' in their church constitution, fearing legalism, to emphasize his church's unwavering commitment to the seriousness of membership responsibilities.

At least right now. Maybe if I thought about it, I'd remember who they are. And I don't want to remember. But there were some people who were thinking about implementing our church constitution somewhere in a church.

14:39 - 14:49 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not allow Sunday school to replace parental nurture and training of children in the home.

Martin uses the hypothetical example of worshiping from dawn to dusk to illustrate the physical limitations of human beings, explaining why the church structures its worship services with breaks despite the desire to give God all possible worship.

we want to bring to God he's worthy of all of our worship and we want to bring to God all the worship and we want to bring to God the best worship that we can bring him all day long that's the purpose and that's the principle and especially then the focus is upon our corporate worship but we are not disembodied spirits and we could not sustain week after week gathering from dawn to dust in the worship of God you want to try it? see how we do? some probably would like to try it we could sing hymns for three hours and then we could pray for an hour and then we could preach for two hours and then...

34:34 - 36:01 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not allow Sunday school to replace parental nurture and training of children in the home.

Martin gives an example of a farming community church that worships, eats, then worships again, to show that while the principle of dedicating the whole Lord's Day to God is firm, the specific schedule can vary based on community needs and prudence.

rest unto worship because it's a day of rest and worship that's why we have morning and evening worship but you see the fact that we have this morning and evening is not an iron clad rule that absolutely has to be followed the necessities of the community and the lifestyle may dictate slight changes in the life of us but we give God all we can and the whole day is holy to the Lord for example I know of one church where they worship and then they eat and then they worship it's not worship rest worship but it's worship in the morning and eat lunch and then worship in the afternoon and then they ...

36:01 - 37:31 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not allow Sunday school to replace parental nurture and training of children in the home.

Martin discusses the flexibility of teaching times, suggesting that Sunday school could theoretically be held on other nights, but explains that Sunday morning is chosen for convenience and stewardship of time, as people are already gathered and generally free from work.

to only having prayer on Sunday the task and the commission of prayer and the commission of teaching is not like worship in that sense it's not limited to the Lord's day so we could have the teaching sessions on Tuesday night Wednesday night Thursday night next week I plan to Friday night Saturday night we could do that every week but what would happen well again what would happen well we would become exhausted and we would begin to neglect our other duties so why do we have Sunday morning well because we're already gathered here and because most people don't have to work on Sunday and so they...

37:31 - 38:59 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not allow Sunday school to replace parental nurture and training of children in the home.

Martin explains that while the duty of prayer is binding, the specific night for a corporate prayer meeting (Wednesday) is a matter of judgment and convention, not divine law, but members are still required to attend the chosen meeting.

they go to Sunday school that's a bad way to think so if you come to the church yes we have Sunday school that's why we have Sunday school we don't have to just have Sunday school or how it used to be in the Southern Baptist Church they had training union and in the training union they taught the people prior to the evening worship but what's wrong with that you say you can't do that I'm sure you could no law says you can't and you could have teaching sessions on Friday night you could have teaching sessions on Saturday morning if you wanted to no law says you can't what's clear to me is that ...

38:59 - 40:28 Read in full sermon

The point: If you have questions about keeping membership commitments due to unusual working conditions or other circumstances, seek counsel from the elders rather than making a private decision.

Martin uses the example of someone with night blindness who cannot drive at night to illustrate that God understands genuine hindrances, but also suggests that humility to ask for a ride might be a way to fulfill the duty of attendance.

then you should be there on Wednesday night it doesn't mean that Wednesday night is the law of God you can see the difference between those things right trust you can and so that's why you're expected to be at the prayer meeting required to be at the prayer meeting because of the requirements to prayer now let me come to the qualification it says providentially hindered by illness now we're not saying that the elders are going to come drag you out of bed with a 104 fever and say what are you doing there come on accident come to the hospital and drag you in your wheelchair to the church unusual...

41:57 - 43:27 Read in full sermon