Membership Requirements #1: Age and Maturity

Introduction to the Series and Review of Previous Messages

0:02 The following sermon was delivered on Sunday morning, April 22, 2001, at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now will you follow, please, as I read a portion of the Word of God that we will be alluding to in the exposition this morning. It will not be the primary nor exclusive focus of our study, but it will be helpful if we familiarize ourselves afresh with its content.

0:35 Acts chapter 2, the first part of the chapter, contains the record of Peter's preaching on the day of Pentecost, pointing people to the explanation of this unusual event in which they hear people speaking in languages and dialects that they know that they have not acquired by being reared in those particular linguistic contexts. And Peter is explaining, In the Old Testament, that all that is coming to pass was prophesied.

1:13 It's come to pass because Jesus has been exalted, and his first act as the Messianic King is to send his Spirit upon his people. And those who were there on the day of Pentecost were filled with the Spirit to validate that Jesus is precisely who he claimed to be. And God has now vindicated him by exalting him. And giving to him...

1:39 And giving to him the Spirit, that he might send the Spirit upon his people. Now we read in verse 37, the response to what they heard. Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their hearts and said unto Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brethren, what shall we do? And Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ unto the remission of your sins, and you shall receive the gift of the Lord.

2:09 The Holy Spirit. For to you is the promise, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even as many as the Lord our God shall call unto him. And with many other words he testified, and exhorted them, saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation. They then that received his word were baptized, and they were added unto them in that day, about three thousand souls.

2:43 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' teaching and fellowship, in the breaking of bread and the prayers. And fear came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common. And they sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all, according as any, any man had need.

3:12 And day by day, continuing steadfastly with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread at home, they took their food with gladness and singleness of heart, praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to them day by day those that were being saved. Well, let us once more seek the face of God in prayer, for the blessing of the Spirit upon the preaching of the word. Let us pray.

3:47 Our Father, we have already come before you in prayer several times this morning. We have prayed in this last hymn that we have sung, and now we come again, thanking you for the encouragements given to us from the very words of our Lord Jesus, to be like that widow who would not be denied her request. Lord, we come, and plead with you, that you would give us what many of us have sought from you earlier this day, in the early hours of the morning, and in our gathering last Wednesday. Lord, we have asked that you would come with power in the preaching of the word, and we come again,

4:30 conscious that you alone can make faltering lips to speak as they ought, and dull ears to hear as they ought, and slow hearts to respond as they ought, but, O Lord, in the expectation of faith we trust you to do those very things in our midst in this hour. Hear us as together we plead for these mercies through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

5:03 Living together in the Father's house. As many of you know, this is the title that I've chosen to give to a series of studies in which we are considering some vital aspects of the biblical teaching concerning the life and ministry of the church. And this course of studies was precipitated by the very clear directive of our church constitution that every five years, no fewer than 15 expositions in the morning worship hour, concurrent with 15 expositions in the adult class, be given to highlighting not all, but some of the biblical truths contained in our confession,

5:46 in the confession of faith, and in our church constitution. We've already met and exceeded the requirement of our constitution, because this morning we come to the 21st study in this series that we've entitled Living Together in the Father's House. And I want to take just a moment to sketch in the ground that we've already covered. The first message answered the question, What does God think about behavior in the church?

6:16 What does God think about behavior in His house? If God's not concerned about it, why should we? But if God is concerned, who are we not to share His concern? And looking together primarily at 1 Timothy 3, verses 14 and 15, we saw that God is deeply concerned about behavior in His house, and that because of the nature of the church.

6:40 It is His house. It is the church of the living God. It is the pillar and the ground. It is the ground of the truth.

6:48 Then we turn to what in my judgment is the most foundational issue in all of the biblical matters addressed in our church constitution. Namely, what is the purpose of this church? And we saw from the scriptures, using our constitution as a road map into passage after passage, that at least to some degree our constitution does capture the biblical teaching concerning the purpose of the church. We saw its supreme and all-encompassing purpose, namely, to glorify the God of the scriptures.

7:24 Secondly, we looked at the activities by which we are to pursue that purpose. And you remember the arrows, the upward arrow of worship, the inward arrows of edification and practical benevolence to one another, and the outward arrows of evangelizing, the planting, and the strengthening of churches. Then we considered, thirdly, the commitments necessary to pursue that purpose. We are committed to God's changeless standard of right and wrong, that is, the enunciation of His holy law.

7:58 We are committed to God's changeless method of making sinners right with Him. That's the proclamation of the gospel. And we are committed to God's changeless body of revealed truth, that is, the defending of the faith of God. The faith once for all delivered to the saints.

8:19 And then, fourthly, we noted the primary means by which we are to pursue that purpose. Our constitution describes them as prayer and the public and private ministry of the word of God. Now, that's a five-minute review of 19 messages, or 20 messages. We come now this morning to take up the first of two or possibly three messages dealing with the matter of the requirements for church membership.

The Importance of Membership Standards for Church Purpose

8:51 The requirements for church membership. And before we come to the heart of our study in which the specific requirements for church membership in this congregation will be addressed and the relevant scriptures opened up and applied, I want to take a few minutes on the front end to say something about the importance of this matter, of the requirements for church membership in relationship to pursuing the purpose of the church. I have emphasized in these messages how critical it is that these foundational issues be kept constantly before our minds.

9:35 That we are always just one generation away from apostasy. We were reminded of that in the previous hour in our survey of the book of John. And if you were to ask me, well, Pastor Martin, what can ensure that Trinity Church will continue in successive generations to hold to its God-given purpose? My answer would be fundamentally and foundationally it will only be if God sustains that purpose by the power of His grace.

10:08 At the end of the day, any church is utterly dependent upon the power of God's grace, to sustain what was the fruit of His grace in the first place. And you have a vivid statement of that in Acts chapter 20 when Paul has gathered the Ephesian elders together at the island of Miletus, or in Miletus, and he's charging them with their duty in the light of all of the dangers that he knows that church will be exposed to. He speaks of wolves coming in from without and men from within. Speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after him, after them.

10:49 And now his final word to them, to show what his confidence was, is found in verse 32. He has charged them to be watchful, to shepherd the flock of God. But now note what he says in verse 32 of Acts 20. Now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace which is able to build you up and give you the inheritance among all them that are sanctified.

11:17 He commends them to God and to His grace. And if I were lying on my deathbed and someone said you have but a few words to say to the people among whom you've labored for your lifetime, what would they be? These would be the words. I commend you to God and to the word of His grace.

11:39 Or in the language of Ephesians 5 where Paul describes Christ as the heavenly bridegroom who nourishes and who cherishes His church. And if this church or any other church that to any degree is a biblically oriented church, its only hope for the perpetuation of those spiritual perspectives is the grace of God in Jesus Christ. It is the ongoing, nurturing, cherishing work of Jesus Christ. However, God works by means.

12:16 Even in this Acts 20 passage Paul commends these elders and the church to God and to the word of His grace. But he has previously charged them with some very solemn responsibilities and specific activities calculated with the blessing of God to preserve the flock of God in the subsequent days. So though God works graciously and sovereignly, He does not work capriciously. He works by means.

12:49 And one of the primary means that God uses to keep a church pursuing its God-given purpose is in the maintenance in that church of a God-given standard of membership. Now let that sink in. As a general rule, a God-prescribed purpose of the church and a God-prescribed standard of membership in the church will stand or fall together. And why is that so?

13:29 For the simple reason that all of those purposes of the church which I sought to expound in 19 messages assume that those who hear of that purpose have hearts that are in love with the God revealed in Christ, the God who speaks in Scripture, who have had their hearts of stone removed, who have His law written upon their hearts, who are Christ's true sheep, who hear His voice, and who follow Him, even in the specifics of the purpose of the church and how that purpose is to be worked out with activities mandated by God, with commitments warranted by the Word of God,

The Congregation's Stewardship of Church Membership (Front and Back Door)

14:13 using the means prescribed in the Holy Scriptures. And as a general rule then, this God-prescribed purpose for the church and a God-prescribed standard of membership in the church will stand or fall together. I want you to think with me of the church as a vast house, and that's a biblical imagery. There in 1 Timothy 3, 5, speaking of elders, would-be elders, Paul says, if a man rule not well his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?

14:49 The church is like a family. It's called God's house or household in 1 Timothy 3 and verse 15. And this house has a front door and a back door. And I want you to think with me of that house with its front and back door as the church.

15:09 Those who are inside the house have come through the door having presented proper credentials for entrance. Any who have been shown the back door have been shown the back door on the basis of solid reasons. Now, who is a steward of the front door of admission into the church and the back door of dismission? It's an archaic word.

15:37 The present word is dismissal, but I like admission and dismission. So I'll be archaic, all right? Who has the stewardship of the front door of admission and the back door of dismission? Who is responsible to make sure that all who have the proper credentials are welcomed by the front door and those whose life and thinking is such that God says they must be exited out the back door?

16:07 Who has the stewardship of the door of admission and remission or dismission? When you say the elders, wrong. No, they don't. Your elders in this church do not say we have decided that John Jones has presented proper credentials and we will be receiving him into membership next Lord's Day.

16:36 We don't do that. Why? We have never come before you and said your elders have decided that John Jones should be shown the back door. His sin has been uncovered.

16:50 It's been addressed. He will not repent. The nature of his sin is such that he should no longer be a member of Christ's visible church. We have dismissed him.

17:00 Why don't we do that? Because we believe the scriptures teach that you, the people of God, the proper residents of the house, have the ultimate stewardship of opening both the front and the back door of God's house. Are you following me? Though your leaders have a responsibility to lead in this area as in all other areas, they do not have the authority unilaterally to put their hand on the front door and open it and say welcome on behalf of the people who've never been consulted.

17:45 They have no such right. And they have no right to do as this wicked man Diotrephes who was throwing people out of the church unilaterally. A man that John condemns as one who loves the preeminence. Now I can't go into a full biblical proof of this.

18:02 Let me give you a couple of specimen passages. This is introduction because if I can't persuade you from the Bible that sitting where you sit the members of this church have the stewardship of the door you must feel this. And the devil will get perverse men in leadership who'll skew God's standards for the front door and the back door. There's much more safety when there's a whole body of biblically instructed spiritually constrained men and women determined that not one person shall come in the front door who doesn't have the proper credentials.

Biblical Examples of Congregational Stewardship

18:40 And not one person will stay in or be put out unless there is certain unless there is solid warrant for that action. Now, if anyone should be able to arrive at a church and be let in simply because of who he is it would be the Apostle Paul. But I want you to turn to Acts 9. This is all introductory.

19:03 I want to get you on board with how serious it is. All the other work will come to naught if I don't do that. Acts chapter 9 gives the account of the conversion of Saul of Tarsus this man like an angry beast breathing out threatenings and slaughters upon the church. And the Lord Jesus said on that given day it's time to get my man.

19:26 And Jesus comes forth riding on the charger of gospel conquest and he brings this mad opposer of the church Saul of Tarsus. He brings him in gracious chains of grace and binds him to his chariot of conquest and he converts him. Well then he goes into his hometown he goes there into Damascus and preaches a bit and now we read this verse 23 of Acts 9 And when many days were fulfilled the Jews took counsel together to kill him and their plot became known to Saul and they watched the gates day and night that they might kill him but his disciples took him by night led him down through the wall lowering him in a basket. Now note verse 26

20:10 And when he was come to Jerusalem he assayed he attempted to join himself to the disciples Come back to our imagery we're going to stick with it all the way through this. Paul shows up at the front door of the church in Jerusalem and he knocks and people say knock knock who's there? Saul of Tarsus now Paul the apostle I've seen a great light I've heard the voice of the risen Christ the Christ whose name and cause I've sought to wipe off the face of the earth as being an imposter and a blasphemer

20:52 He's now my God and my Savior So with full heart they opened the door and welcomed him Uh uh look at the text When he was come to Jerusalem he assayed he attempted to join himself to the disciples and they were all afraid of him not believing he was a disciple Think of it Bunch of nobodies say we've got the keys to the front door and we ain't unlocking it to this guy till we're persuaded he is what he says he is Wait a minute Don't you know I've seen a light They say you may have but until we can validate that you belong in the house you're staying on the outside

21:36 Now do you see that with your eyes in your Bible? It doesn't say the apostles told him that he shouldn't come in It says he assayed he attempted to join himself to the disciples and they were all afraid of him The apostles will be mentioned later as a distinct group So everyone feels this sense of stewardship Now you see what that says? Some dude shows up in this place He may be able to talk like an apostle He may be able to talk about his spiritual experience Don't you run and throw the door open just because it sounds good You the disciples have a responsibility before God

22:20 in the stewardship of that front door So what happens? But Barnabas took him And it's fascinating to ask and try to trace out the answer to the question Why Barnabas? Was it because of some affinity? Had Barnabas known of him previous in terms of where Barnabas was?

22:38 All kinds of questions but no real answers in scripture Barnabas took him brought him to the apostles and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way he had spoken to him and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus Now notice and he, that is Paul was with them going in and out at Jerusalem preaching boldly in the name of the Lord and he spoke and disputed against the Grecian Jews but they were seeking to kill him and when the brethren here's the church again not just the apostles but when the brethren knew it they brought him down to Caesarea

23:21 and sent him forth to Tarsus Isn't that an amazing thing? Church made up of apostles and a lot of other unnamed people knew they had a responsibility not to welcome him as a brother and give him all the privileges of church membership and church support and church protection until they were persuaded he had the right credentials to get in the front door That to me is one of the most wonderful historical illustrations of this principle and what about the back door? Well the apostle Paul understood this He's heard some horrible stories about what's going on at Corinth

24:05 and he said there's good reason to believe a number of them Household of Chloe came to him and told him various things and then he writes in chapter 5 it's actually reported that there is sexual uncleanness among you and such sexual uncleanness as not even necessary even named among the Gentiles and he says you're puffed up you people are bragging that you can show unconditional love even to someone involved in a relationship that pagans do not look upon with favor so what are we going to do? Notice how careful the apostle Paul is to say you people at Corinth you have the keys and the stewardship of the back door of the church not me I'll give my judgment

24:48 and I'll give you an apostolic direction but my judgment and my direction cannot replace your action as a congregation look at it very carefully verse 3 For I verily being absent in body but present in spirit have already as though I were present judged him that has so wrought this thing in the name of our Lord Jesus you being gathered together and my spirit with the power of our Lord Jesus to deliver such a woman unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit may be saved in the day of our Lord Jesus then he uses the imagery of clearing out the house of leaven

25:32 before the Passover verse 7 purge out the old leaven who is to purge it? the church gathered together in the authority of Christ verse 13 but them that are without God judges put away the wicked man from among yourselves who is to do this? the gathered church and though the apostle says I've already made a judgment and I will be with you when you act the apostle could not replace the activity of the church and we find that consistent throughout the New Testament so what does it tell us? it tells us that sitting where you sit as a member of this assembly

26:14 and if you're on the outside knocking, seeking to come in you must understand that I, my fellow elders we do not have this unilateral authority to open the door as persuaded as we may be that you ought to come in but the church must validate that judgment and if that conviction percolates down into the subsoil of the heart and minds of the rank and file of God's people in this place so that you will exercise a jealous concern to respect the biblical standards for church membership it is much more likely

26:57 that this church will continue to pursue its God-given purpose because it will have people within the house who know the Lord of the house and who love the rules of the Lord of the house and love His name and love His cause and will not sacrifice it caving in to contemporary religious fads and caving in to the pressure of people to innovate and to do things in a way that will satisfy carnal desires and carnal perspectives now that's a rather lengthy introduction but you see how important it is all the labors to show from the scripture the biblical requirements for membership

27:41 will be talking to myself if you're not persuaded you need to be as well grounded in these as I and my fellow elders are it's your responsibility and if anyone suggests that the door be opened to people who don't have biblical credentials hear back on your hind legs in the name of the God of the church and say no the scripture says and if whoever is leading won't be led by the Bible then wipe the dust off your feet and find a place where people love Jesus and obey His word kiss this place goodbye

Defining the Questions for Membership Requirements

28:24 with all its happy memories Pastor you're not very loving I love you too much to do anything other than speak this way to you it's my love that constrains me to speak that constrains me to labor to say Lord help me to come up with an analogy that will stick even with the children the front door who turns it the back door who turns it so then we come to take up the subject of the biblical requirements for church membership now in our study of this subject I'm assuming

29:08 that you with me believe that a church ought to have something that you could call a formal discernible membership or a membership role if you please now I know there are people in our day as in days past who feel that's not necessary and I've addressed that in full length messages in the past message number four in the series in the tape catalog called the local church I spent a whole hour demonstrating from the scriptures that whatever you want to call it whether it's written or stashed in someone's memory or hidden in a computer whatever it is there is a biblical case for a discernible formal church membership role and then in message number eleven in a lengthy series called our manifesto

29:53 I address the matter again so I'm assuming I don't have to persuade you on this point and assuming that or assuming that you have questions if you have questions you're ready not to live with your prejudice but expose yourself to a reasoned presentation of another side that's all just would urge you to do that it's important that we isolate exactly what we're dealing with when we come to the question of standards and requirements for membership in the church and I found it helpful to think in terms of these two questions here's the person coming up to the door and knocking seeking admission here's question number one who has a right and a responsibility to seek admission

30:37 to a biblically ordered church who has a right and a responsibility to seek admission into a biblically ordered church in other words who has a right to stand at the front door and knock who has a responsibility to make his way to the front door and knock so both words are critical now we must ask the question who has both the right and a responsibility to seek admission to a biblically ordered church that's question number one that's looking at the guy coming up the steps knocking on the door now then from the standpoint of those in the house who hear the knock

31:21 who's there now don't you kids start thinking of all your knock knock jokes now if you do I bear the blame because I did the knock knock and you say who's there when the answer comes back and you say what are your credentials it's critical that you know what the credentials have to be so here's the second question whom does a biblically ordered church have a right and a responsibility to receive into its membership alright you see that's a different question whom does the church a biblically ordered church have both a right and a responsibility to receive into its membership

32:04 what must the church be looking for in the credentials of the one knocking and we come around and see that they're knocking and say what credentials ought you to have in your pocket ready to present so if you sit here and you're not a member of this church or another biblically ordered church what must be present in you for you to have both a right and a responsibility to be knocking on some church door saying I want in and for us in this place members of this assembly with people who are presently knocking on our door if we have a stewardship collectively as a church in conjunction with our leaders to make sure that they present

32:49 the proper credentials what are the credentials whom do we have both a right and a responsibility to admit into the church now do you see the two questions and how they are mirror images of one another but they're distinct and they're different they're different they're different now with those questions we come to our constitution and here's the answer here's the list of credentials that our constitution presents article five church membership section one requirements for membership see if you can count them I'll try to break them off I'm not going to quote the verses there are no fewer than three texts cited after each one

Overview of Trinity Baptist Church's Membership Requirements

33:33 of these credentials requirements for membership any man or woman shall be eligible for membership in this church who professes repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ who manifests a life transformed by the power of Christ who has been baptized upon profession of faith who expresses agreement with the confession and constitution of this church who intends to give wholehearted support to its ministry and who is willing to submit to its government and discipline now were you counting

34:18 on your fingers kids how many did you come up with well probably some of you came up with six but there are really seven the first one kind of sneaks up on you it's not hung together like the others listen again any man or woman well that's obvious you don't present your dog for church membership no that's right you don't but that's what's up two you know the number that's we don't have over 10 hundred dollars wasted every day we're not having a good time you just know

35:02 so no no please let me know what you have got as I've tried to think back through looking at the various texts that are quoted and then searching the scriptures for additional light, it seems to me that a convenient way of thinking of these requirements for church membership in this particular assembly is to think of them in terms of broad categories, explicit requirements and implicit. Those that are more clearly and definitively set before us in the scripture

35:42 and those that we come to by deduction and inference and the collation. When something is inferred, it is inherently within something, but it's not standing there on the surface of it. It's like the kernel that's in the, not a kernel, it's like the seed that's in the middle of a peach. It's in there, but it's not lying on the surface like the fuzz.

36:08 Please turn this cassette over to continue the message. On the surface. On the surface of it. It's like the kernel that's in the, not a kernel, it's like the seed that's in the middle of a peach.

36:22 It's in there, but it's not lying on the surface like the fuzz. And so there are these requirements that are explicit, clear from the scripture. And there are those that are inferred, implied, but nonetheless in our judgment until God gives us further light, do constitute. Do constitute some of the credentials that we, as a church, leadership and rank and file of the membership, must insist be presented at the front door.

Requirement #1: Age and Maturity (Chronological Requirement)

36:54 Now we'll have time to take up one or two this morning. I'm not sure how far we'll get. I won't keep you for an inordinate amount of time. And wherever we stop this morning, God willing, we'll pick up tonight.

37:06 The first is what I'm calling the requirement with respect to age or maturity. Now if you like, something more cutesy and short, it's the chronological requirement. We're going to see the chronological, the experiential, and the sacramental, but I'm going to use words that are, I think, perhaps clearer to many of you. The requirement with respect to age and maturity.

37:30 This is what our Constitution states. Any man or woman shall be eligible for membership, etc. Now our Constitution does not say any person, generically. Or any male or female, simply identifying their sex.

37:51 But it says any man or woman. And that is stated deliberately.

37:59 Because as someone who's been a part of wrestling with this issue from the very beginning, when there was no Trinity Church, there was just a fellowship, we originally called ourselves Calvary Fellowship. When we first started, we had to have a name and open up a checking account and have somebody handle the monies, so there'd be no question about our integrity. So we said, well, Christ has drawn us together, and he's drawn us together by his cross. Tell him, Calvary Fellowship.

38:24 So that's what we were named when we first began. Little did we know that that would become a very popular kind of title for a lot of charismatic churches. So I'm glad we didn't stick with it, or people might have guilt by association with our name. But that was Calvary Fellowship in the beginning.

38:38 And we had no standards of membership. The people said, look, let's go to our Bibles. We had no membership. And before we...

38:44 Before we constitute and consider some members and accept one another, let's go to our Bibles. And as we went to our Bibles, we came to the conviction that our Bibles taught that church membership is for men and women, not just males and females, but for adult males and adult females.

39:05 Now you say, where did you come up with that from your Bibles? Well, the simple answer is that very terminology, men and women, man and woman, is language extracted right out of the Scriptures. And I want us to look at some of the Scriptures that very clearly state whenever specific descriptions are given of who was in the church. There are a lot of generic descriptions.

39:30 Multitudes were the more added to the Lord. That's generic. But if it says, of men, amer, that is the Greek word for an adult male, and pune, the woman, the Greek word for woman, or white, when the Scripture says, amer and gune, it's not saying paideia, or pice, or some of the other linguistic categories that describe minors. And if the Holy Ghost has been specific, it's because He wants us to hear His specific voice.

Biblical Evidence for Adult Membership in Acts

40:07 All right? So tighten your seatbelts and start with me in Acts chapter 1. Who was there to begin, to become part of the first Pentecostal church of Jerusalem?

40:22 And that's what they became. The first Pentecostal church of Jerusalem. Well, you all know, many of you know, most of you know that in Acts 2, verse 1, we read, when the day of Pentecost was now come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly there came from heaven the sound as of a rushing of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting.

40:49 And there appeared unto them tongues parting asunder like as a fire, and it sat on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues or languages as the Spirit gave them utterance. Now, $64 question. When it says they were all together, and they were all filled with the Spirit, who is the they?

41:13 Well, if we read back, we get an answer. Third, let's start in chapter 1 and verse 10. The apostles are there in the immediate presence of Christ as he ascends to the right hand of the Father. And while they were looking steadfastly, verse 10, into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel who said, You men, you men of Galilee.

41:39 He didn't say you people, you disciples, you men of Galilee. Why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was received up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as you beheld him go into heaven. Then returned they, these men, the apostolate, the eleven of them.

41:57 The twelfth was yet to be recognized. We find that further on in this chapter. Then returned they unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is nigh to Jerusalem, a Sabbath day's journey off. And when they were come in, they went up into the upper chamber where they were abiding.

42:14 Both Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew, Matthew, James, Simon, and Judas. God names all eleven of them. Is that all the ones who were there? No, the Holy Ghost is going to tell you there were some others there.

42:32 These all, the eleven, with one accord, continued steadfastly in prayer with the women, and particularly men. Mary, the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren.

42:50 Now that's the group that was there when the Holy Spirit came. There's no record that there were any children there.

43:01 No record there were any children. Men of Galilee, these all, with one accord, with the women.

43:10 So the Spirit of God comes, and God works mightily. And we are told at the end of chapter two that on that first day, and there is much, by way of inference, but we're not going to base this particular argument on what I think is inescapable inference, there is a generic description. Then they, verse 41, that received his word were baptized, and there were added to them in that day about three thousand souls. And that terminology, souls, just means persons.

43:40 That's the way it's used several times in the scriptures. If you want to trace it out, just take a concordance, and it speaks of souls. Chapter three and verse 23, And it shall be that every soul, every person that shall not hearken to that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people. So then, we don't have any specifics except three thousand souls were added.

44:03 From what is said about those that they received the word. What word? The word that had set before them the truth about what this unusual activity was all about, and the truth about Christ, and the sending of the Spirit, and the word demanding repentance and baptism, and an embrace of the promise of the gift of the Holy Spirit, and then a further, more lengthy, applicatory element, verse 40, many other words he testified and exhorted, saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation, calling these people to an intelligent, whole-souled, mature, adult resolve to be lined up with Christ,

44:48 and with his people. But it doesn't say whether there were any women, any, all women, all men. It's silent on it. But now when we come to chapter four, notice what we are told.

45:01 Verse one, As they spoke to the people, the priests and captains of the temple of the Sadducees came upon them, being sore troubled because they taught the people and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection from the dead. And they laid hands on them and put them in warden to the morrow, for it was now eventide. But, many of them that heard the word, and the number of the men, not anthropos, generic human beings, which anthropos often means, but aner, in the plural, the number of the men, came to be about five thousand.

45:42 Now the Bible is not reluctant to describe a crowd if it has men plus women and children, because in Matthew chapter fourteen, that's exactly what Matthew does in giving his account of the feeding. We ought never to say of the five thousand, we ought to say of the five thousand plus women and children. Look at Matthew chapter fourteen. Matthew chapter fourteen.

46:04 And here we have the account of the feeding of the five thousand men. Verse twenty, And they all ate and were filled, and they took up that which remained over the broken pieces twelve baskets full. And they that did eat were about five thousand, gune, I'm sorry, aner, men, besides, gune, women, and children. Besides women and children.

46:29 So when the biblical writers are conscious to give an accurate description of something, they're not reluctant to fill in some of the cracks as the Spirit of God directs them. But here in Acts chapter four, we might think that the only ones who were church members were men, because it says the number of the men, the only men, the only woman, the only one they count, women don't count. Is this the misogynist reflection, a reflection of misogyny and woman hatred? No.

46:58 Because if you read on, in Acts chapter five, you remember what happened. God struck dead the first two known hypocrites in the church, who wanted the reputation of being super spiritual without paying the price. And God kills them. And when word gets out of what God did, we read in verse twelve of Acts five, by the hand of the apostles, And of the apostles were many signs and wonders wrought among the people.

47:21 They were all with one accord in Solomon's porch or portico, but of the rest dared no man join himself to them. But, howbeit the people magnified them, and believers were the more added to the Lord multitudes both of Amir and Gunay. Multitudes of men and women. None of the linguistic family of words for children is used.

47:57 Men and women. Our Constitution states any man or woman. Why? Why?

48:04 Because we believe that's the language the Holy Spirit uses when he says, you want to come up to the door? You must be a man or you must be a woman. When people inside say, what mark should we recognize? He says, see if the one on the other side of the door is a man or a woman.

48:21 He says, see if the one on the other side of the door is a man or is a woman. Turn to Acts chapter 8.

48:30 Great persecution arises on the death of Stephen. In a sense, Saul of Tarsus has smelled and seen blood and his rage intensifies. And we read that Saul was consenting unto Stephen's death and there arose on that day a great persecution against the church that was in Jerusalem. They were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria except the apostles.

48:56 And devout men buried Stephen and made lamentation over him. But Saul laid waste the church. So what's the object of this fury? The church.

49:08 The ecclesia of God. The household of faith. And how are they identified in this passage? And dragging, here we are again, aner and gunay, dragging men and women, committed them to prison.

49:23 The church comprised of what? Men. And women. And they are the object of the apostles' blind, unbelieving fury.

49:34 Later on in this chapter, we read of the mighty work of God through the preaching of Philip the evangelist. And what happens? Look at chapter 8 and verse 12. But when they believed Philip preaching good tidings concerning the kingdom of God in the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both.

49:57 Men and women. Aner and gunay. They ain't there. Oh, but you say that's an argument from silence, my friend.

50:10 If you ask me who sat at your supper table last night, and I say you want to know precisely who was at my table, yes, I do. It was my wife and I sat at the table. And if you were there and six others, I've been dishonest in responding to your question. I've deliberately misled you.

50:30 Who are these great numbers that believe the good tidings and are encouraged to take that ordinance by which they identify themselves with Christ and his people? They are described as men and women. Now, from other passages, there are words, a family of words that speak of young men, young women, and in some context, it's even translated, younger widows. And that family of words points to adults who are yet considered young men and young women.

51:10 Let's look at a couple of examples. Acts chapter 5, and then we'll turn over to the pastoral epistles where you have the greatest deposit of them. Acts chapter 5 and verse 6. And young men arose and wrapped him round, that is, Stephen, and carried him out and buried him.

51:28 Now, it doesn't say that these young men were members of the church, but in the context of the life and ministry of the church in Jerusalem, there's a good case to assume that most likely, by the guidance of the Spirit, Luke is writing of what these younger men with stronger bodies were able to do as they wrap him round and carry him out and they bury him. Likewise, in Acts 5 and verse 10, they do the same thing after God takes him out. He takes the life of Ananias' wife. Young men came in and found her dead and carried her out and buried her by her husband.

52:09 And the very act that they are engaged in points in the direction of them being young men, the same way at the end of the supper. Mr. Davies or someone will say, will some of the men help us, especially the young men with strong backs? That would be most natural.

52:24 So that you'd know that someone was a young man. He was not a child. He was not. He was not what we call an older, mature man, but a younger man.

Biblical Evidence for Adult Membership in Pastoral Epistles

52:35 Turn to 1 Timothy again for a couple of clear examples of this family of words. Now, I hope you don't weary flipping around our Bible spoke because you better be persuaded in from your Bible.

52:48 And your Bible is comprised of specific texts and families of words and believing as we do in verbal inspiration, these things are critical. 1 Timothy 5 and verse 1. Paul writes to Timothy, many of his responsibilities. Here's one of them.

53:04 Don't rebuke an elder, an older man, but exhort him as a father. The younger man is brethren. Now, who does Timothy have an official right to exhort? The members of the church.

53:15 I've written to you, Paul says, that you may know how to behave yourself in the church. And within the church, there are older men and there are younger men. Younger men. Verse 2, the older women as mothers, the younger as fathers.

53:31 Sisters. So there are older women, if you can find anyone who's willing to put herself in that category. And then there are the younger ones, the category into which all women would like to think somehow or other they still have at least a co in that category. So there's the recognition that there is an age span among the women.

53:51 And the words used reflect that. Verse 11. But younger widows refuse for when they've waxed wanton against Christ, they desire to marry, etc. Whatever the younger women are, they are of marriageable age and prepared to bear children.

54:09 Again, verse 14. I desire therefore that the younger and if you have a good translation, they'll put widows in italics because widows is not the word there. It's younger women, Gune, younger women. In this case, obviously they are the widows and Paul is giving his counsel.

54:30 You find the same in Titus 2, 4, 10, and 11. Titus 2, 6, 1 Peter 5, 5. Likewise, you younger ones be subject unto the elder. Well, in conclusion, if we look to our Bibles with the two questions, here's the question as we see the guy on the outside knocking.

54:48 Who has the right and responsibility to seek admission to a biblically ordered church? The answer of this first strand of our Constitution, and I believe it's rooted in responsible biblical expertise, is that it must be a man or a woman knocking at the door of the house. When we ask the second question, when those in the house who have the stewardship of the door are looking for credentials, what's the first credential they must look for? Is this a man or a woman knocking at the door?

55:24 It may be a young man. It may be a young woman. It may be an older man. It may be an older woman, but it must be a man.

55:33 It must be a woman. It must be a woman. Why? Because the Spirit of God has carefully guarded any definitive description of who constituted the membership of the church from any of the words that are in the two or three major word groupings to describe children.

55:56 We have the words, Pais, Paideion, Paidarias. Those are a family of words that speak of children. Never Teknon or Tekneon which is the diminutive, little children. Those words are found scattered throughout the New Testament, but never once in conjunction with any specific description of who constituted the membership of the New Testament church.

56:23 And I lay the challenge out to any who may feel, well, not just go to your Bible, search the Scriptures, and if I've missed something you have an obligation to show me. And I will have an obligation to correct that very right-angled statement that I have made that there is no definitive description of who was a member of a New Testament church in which any of the family of words regarding children, youngsters, nursing babes, brephos, another word, none of those are ever used. Now, that raises some very, very serious questions in the minds of some. Now, that raises some very, very serious questions in the minds of some.

Addressing Concerns: Can Children Be Saved?

57:06 Now, that raises some very, very serious questions in the minds of some. And you may be thinking these, and I want to respond to them. And it's obvious this is as far as we'll get this morning. Does this mean that children cannot be saved?

57:19 And I answer to that question, absolutely not. What did we read this morning in Luke 18? People were bringing children to Jesus. And apparently they were toddlers, they at least could walk to him, they'd bring them.

57:36 But then it says, he doesn't say, suffer the parents to bring them. But then it says, he doesn't say, suffer the parents to bring them. But then it says, he doesn't say, suffer the parents to bring them. But then he says, suffer the children to come unto me.

57:42 Suffer the children to come unto me. Because in a child there is manifested a disposition of trustingness and helplessness that is essential for anyone who would enter the kingdom. Do we believe the scripture teaches that God can regenerate a little child and bring that child to biblical repentance and faith and into a life of repentance and faith and into a life of repentance and faith A child will never remember a time when he did not recognize God's claims over him or her. God's grace in Jesus Christ.

58:18 Yes, I pray that for every child in this assembly. Pray, oh God, deal with them so they'll never remember a time when they did not know themselves to be sinners and Christ the willing and able Savior. And that they wanted to please Him and serve Him. Some of you, some of you, that doesn't describe you.

58:40 You've come to years of self-conscious awareness of who you are. And you know you don't love Christ. And you don't want to obey Christ. And while considering church membership would not be the right thing for you now, considering the claims of Christ upon you is always the right thing.

59:00 Always. Anyone who attends this church knows that with our entreaties and pleas...

59:06 With our writings, with our encouragement of family worship and family evangelism, this church believes that young children can and ought to be saved at an early age. Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth. So this does not mean that we believe children cannot be saved. Does this mean that children should be excluded from the life and ministry of the church?

Addressing Concerns: Should Children Be Excluded from Church Life?

59:34 Absolutely not. We love our children too much to have junior church.

59:40 Shove them off to play church, do everything till they're twelve. Then bring them in and say what goes on in here is important. No wonder they sit in the back row writing notes and giggling. And I've seen the note writing and the giggling in evangelical church after evangelical church in this country.

60:00 We love you kids too much to cut you out from the context in which God is most likely to breathe life into your soul. In the special presence of Christ. In the midst of His gathered people.

60:14 That's why when you read in Acts, no record of children in the church. When the children were tagging along part of an activity in the church. The Spirit of God is not embarrassed to tell us kids were there. Look at Acts 21.

60:30 Acts chapter 21.

60:35 Verse 5.

60:40 The Apostle Paul is going to depart.

60:44 Look at verse 4. And having found the disciples, we tarried there seven days. Good indication that he stayed around till the next Lord's day. And he said to Paul through the Spirit that he should not set foot in Jerusalem.

60:56 And when it came to pass that we had accomplished the days, we departed, went on our journey, and they all. Who's the they all? The antecedent to that is the disciples. That's your proper noun up in verse 4.

61:12 And having found the disciples, these said to Paul, it came to pass we departed, went on our journey, they all. All the disciples. Now notice. With wives and children brought us on our way.

61:29 So when children were tagging along as part of something important in the life of the church, they weren't excluded. This was a significant event. The great Apostle has been in our midst. He's now about to leave.

61:42 We don't know if we'll ever see him again. The whole family goes down and prays and kneels on the beach. And they see him on his way. When Paul.

61:53 Writes the letter to the Ephesians. He assumes children are sitting there. Remember, they didn't have Bibles put in their hands and tucked under their arms when they gathered. They gathered without Bibles.

62:05 And one of the leaders appointed by the elders or one of the elders would stand and say, we have a letter from our beloved Apostle Paul. And all ears would be perked up and they listen, whether they read the letter all at once or they said, we're going to read the first section of it this Lord's day and discuss it. And then I don't know what they did. But we know they read it.

62:24 That's why Paul could say, I assure you that this epistle will be read among all the churches. It would be read. And Paul assumes when he comes to laying out the relative duties of husbands and wives and fathers and children, the children will be there when that letter is read. So he says, children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.

62:45 Honor your father and your mother, which is the first commandment with promise that it may be well with you and you may live long upon the earth. Amen. Now, there's no sense that children were cut out and I resent, I resent, there are many things I resent, but I resent that snobbish argument brought forward by people who say we ought to sprinkle our children and consider them members of the covenant community until they opt out that we somehow don't love our children. The truth is we love them too much to encourage them to be deceived that because they've got good bloodline.

63:25 The truth is we love them too much to encourage them to be deceived that because they've got good bloodline. And good associations all must be well.

63:31 We want to see them come to mature years, emotionally, physically, psychologically mature enough to even stand mom and dad there and say, if you deny everything you've taught me and you're prepared to kill me for believing it, here's my chest. Shoot, punch the knife, for the terms of discipleship are non-negotiable. If any man come to me and hate. Not father, mother, brother, sister, yay, and his own life.

64:01 Also, he cannot be my disciple.

The Nature of 'Man or Woman' and the Absence of a Specific Age

64:06 We love our children too much to lay upon them the pressures that are necessarily associated with making an open declaration in the formal way of baptism and coming into the membership of the church, which God in his wisdom says is something for men and for women. Young men. Yes. Young women.

64:28 Yes. But men and women. Now you say, but what age?

64:37 We're all Pharisees and legalists at heart. Our constitution doesn't say any man or woman, parenthesis, 16, 18 years or older. We've had pressure to show us from our Bible. Men or women.

64:55 When is a kid, a young man? It all depends. You say, well, you're being as wiggly. There's mercury on a flat piece of steel.

65:07 Can't pin you down. No. Where the Bible doesn't pin me down, I ain't going to get pinned. Are there some males that at age 14, you could call them young men?

65:18 I've seen such. They had the emotional, mental, psychological maturity that I could with good conscience call them a young man. I don't think I've ever met anyone at 12 or at eight or nine. I've met some more.

65:36 Young men. Four young women who at age 14 or 15. One of them is a pastor's wife out in Michigan, my daughter Heidi, mature way beyond her years in many areas. As a teenager, we've had some here in this assembly.

65:55 I believe we have some sitting here who ought to be at the front door. You're no longer kids in the last year or two. That whole element of beginning to have a sense of what you are before God and what's your commitment to be and do by the grace of God in this life. There is a fixed disposition of the soul as your attachment to Christ.

66:21 And if you must lose whatever is precious to you now, your college scholarship, all of the support and association of your friends who at this point share your perspective. If you lose it all, you are ready to say, Lord Jesus, are the pearl of great price. I'm going to go to church. I'm going to go to church.

66:43 I'll part with anything, but you, you ought to be at the door. If the other requirements are there, you're a young woman or a young man, and that's why we don't set any specific age bracket. And that's why those in whom you have recognized a more than ordinary deposit of spiritual wisdom and understanding, you have recognized to be your pastors, that we might take the initiative in that. Initial.

67:14 Interaction with someone knocking at the door that we might be able to probe in ways and to a depth that you would not feel competent to do. But then if we've come to the persuasion, Hey, that's a man, that's a woman. And the other credentials are there as best we can see them. What do we say to you?

67:37 We say your elders have interviewed John Jones for membership and are satisfied that he has the credentials. We ask you, if you have any concerns or reservations, speak to John. If you don't resolve it, speak to one of your elders so that when we extend the right hand of fellowship on your behalf, not an empty formality, your hands are on ours. When we reached for the door and say, welcome, welcome, welcome, welcome.

68:08 That's what we're doing. You say, Oh, I thought that was just, no, no, that we just don't do that because that's the way it's been done. We do that out of conviction. That the Lord of the house says this is how we're to operate by the front door of his house.

68:25 So that's as far as we're going to get this morning. And even at that, I've gone too long. I'm not apologizing, but I am letting you know, I lost track of the clock. There are people, few things, as I said at the beginning are more critical than what we're dealing with here.

68:43 Please don't develop the mentality. Let the elders do it. You make an effort. You get to know these that are at least lingering around the door and there's some indication they may soon be knocking at the door.

68:55 And surely if we've announced their names and you not had opportunity to at least introduce yourself, be nice and brazen and pushy and go right up and say, I'm Henry. Who are you? Or I understand your job and you're coming into membership. Can we at least have a few minutes to talk together?

69:12 Tell me how did the Lord save you? What does the Lord mean to you? You need to be the quality control on our efforts. To be good stewards of the front door, because ultimately God will hold you accountable as well as our peculiar accountability in this matter of the requirements for membership.

69:30 Well, let's pray. Ask God to help us. Our Father, we do ask that you will help us to bring every thought captive to the obedience of Christ and that you would help us as a church to think biblically about this whole issue. Of what?

69:52 You have set down. The requirements for membership in your house, and we pray that where we are not thinking as we ought, that you will correct us where we are thinking as we should, you will confirm us. And we pray, Lord, that here in this place, your people will have a heightened sense of their awesome responsibility in that shared stewardship of the front and of the back door of your house. We pray for those.

70:23 Our father. Who have no knowledge of you or of your salvation, you will take even things spoken today and in your own mysterious way, Lord, deal with their hearts and make them yearn to come to know him who is the Lord of the house. Even our savior, Jesus, bless then your word and continue with us through this day. We ask in Jesus name.

70:50 Amen. Amen.