Download A new breed of people - Knysna Baptist Church

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Membership: Challenging Private Christianity (Ephesians 2)
1. Introduction
{*}Please open up to Ephesians, now Ch2
Are you a member of this church? As I continue my study in what membership
is and what it entails, it’s becoming quite clearly to me a matter of
Distinction between the world and God’s People – and there should be!
{*}Last week: church: different in behaviour (new nature, adopted, different
message). BUT the church is also different in how it looks = uniquely: diverse
yet unified body. Physical Membership supposed to reflect this, but it often
doesn’t.
2 MAIN Reasons
2. FCF
A] Membership rolls are populated with unbelievers
- Why does this happen
o {*}tradition of church – culture {this is what we’ve always done}
o {*}lack of persecution {this is convenient}
o {*}seeker-sensitive approaches {this is entertaining}
…you have church buildings and church services which are poor images of
Christ – because people are not being transformed into His image, because
they are not His people (name of God blasphemed Rom 2:24)
- Shocking, but true.
- Doesn’t mean we have to be police of one another – but we must “test
ourselves” to see whether we are in the faith. )p.s. wheat and tares/
among you Acts 20)
- And there should be a strong visible testimony in the life of a member
{*}membership rejected by many because of its seemingly unimportance. Yet
in this world/culture, membership that reflects the true church as closely as
possible is even more essential
B] Membership is resisted by true believers
(those who shouldn’t are, those who should don’t want to)
- {*}INDIVIDUALISM
o Non-conformity
This culture is very individual. Unpopular today to be corporate. Fed itself into
the minds of believers
Uniqueness and individuality promoted. “Be yourself” – “Be you” – “Be your
own” – Go against the crowd: valid within reason. But thrown the baby out!
o Overemphasis on personal nature of salvation
Conditioned in Christian western culture to think of being saved as between us
and God. (kick against Roman Catholicism – ‘you have to be in this institution
to be saved’.)
o Previous Hurt in church/ by members
tired of politics – and instead of sorting it out, remove themselves. Miss God’s
purpose for them and others (more next week)
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-2ANOTHER RELATED PROBLEM: Reason for membership=
- {*}CLUB MENTALITY
I will go to church, but only with ppl like me. Church looks like a club: bikers
church, teens church, whites church. Don’t want a church with old songs, want
a church where I can feel comfortable with others. Don’t want grey-hair, don’t
want jeans. [fine with ministry to bikers, but if biking defines the membership
– problem!]
It’s to THIS issue of PRIVATISED CHRISTIANITY we will deal with today.
3. PRAY
4. {*}Context
– Ephesians=Mixed church
2 very diff groups of people
(Acts 19): Ephesus: seems mainly Greeks(Gentiles) – odd from the usual
‘church/synagogue culture’. Site of Temple of Artemis – Greek god – seeped
in that culture. new to things of God, didn’t know about the HS (Acts 19:1-5).
Synagogue – immediate disadvantage to: hardened jews, plots of jews (20:19)
Were a few jews – but mainly Gentile.
In one Church: a real mix of culture and history.
{*}Couldn’t get more different / more separated than Jews and Greeks…
- clearly in v11: called “the uncircumcision!”
- Considered
o In v14: separation, division – blocked,
o In v15: hostility / enmity – hated, odious, opposing|=’enemy’
o V19: strangers (xenos), foreigners (by virtue of citizenship) –
xenophobia
- Ways of thinking: signs vs wisdom
- Life style: washing, ceremonies & gymnasium, sports
{*}It seems that this was an issue for them in the church (4:1-3 unity of the
spirit in the bond of peace)
-> They could’ve made things a whole lot easier by separating and starting
another church, called TFGE, The First Greek church of Ephesus. Would’ve
been great – everyone thinking the same, doing the same things, enjoying the
same culture… natural friends!
5. Proposition:
{*}! God and His word knows no such thing as private Christianity.(not just
“Me and Jesus”)
God and His word also know no such thing as club Christianity.- only
associate with those like us- not just “Me and my friends and Jesus”.
{*} if you are united with God, unthinkable to not be united with all
other believers
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not only saying Jesus is My Life, My Lord, My Song, but… Our Life,
Our Lord, Our Song: and these brothers and sisters are mine, and I
am theirs: Membership in Knysna Baptist Church means that
6. {*}Read
Read Ephesians 2:11-22
7. Exegetical
Question: How important to YOU is your oneness with the other believers
here? Obviously important to Paul: “Don’t forget”: goes on to tell them they
are ONE
- I think perhaps the Ephesian church was running as 2 camps: Jews and
Gentiles
- BUT THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS PRIVATE
CHRISTIANITY
Listen to Paul’s argument as he urges them to unity
He first explains that
7.1
{*}All people have access
even if their traditions and pasts were vastly opposed
contrast far, near (12-13)
THE OLD: used to be separated (Jews enjoyed this: Gentile dogs, unholy,
unworthy)
- Separated from promises and commonwealth of Israel at 1 time, but
now v19:
-
“near”:
o King on the Throne Jer 33:21 {David}
o Perpetual priesthood Jer 33:21 {Aaron}
This is what the LORD says: 'If you can break my covenant with the day and my covenant
with the night, so that day and night no longer come at their appointed time, 21 then my
covenant with David my servant—and my covenant with the Levites who are priests
ministering before me—can be broken and David will no longer have a descendant to reign
on his throne
 Covenants fulfilled in:
 Jesus (Son of David)
 Jesus (High Priest)
o Gift of the Holy Spirit (Gift of the Baptism of HS)
o Restore their fortunes, have mercy on them Jer 33:26
I will restore their fortunes…bring them back from captivity
 {Heaven}
o My sanctuary in their midst forever Eze 37:2
 {temple in us}
o Abraham: Bless all the families on the earth (Gen 12)
 {worldwide church}
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2 Cor 1:20 –
For no matter how many promises God has made, they are "Yes" in
Christ
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Point: one essential divider: One Nation who had God! Now all!
“Mystery”
God: united with His enemies – enemies are ALL men.
o Everything that separated them – no longer!
Therefore no matter how different, no matter how remote/ their
past…(i.e.:
- Identified as separate, looked down on
- No rights/claim to Israel
- Not receiving covenant
- No hope
- Without God)
…they are NOW drawn near to God too
{*}Col 3:11
Here there is no Greek or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised,
barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all
Secondly, Paul explains that
7.2
{*}All people in Christ are ONE man
Eph 2:(15) – effectively, one new man!
15… His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two,
thus making peace,
=Perfect Unity – on all levels.
Spiritually One Body: But Translating into Socially One too!
Everything that divides people, everything, since the fall: fear, prejudice,
hurt… unlove… sin: many mutations of it today: removed in Christ (Shed
abroad His love in our hearts”
NO SUCH thing as PRIVATE CHRISTIANITY – God’s purpose is to
RESTORE RELATIONSHIP – Edenic, “2md greatest commandment”
{*}Unity with God inseparable from unity with all believers.
How this happens, v16:
- Eph 2:16
15b…His purpose was to create in himself one new man out of the two,
thus making peace, 16and in this one body to reconcile both of them to
God through the cross
It has to be
Thirdly, Paul explains that God has a DIVINE PURPOSE FOR the ONE BODY,
as a BODY
7.3
{*}God has a Divine Purpose for the One Body
19Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow
citizens with God's people and members of God's household (P.S.!)
o (Members of God’s Household
o =Belonging to God! Makes you His member!)
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-5v…21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become
a holy temple in the Lord. 22And in him you too are being built
together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
(Question: If you are part of the true church, (=Jesus is Life, Lord, Song) Do
you understand that you are intimately connected and committed to others
who are too?!)
7.3.1 PICTURE
Believers always pictured as tightly unified community
- {*}Living Stones of a Building
o Cf 1 pet 2:4-10 (!where everyone is called Livingstone)
(5)you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to
be a holy priesthood
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{*}Branches of an olive tree
o Romans 11
 wild olive branches, grafted in [same life, sustenance]
(17)you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the
others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root
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(different Parts of one body)
o 1 cor 12:12-13; no division, same care, belong to (25,26)
25so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts
should have equal concern for each other. 26If one part suffers, every
part suffers with it; if one part is honored, every part rejoices with it.
Call up 3 people:
- these 3 people confess that Jesus is their life, Lord, song. They
are members of the True Church. They belong to one another.
In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a
holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built
together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.
o In Him – Joined Together: affixed (illus roped)
o In Him – Being built together: growing (illus:
 Communion in bread and cup, prayer, song[cup]
 Growth in truth (“foundation of apostles”)[bible]
 Fellowship (1 John 1)
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(interesting: Though it is separated from the world, absolutely
unified within. Amazing – that such a diverse set of people
can be united.)
(the world can understand ‘bikers’ church – but it jolts them to
see oldies-drug_recoveries-young_families-teen_agers-foreigners-youname-it as one)
8. {*}Application
The true members of the True Church are God’s Chosen ones – ALL of THEM
It is super-important for them to identify one another, commit to one another,
and together seek God’s Divine purpose for them as A BODY (next 2 weeks)
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-6How does this show that physical membership is necessary?
8.1
Spiritual Membership insists on Physical Membership
Particularly in a world where the lines between light and darkness are blurred:
church attendance filled with nominal ‘believers’: those who are committed to
God’s Will – Who love Jesus – who are DISTINCT in the world are identified
by their commitment to this local body that God has put them in.
Simply put: God’s Divine Purposes require Visible Practical involvement!
(When true believers avoid membership – blurs the lines even more, makes
what we are trying to achieve, pointless)
Not a ‘special club’ – simply company of true believers.
8.2
{*}God knows no such thing as ‘Private Christianity’
God calls us to serve others.
To participate. To share. To give, and Receive. With and from other believers
Membership confirms – I am not doing my own thing!
Belongs to the others! To the WHOLE body. – “oldies-drug_recoveriesyoung_families-teen_agers-foreigners-you-name-it”
- Although it may be inconvenient to mingle with the other believers in
this church, it is incumbent on you!
- We should be making an effort, a real effort to meet one another, and
discover who our spiritual brothers and sisters are. Stay behind after
church, come early to church… but beyond that… get into a Bible Study
(whenever, whatever material – I will personally provide – because I
know how essential it is for YOU and THE OTHERS in Christian
growth
Physical membership means you are committed to Corporate Christianity
8.2.1 neither ‘Club Christianity’
Physical Membership also means you understand that you are committed, by
Jesus, to ALL the members (not only those you naturally get on with)–
because Jesus has put you into a spiritual house, a vine, a multi-limb body.
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I have a strong conviction that churches who divide their services into
young and old are missing a huge part of God’s calling. I don’t question
their motives to reach targeted age groups, but I believe, based on what
we read in God’s word, that this stifles the image that God wants to
portray in His church.
Such a joy to have bible studies that see young and old together.
Meaningful to try and facilitate kids in the service
Worship styles that reflect the diverse cultures of the church members.
(old hymns today: not my choice of music. But rich, and delightful)
Next week: Part 2
{*}DOXOLOGY:
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or
think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the
church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever.
Amen. [TONIGHT: John Wycliffe – suffered for the Truth]
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