Responsibilities of Members: Submission & Unity

The point: Make a commitment to the maintenance of unity and peace when contemplating church membership.

Martin asks if anyone joins the church with the intent to destroy its unity, highlighting the absurdity of such a motive unless one is an infiltrator, to emphasize that disunity often arises unintentionally.

We are to bend over backwards in the maintenance of unity and peace. And each one of us, if we are contemplating coming into the membership of the church, must make a commitment to that end. Now, nobody comes into church membership sincerely and says, well, what I'm going to do with my life is when I get into this church, what I'm going to do is I'm going to destroy the unity of this church. Did any one of you join the church with that end in view?

9:13 - 9:43 Read in full sermon

The point: Show yourself friendly and seeking to get to know the people of God.

Martin shares his personal testimony from 1971, noting that the openness and honesty of the people at Trinity, even when he 'looked like I shouldn't have been in church at all,' encouraged him to stay, illustrating that the church is a welcoming spiritual family, not just a 'preaching station'.

But for those who are coming into the church, you too must show yourself friendly and seeking to get to know the people of God here in this place. But we're not suggesting that everybody in the church has to be intimate friends with all 350 members. But there are circles of friendship. And those circles of friendship interlock with one another and we trust that by natural gravitation for those with whom there is that, whatever it is, chemistry that gives rise to the seeking of a godly friendship, that there won't be anyone who will be totally left out, isolated, all on his own and that we don'...

26:58 - 28:05 Read in full sermon

The point: Do not take it into your own hands to release private information from church meetings to people outside the church.

Martin references the World War II saying 'Loose lips sink ships' to underscore the danger of carelessly spreading private church information, emphasizing that such actions destroy the church's reputation and peace.

Didn't they used to have a saying in World War II was it? Loose? Was it World War I? I don't remember.

34:18 - 34:25 Read in full sermon

The point: Pray for the elders, recognizing the overwhelming nature of their spiritual stewardship.

Elders are likened to governors representing kings, illustrating that their authority is derived from Christ, and rejecting their biblical leadership is akin to rejecting Christ's leadership.

Therefore brethren as an aside pray for us. But something else to be said if you're to recognize this authority you not only need to know what's expected of the elders but you need to know the capacity in which they do it. You need to know that the elders exercise this authority in their capacity as representatives of Christ representatives of Christ and of the church. They represent Christ even as governors represent the kings who sent them.

48:12 - 48:45 Read in full sermon