Added to the Church

By Jeff Curtis

When Peter made his confession about Jesus in Matthew 16:16, Jesus promised him “the keys of the kingdom” (Mattew 16:19). That is, Jesus promised that Peter would be the first to open the door of the kingdom / the church and allow people to enter. That is 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 truths can be drawn 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 often 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 any denomination, but 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 and the same.

Next, these verses teach that we don’t “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 and individual “joins” an organization, he does it. By fulfilling certain requirements, he earns the right to be part of that organization. But an individual cannot earn the right to be 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. The One who saves us through His grace makes us a part of the body. A distinction must be made here between the universal church and the local congregations. After the Lord adds us to the church universal, we then need to “join ourselves to” a faithful congregation of God’s people. God adds and we welcome.

Other truths could be deduced from verse 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 challenges that threaten to overwhelm us. God has foreseen every need. When we are baptized as penitent believers, God helps to take care of the past by forgiving is of every sin (Acts 2:38); God helps to take care of the future by giving us His Spirit to strengthen us and help us (Acts 2:38); and He helps take care of the present by making us part of a loving family called the church (Acts 2:41,47). These are not the only ways He has foreseen and provided for our spiritual needs, but these are three important ways God provides for us, all are found in Acts 2.

God’s Providence

By Jeff Curtis

In the book of Esther, the Jews were about to be annihilated. Using the language of a mystery novel or a play, we might ask, “Who did it?” Who is responsible for bringing them to the brink of destruction? That question could be answered in a number of ways. Of course, Haman did it. He was responsible, in that he was the person who was so enraged by Mordecai’s lack of respect that he schemed to find a way to have all of Mordecai’s people, the Jews, destroyed.

In addition, Ahasuerus did it, though he might not have wanted to counted guilty. He allowed himself to be tricked, once Haman possessed the signet ring, he had the authority to do whatever he wanted with the people. The king didn’t have to be so gullible; he could have investigated the situation and discovered the truth instead of trusting Haman.

Besides that, the king’s servants did it. Haman had not even noticed Mordecai’s insolence until they brought it to his attention. It really was none of their business. If they had not been talebearers, Mordecai might not have come to Haman’s attention and the Jews might never have been endangered.

In a sense, Mordecai himself did it. He probably could have acted respectfully toward Haman without breaking God’s law. In a sense, he was responsible for his own (and his people’s) danger.

What should conclude about who was responsible for this sequence of events? The answer is “All of the above!” In the providence of God, all of the various elements worked together to produce the result God desired.

We are reminded of the case of Joseph in Egypt. Joseph, a former slave, became prime minister of Egypt; then Jacob and his family moved to Egypt. After Jacob died, Joseph’s brothers were afraid that he would take vengeance on them. Joseph said, “Do not be afraid, for am I in God’s place? As for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive” (Genesis 50:19-20). To think of all that was involved in bringing about that result is amazing; a father’s unfortunate favoritism, Joseph’s lack of wisdom in bragging about his dreams, the brothers’ enmity and sinful selling of Joseph into slavery, the lust the lie of Potiphar’s wife, dreams interpreted and fulfilled, the cupbearer’s forgetfulness, “natural” prosperity (seven years of plenty) and a “natural” disaster (seven years of drought), and Joseph’s own faithfulness to God. All these elements combined in the providence of God to draw the Jews into Egypt and prepare the way for their deliverance and their becoming the chosen people of God. Who did it? God. In Joseph’s case, all these things worked together to bring about “good” (Romans 8:28).