Pastoral Reminder Regarding Membership Requirements

Introduction: The Elder's Mandate to 'Take Care of the Church'

0:02 The following message was delivered on April 11, 1993, in the adult Sunday school class of the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now, in just a couple of minutes, I'll give a signal to the brethren about passing out a sheet of paper that will be put in your hands. But before the brethren do that, I want to bring a brief introduction to what we are doing in our class time today. For those of you visiting with us, I should say that at present, Pastor Lamar Martin is conducting a verse-by-verse study of the book of 1 John, John's first epistle, but today he is away ministering all day in the church that is without a pastor there at Woodstock. And it fell to my lot to take the class, and as I was greatly exercised, and those terms are not used, as tools of excessive rhetoric. They are an honest expression of what God and my wife knows is the truth. As I was greatly exercised about how best to invest this time and discharge the stewardship of responsibility to teach the class, my mind finally settled on a course of action, and the concern that lies behind that course, of action,

1:30 grows out of one of the distinctive elements of the job description of an elder. If you'll turn in 1 Timothy chapter 3, where the Apostle Paul, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, gives us the character and gift requirements for those who aspire to the office of an elder, he says in verse 4, 1. That ruleth well his own house, 2. Having his children, 3. And his children in subjection with all gravity, 4. But if a man knows not how to rule his own house, 5. How shall he take care of the church of God? And in the midst of giving these requirements of character and gift for those who aspire to the office of an elder, and giving to the church that divinely inspired portrait, of any whom Christ gives to her as his gift, we have this very helpful little phrase which focuses on one of the major dimensions of the job description of an elder, and that is,

2:47 how shall he take care of the church of God? And reasoning from the requirement that a man administer his own house well to the implications, and the implications of that for his task as an elder, the apostle uses the terminology taking care of the church of God. Now that verb is found in a very interesting parallel setting and helps us to feel something of its significance in Luke chapter 10, in the well-known parable of the good Samaritan, and you brethren just be patient at the rear, I haven't forgotten you, Luke chapter 10, you'll remember that the Samaritan picked up the man who had been mugged and was lying there half dead, did some first aid, and then brought him to an inn, and there committed him to the care of the proprietor of that inn, and we read in verse 35 of Luke 10, and on the morrow he took two shillings and gave them to the host and said, here's our verb, take care of him, and whatsoever you spend more, I, when I come back again, will repay you. And certainly these two things are bound up in the directive of the Samaritan to the innkeeper,

4:13 when he said take care of him, he was giving him a mandate accurately to assess the ongoing needs of the mugged man, he had been administered, first aid had been administered to him, he had begun to heal, etc., but now when he says take care of him, he's saying to the innkeeper, constantly and continuously assess his ongoing physical state, accurately and precisely assess his needs, and then secondly, wisely and appropriately minister to those needs. Now surely none would deny that bound up in the directive, take care of him, are those two fundamental words, responsibilities, accurately to assess the precise needs, and wisely to administer the means that will address those needs. Now bring that over to 1 Timothy 3. The responsibilities of elders, among many others, are bound up in this concept of taking care of the church of God.

5:28 Protector and provider of his church, Ephesians 5 makes it, it's abundantly clear, but he has committed to his elders the response of the need,

A Gentle Reminder of Trinity Baptist Church Membership Commitments

6:03 secondly, wiser those divinely appointed means that will address by the Holy Ghost in Scripture, that I want to take the opportunity today in the remaining 45 or 50 minutes to give you what I'm calling a gentle Baptist church. Now at this point, I would appreciate it if the brethren would hand out a sheet of paper that has been prepared for you. A gentle, reminder,

6:59 Trinity, conscious of my job, and of my past, the will of God as one of your pastors. And in that capacity, I want to give you a gentle reminder. What you hear this morning will not be new ground. It will be underscore already know, and it will focus upon the that every member in setting a biblical framework for what I am in terms of my church, my job description, and my task as we focus upon the subject itself to put it into a thoroughly effective. I want to say three things very briefly. It is a holy privilege visible church of Jesus Christ. It is a holy

Three Foundational Principles of Church Membership

8:21 just such as Ephesians chapter 2 where the church is likened to a living temple. In 1 Peter 2, 5, believers into a living temple being the temple in the Holy Corinthians 24,

8:51 the church, the church likened to a living organism of body in the church, the temple by the spirit use the other images part of the family the which we got ourselves in part morning to give praise to God for 59 years we're all posting in hell

10:02 and I went on to tires in your living. I had rather be a goat than to dwell in the tents of to remember it is a holy living part of the visible church. Just to second, then, admission into the visible church with its privileges and responsibility to voluntary from the very in it. School may use that terminology. You students will understand what I mean by that. In was earned for the rest of the New Testament

11:30 sends in people under conviction, cry out, to quiet them for the moment. He then completes his sermon in Acts 2 and verse 40 of repentance that his people, Then we read in verse 41 of Acts 2, And they that received were baptized unto them in that day. It continued steadily in the apostles' teaching and fellowship and in the breaking of bread.

12:19 It was only as the messianic enthroned king who sent forth those who prepared the people of God only in body 20. And this is even more clearly underscored in chapter 5, where we read after the death of Ananias, were the more added to the Lord multitudes, both of men and women,

13:32 and as faith and repentance in the hearts of men and women, and all into the visible church with its privileges and responsibilities.

14:05 Trinity Church, and you came into the membership under a proper, you did so.

14:16 It was the pressure of the heart. Convinced the propriety and necessity of church membership, committed yourself. Carefully to the third principle. Once before God.

14:50 Once is once admitted into membership, voluntarily, uncoerced, to be married, to be his wife. When he's Christian, he will have his judgment in that decision guided by the principles of the word of God. Rise with the woman. She should never be married with a gun at her head or her arm in a hammer or anything else, but voluntarily to this man for life. However, however.

15:56 Once the commitment is made, it entails solemn duties of the church. Until I choose one to be my wife, then I have no choice but to do it. Giving honor on a meeker vessel, 1 Peter 3, 7, and likewise for a woman.

16:48 Once she voluntarily gives herself to a man and enters the marriage covenant before God. In all, and Peter says, if any obey, not astral reminder of the conduct which you made. If you are a member. If you are a member of Trinity Baptist Church.

Reviewing the Eight Membership Expectations from the Constitution

17:30 Before you came for a membership interview, you were asked to read it through. In an interview, among the many questions asked, one question for Trinity Baptist Church is asked again and again. It is this.

17:55 Once you become a Christian in front of you, some of those things that according to the word of God are which must be matters of conscience for church members. And in one recent interview, a young man gave all in a little different order, but he had no constitution in front of him. Run right down the line. And usually people give a fairly good account of themselves.

18:24 Quite frequently you are handed the very sheet that you have in your paper. It's a pasted up version out of our constitution. In which what is expressed is spelled out. Now frankly, it is quite evident to me and to my fellow elders that there are become matters of liberty.

18:52 Matters of duty and conscience before God. And this is a gentle, astral reminder. Remember the apostle says, what will you? That I come with a rod in the spirit of gentleness.

19:10 Alright?

19:17 Expectations, which you've never been consulted. I'll go through them briefly and I want to then suggest a practical framework to keep them fresh in your own mind. To keep your conscience owned.

19:54 Duty the same. And hopefully seek to do myself.

20:14 Three and first Corinthians seven and the other relevant passages to make sure that under God I was free.

20:35 Towards.

20:47 It can be willful. Forget. With some of you, it's the latter with very few, it's the form very quickly at these eight, eight simple paragraph, and I won't look down to see who does it. I would like you to put conduct required of me.

Expectation A: Regular Attendance at Stated Meetings

21:28 Ain't nobody mean, but me conduct required of me. Paragraph a are required the church on that would be made to elastic that in the parenthesis gives some, for instance, is by illness from work. I'm that would wash, leave it there in the middle of the room and hitchhike here to be here at the state meetings. God doesn't treat us that way. Unusual working conditions and other such circumstances.

22:38 They owe God with all my then you're playing head and what are the dated meetings and more people who regard this class is optional.

23:16 And as elders, we're going to mandate if my fellow elders, anything to do is to resign from the membership and say, I get in bit off more than I could chew. We have a little opportunity to fulfill. That mandate of Christ teaching them to observe all man. Did you this adult class, a critical teaching arm, and we are concerned that the so-called providential hindrances are really not providential hindrances with an increasing number.

23:59 The stated meetings of the church are all the services of the Lord's day, the Bible school, morning, evening worship, Lord's supper, the mid week prayer service. While we are thankful for the many who. Having. Little ones alternate a husband comes one week, a wife, the next.

24:17 And we understand that there are cannot be accounted for that have become patterns that are not due to alternate not only in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, but also in the prayers. This meetings of the congregation and any special meetings, which the elders shall deem it necessary to call. Now that's a commitment you voluntarily made. No one had you in a hammerlock having made the conscience.

24:57 This business. This is stated meetings. It has nothing to do with how you feel, whether you feel from everything, which I felt spiritually cold back record tragic. Indeed, it is my meeting that brings me there.

25:23 He says, God, yes, but God also nails. I made a solemn commitment. I'm to endure hardness as a good soldier.

Expectation B: Use of Means of Grace and Stewardship

25:41 And when we read of where the gospel has been kept from them for decades and with all we have without all of the inconvenience gathering, some of the morning is that we don't start. Down the road that so many have where the prayer meeting becomes the Cinderella of the church and the first words, first letters of Ichabod in to be inscribed over a paragraph be its members to make use that's been done through these things without any reservation that they are scriptural expectations first to make use of the various other means of grace, which are available to them, such as the very thing I'm preaching on Sunday mornings. The regular.

26:55 Daily. The Lord's day and two sanctity visits home are not leaving the fact and family were in their Bible over the last hour of asking you say, can you remember all you read, but you ought to know at least well, yes, I think it was Psalm 61 yesterday morning or may have been Psalm 62 familiar with these press means of grace.

27:55 We expect this. Why? Because as we have seen and we'll see again this morning, these are God's appointed. It means that without them, that light will not be stills with the whole principle of systematic portion of giving, starting with the tie will report men, you, the people of God for your generosity and for your commitments to the work of God.

28:41 I'm simply reminding because contrary to some of the most ludicrous slander that has been let loose, it's what I do not know apart from what my wife and I give, what anyone else in this church gives. I don't have a clue. And I don't. I don't care to know.

29:02 And to my knowledge, not another elder knows. It's none of our business to go crying into what is given. One man came to me at a conference and said, Pastor Martin, I'm embarrassed to even ask you this, but it's been reported to me by a very reliable source that the elders at Trinity in their pastoral visits demand that people hand over their checkbooks and they examine them to see if they're giving their tithe. He was dead.

29:28 So I looked at him and laughed. I think I first of all said, well, I can tell you without any. That's just a vicious, far out and stinking, slanderous lie. And if you'd like to know whether or not my assessment is true, come and visit our church, stand at the door and ask the people as they go out.

29:52 Have the elders ever asked you for your checkbook? I said, come. We've got nothing to hide. Ask anyone of them.

29:57 Dear people, you have an obligation before God, a commitment before God, that in becoming a part of this church, not me, you would not be a commitment to the work of God. Then I said, gracious. It will remind us no provision that I will honor the Lord with my substance when it's easy to do so, when it's convenient to do so. God will almost always see whether we will seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness and have the disposition of that widow who took all that stood between her and me out to her God. In particular, the church will obey family life and government. God appointed him.

Expectation C: Godly Family Life and Government

31:25 Ephesians 5, 25. And the very text with which we began the class. The morning, 1 Timothy 3, 4 and 5. The man ruled not well as always.

31:34 How shall he take care of the church of God? The wife must be in subjection to her husband in all things, according to the church of their children in the chastening and admonition of the Lord. Ephesians 6, setting a godly example before them, adopting them consistently in the spirit, and by wise and firm discipline, including corporal punishment when it is needed. And then several texts.

32:09 Are cited.

32:18 Give themselves a conscientious cultivation of domestic. One of the texts that we've not listed, and I want you to turn to it as to why we have cited this as being so critical is found in Titus. Give to Titus.

32:43 With respect to the kind of guidance is to give to the various reverend demeanor, not slanders or enslaved to much wine. Choose of that which is good that they may train. Train. the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sober-minded, chaste workers at home, being in subjection to their own husbands. Now look at the reason. At the word mutual exploitation, self-fulfillment dominate, the word of members of Trinity Baptist

34:09 Church, and they see always the look of, I begin to do a little, what kind of produces nothing different in their domestic life? Don't so say, thank you. From where, patient

35:47 of the household, in your absolute self, a fun-sucking evening doing nothing, when there are tasks to be done around the house, and when you see passing the kids out of the chair without an issue, and get the facts, and administer discipline, and go through all that on domestic

36:33 guarded as matters of common. Many members will strive with one another, gregarious with

Expectation D-G: Mutual Ministry, Evangelism, and Christian Liberty

37:24 one another, so that we may be better able to love, comfort, and encourage one another with one another material as necessity may require. That's a distillation of many of the things we studied in recent weeks, of mutual ministry to another, and did that that is a matter of conscience. And then the negative, they must refrain from making ill matters of private concern inside of this fellowship. We don't run a secret society, but we are a society of the people of God who are designated in scripture as a family. And there are many things that are known in my family relationship which it would be unseemly to take outside the family circle. Find things. Coming back to our days after a private congregational meeting from sources totally removed from this church, and often people who feel they're calling in against us, and frankly, it cuts us to the heart as elders to think we've got people deliberately, willfully violating this commitment of membership. Now at this point, I'm maintaining my gentleness, but it ain't

38:46 easy, because frankly, that kind of stuff just plain stinks. See, then, to take sensitivity, and not only to them outside the membership, but to those who have the necessary authority and nothing but the guts to stand up for you, and you have a lot of self-discipline. God, the thought never passes my mind more than a fleeting millisecond. Did you want to dispel it to your elders and grieve them? Then you just do that, whoever you may be. You may not be here this morning, and you're hearing it on the tape. No angel is carrying stuff out of private congregational meetings and news that has to do with our intimate family life, the world in general. There are things that we make known in our

39:50 newsletters that we judge to be essential, or they are the ones that are important and of the church universal and stop every Christian individually and as a member of a local church for the extension of the kingdom of God a member of this church is expected prayerfully to recognize to bear witness both by conduct and testimony of his lips and here again the scriptures are many, Philippians 2, 14 to 1 Peter 3 and the presentation of the gospel but as God gives you opportunity will be a matter of prayer that you're praying for your neighbors and looking for opportunities to bear witness to them

41:09 by radio broadcast by reality of your own faith in the Lord Jesus for though we have God willing in the future we'll make new efforts to do structured house visitation in our community and that has been done in our other locations, we've seen very little of that we've done it as a matter of duty in the way of people being converted has been triggered by the natural context that God has given to you, the Lord's people when those contacts are seized for the sake of those of the ones that become that deals with the whole matter of what we call Christian liberty it deals with demands of people ethically and morally that God does not make if God has not condemned or forbidden a practice a Christian is at liberty to participate in it, the exercise of Christian liberty however must at all times be governed by

Expectation H: Submission to Church Leadership

42:33 the conscience of the weaker brethren passion for the lost and a zealous regard for the health of one's own soul the doctrine of Christian liberty cut loose from those four regulating principles is a soul destructive, unbiblical four governing principles and here again I would simply remind you that you made a commitment to walk before God in order to be careless with any one of them, God would resensitize God would resensitize your conscience and then paragraph H has to do with your relationship to the leadership all who are members of this church are expected to recognize and submit to the authority of the overseers of the church we know that that submission that we expect is only in so far as we guide you by the word of God we have no authority to go beyond scripture in directing you in the general principles of the word of God

Three Pastoral Directives for Fulfilling Commitments

43:59 but we do expect as the scriptures clearly indicate that you will wholeheartedly embrace that oversight now what I want to do at a pastoral level in concluding this gentle pastoral reminder of the conduct commitments made by every member of Trinity Baptist Church is number one I would like to call you as a membership to a season of examination and where necessary repentance and get alone with God for an hour this afternoon and say oh God with judgment day honesty in the language of God of Psalm 139 search me and know my heart try me and know my see if there be any wicked way in me and just go down through these eight things with judgment day honesty and say oh God help me to be honest have I been to all the providentially hindered and then be prepared begun to allow process of rationalization self-justification deal with the matter if we confess our sins he's faithful and just to forgive golf examination leading where necessary

45:27 to repentance and reformation reformation the church at Ephesus our fault exhortation my second exhortation would be this part of your devotion so that we don't allow our and if you want to so it fits better as membership than articles of faith and just keep in your Bible of your personal prayer take one paragraph personal devotions and say Lord incorporated into your family worship to impart to your children a biblical concept of biblical church

46:48 and say mommy and daddy have committed themselves to this in becoming members if the Lord saves you and you become members of his church this is what will be expected of you and then you search out the scriptures and bring forward the scriptures to condition the consciences of your own is continually continually conditioned we have instructed with a manual 78 pages with all kinds of information there's nothing like the stuff you've got to wade through when you do your tax forms this is relatively simple it's all printed on one page and it's inexcusable that we should allow these things to drift away from the points of pressure upon our conscience that we ought to feel as the people of God and so I would urge you first of all to seek to have a concentrated season of self-examination where necessary leading to repentance and reformation and then secondly to have an on- of your conscience that's one reason I ask Mr. Davies to print this up for us so that we might have something that can conveniently be stuck in our Bibles and go over them pray them in reflect upon them trust them with our family so that we do not by degrees accept a lesser standard

48:16 than that which is biblical and that to which we committed ourselves as the Lord's people and then thirdly I would urge you to have an on- I would urge you to make this a conscious exhortation and ministry one to another if we're all it should not be strange then for those of you who are heads of the household if God is helping you not in your wife in the affairs of your home with authority and love and gentleness another young father husband my brother how are you in the administration of your domestic life are there things God is teaching you that would be a help to me how are you doing I know things are rough have you been able to maintain a good conscience about giving to the Lord what promises has God made precious to you that you could share with me and use the elements of mutual exhortation one to another I'd like to give you these three very practical pastoral directives on the tail end of this so that this would result under God in what may be at first an imperceptible but hopefully

49:46 very real and growing commitment on the part of all of us to fulfill responsibilities to which coming members now you haven't learned anything new this morning there's nothing you heard this morning that's going to send you dancing down the aisles I know that but dear people you've heard the statement that the price of liberty is eternal vigilance indications of a little erosion here they will lead the theater of their conscience in where necessary to renew our commitments by the grace God beat up on us

51:14 this morning I don't have any beat up on you in my heart we give you a gracious loving now if those don't some changes aren't forthcoming then as a wise administrator of a household you see that's a threat no that's a problem we're in good stand response in a church's declension from the ways of membership have reflected over many years

52:34 get faithful we give you heartfelt praise you know those our father who stand in the theater of their own conscience no blame shifting no excuse no head Lord make us by your grace to be honest with you lead us for a reformation and we pray that there will be more and more to our hearts