Added to the Church

By Jeff Curtis

When Peter made his confession about Jesus in Matthew 16:16, Jesus promised him “the keys to the kingdom” (Matt.16:19). That is, Jesus promised that Peter would be the first to open the door of the kingdom / church and allow people to enter in. That is exactly what happened on the Day of Pentecost. Peter gave the terms of entrance into the church, and three thousand took advantage of the offer of a gracious God. When they were baptized, they were saved; when they were saved, God added them to the church.

Many important lessons can be learned from verses 41 and 47. First, we have a simple, but profound, definition of the church. The church is the body of the saved – those who have been saved by the blood of Christ. People sometimes speak of church membership and salvation as two different things. Those who do so generally have in mind denominations. One can be saved and not be a part of a denomination, but one cannot be saved and not be a part of the Lord’s church. According to the two verses under consideration, church membership and salvation are one in the same.

Next, these verses teach that we do not “join” the church; rather, the Lord “adds” us to the church. Is this merely a question of semantics? No, a vital biblical principle is at stake. Whenever an individual “joins” an organization, he does it. By fulfilling certain requirements, he earns the right to be part of that organization, he does it. By fulfilling certain requirements, her earns the right to be part of that organization. But an individual cannot earn the right to be a part of the Lord’s church. The church is the body of the saved. Since an individual cannot save himself, he cannot make himself a member of that body. A distinction must be made here between the universal church and local congregations. After the Lord adds us to the universal church, we need to “join ourselves to” a faithful congregation of God’s people. God adds; we welcome.

Other truths could be deduced from verses 41 and 47, but it should be emphasized that when we are scripturally baptized, we become part of a spiritual fellowship called “the church.” God didn’t intend that we should be spiritual loners. Sooner or later, all of us need others to help and strengthen us. In establishing the church, God provided a built-in support group, a spiritual network.

Regarding salvation, all of us must deal with the past, the present and the future. We have sins of the past with their oppressive guilt, we wonder whether or not we will have strength for the future, we have present spiritual challenges that threaten to overwhelm us. God has foreseen our every need. When we are baptized as penitent believers, God helps us to take care of the past by forgiving us of every sin (Acts 2:38), God helps take care of the future by giving us His Spirit to strengthen us and help us (v.38), and He helps to take care of the present by making us part of a family that loves us, called the church (vv.41 and 47). These are not the only ways God has foreseen and provided for our spiritual needs, but these are three important ways God provides for us, all found in Acts chapter 2.

Meditate on these things:

Proverbs 19:14

Houses and riches are an inheritance from fathers, but a prudent wife is from the Lord.

Elders

Edward O. Bragwell Sr.

(May 28, 1936 – Sept 29, 2020)

Perhaps there is no greater need today among churches than to qualify and appoint elders to oversee them and their work. No church can reach its full potential until it reaches the point of having qualified men appointed as overseers (Titus 1:5). When appointed they should be respected for their work’s sake (1 Thess. 5:12-13). As Shepherds of the flock of God, they have an awesome responsibility (Heb. 13:17).

Having served as an elder in the past, I know firsthand some of the hard decisions that have to be made and the unjust criticism that often comes with the territory. I also know the joy of overseeing a flock who, for the most part, are humbly serving the Lord. My hat’s off to those elders who understand their God-given role of watching for souls and use their position accordingly.

However, elders are not gods or lords. They are men. They make mistakes, some trivial, but others serious. They should not be automatically followed unconditionally. Sometimes, they should be rightly rebuked for their sins (1 Tim. 5:19-20).

Local churches have been led into error by people blindly following an eldership because people believe that to “obey them that have the rule over you” means that they must follow the elders – no matter what. There is the unwritten rule in many congregations that the elders’ decisions must always be followed and respected – no questions asked. This conveniently takes the burden of studying and thinking for oneself and gives a convenient “out” if questioned about anything happening within the congregation – “it was the elders’ decision, and I respect the elders.”

Also, individuals and churches often make it their practice to honor without question or investigation any action that the elders of another congregation may take against a member. Folks, wake up. Elders are fallible. Sometimes, they can (wittingly or unwittingly) be harsh and unjust in some of their actions. To say the least, it is irresponsible to automatically accept the judgment of any group of fallible men and act upon it without asking for the basis for their judgment.

Any elders, worth the salt in their bread, will welcome any questions you might have about any decisions they make and will be willing to sit down and discuss the reasons for their decisions. Only those that rule as “lords it over God’s heritage” (1 Pet. 5:1-4) will tell you that they expect you to accept without question their decisions because they are “the elders.”

It is this “no questions asked” mentality that caused many congregations to adopt the unscriptural innovations of the past.