What do I owe the Lord and my brethren?

							 What do I owe the Lord and my
           brethren?
Over the last several weeks, we’ve talked about
“Membership.”
We’ve looked at it from several perspectives:
Meaning- Universal vs. Local
Benefits- Shepherds, Brethren, and Fellowship
Metaphors- Sheep, Married, Disciples, Workers,
      Stones, Citizens, and Children
 Now it’s time to start examining its Requirements.
    What are the obligations of “Local Church
                   Membership”?
 As a local church member, what are
         my responsibilities?

1. Be a “Christian” first, foremost, and always.
   Be an imitator of God/Christ everyday, Eph.5:1-2.
   Think and feel like God does everyday, Matt.5:43-48.
   Because you’re an example of a “Christian” to the world
    everyday, Matt.5:14-16.
   And because you’re a representative both of and to this
    local body of believers everyday, 1Tim.4:12; Titus 2:7;
    cf.1Cor.5:1-2,11-13; 2Thess.3:6-15.
 As a local church member, what are
         my responsibilities?
1. Be a “Christian” first, foremost, and always.
2. When your brethren meet, be there and be actively
   involved.
     Attendance is not only expected, it’s mandatory. God knew
      how important this was, and so do your Elders, Heb.10:25. It
      is to your, and everyone else’s benefit, cf. vv.19-25.
     Be “devoted to one another”- Rom.12:9, not the deer camp,
      the lake, family, recreation, etc. Sunday is “the Lord’s Day”-
      not His hour and ten minutes. Put Him and your local brethren
      first, so that they can put you first when needed, vv.11-15.
     At it’s core, “fellowship” means “joint-participation”- doing
      things together. You can’t be “in fellowship” if you’re seldom
      here and even more rarely involved. cf. Acts 2:42-47
  As a local church member, what are
          my responsibilities?
1. Be a “Christian” first, foremost, and always.
2. When your brethren meet, be there and be actively
   involved.
3. Have right attitudes and good activities- the ones that
   preserve unity and peace/harmony, Eph.4:3.
     Nothing curbs growth and enthusiasm in a local church quicker
      than bad attitudes and wrong actions. Note that we are to
      “preserve” what Christ put into the Church, John 17:15-23;
      1Cor.1:10; 12:24b-26; Eph.4:1.
     This obligation isn’t just “not being the one who started it”- cf.
      Rom.12:18 > Eph.4:2- humility, gentleness, patience, and
      forbearance in love = right attitudes + right actions, cf.
      vv.15,17-32.
 As a local church member, what are
         my responsibilities?
1. Be a “Christian” first, foremost, and always.
2. When your brethren meet, be there and be actively
   involved.
3. Have right attitudes and good activities- the ones
   that preserve unity and peace/harmony.
4. Bear fruit for God and your brethren!
   By growing and maturing personally, Gal.5:16-25.
   By reproducing yourself spiritually, John 15:1-11. Notice
    He doesn’t mention the importance of foliage and
    flowers (our “pretty” good works, cf. Luke 18:11-12), just
    “fruit”! 2Tim.2:2; Matt.12:30; Col.1:25-29.
 As a local church member, what are
         my responsibilities?
1. Be a “Christian” first, foremost, and always.
2. When your brethren meet, be there and be actively
   involved.
3. Have right attitudes and good activities- the ones
   that preserve unity and peace/harmony.
4. Bear fruit for God and your brethren!
  To borrow from Paul’s words to Timothy: (1Tim.4:15-16)
   “Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that
       your progress may be evident to all. Pay close attention
          to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these
        things; for as you do this you will insure salvation both
               for yourself and for those who hear you.”