Biblical Faithfulness

To Erin and Ben, the arrows in my quiver and my inheritance from the Lord. This project, through the Doctor of Ministry program, enabled me to explore and discover the biblical basis for my love of the church. I would like to borrow the apostle John's ambiguity found in his second letter of thanking four "chosen ladies." First of all I would like to thank the Calvary Baptist Church of Lenoir, North Carolina.

Second, I would like to thank the congregation of Southpoint Baptist Church in Jacksonville, Florida, for allowing a young Bible student to bump through the beginning of his ministry. If everyone loved the church as I love you, there would be no need for this project. This project was born in my heart and mind during your lecture on ecclesiology many years ago.

You occupy a special place among Baptist scholars who have written about the church of Jesus Christ. I would also like to thank two professors at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary who are especially important to me.

INTRODUCTION

This project will potentially open old wounds for many, including some active members of the church. Testamentary church also did not reflect well on the current membership policies of the church. It is the obligation of the church to graciously lead them to the truth of the gospel.

A final reason for this project was the strengthening of the church's biblical witness in the community. The consummation of the church is the main driving force for the mission of Jesus Christ in the world. This passage represents the only interpretation of the bread as such in the New Testament.

Paul has already used the metaphor of the "body" in this context to refer to the church. Paul declares to the congregation in Colossae: "And He is the Head of the body, the congregation. The metaphor of a building used for the church is one of the most picturesque in Scripture.

On the contrary, the ability of the church to preach the gospel is absolutely dependent on a born-again membership. The Bible records their unprecedented impact through the explosive growth of the church in the book of Acts. Immediately after the Church approved the new policy, I drafted three letters to inactive members.

The first aspect was their level of understanding of the concepts of church identity and church membership. I began researching church covenants to discover ways to update the existing church covenant. The achievement of this goal represented a major change in the direction of the church for the future.

The first four sermons focused on the identity of the church as revealed through certain metaphors in the New Testament.

Table 1. General evaluation of inactive members

Would Do Differently

College and Military Dear Church Member,

It is our firm belief that nothing is more important or more deserving of a higher priority than membership in a local church. The Bible bears this out and we believe it is our responsibility to ensure that our membership reflects the Bible's teachings in this area. Our church body has voted unanimously to change our church membership policies so that any member who has been inactive for two years or more will be removed from our list.

An inactive member is defined in our bylaws as any member who has not attended any service at Mt. You are receiving this letter because we have decided that you have not been a part of our church due to time away at college, the military, or other circumstances. We have also determined that enough time has passed for you to have become active in a church where you live.

If you have joined another church, if we can assist you spiritually so that you can become active again in our church community, or if you are having trouble finding a church, please let us know so that we can help you with inquiries to do in your area. If you plan to retire and become active in our church within the next year, please let us know. We want you to share in that community if you feel you have dedicated your life to Christ.

Again, we want part of our testimony to be the unique bond we share in Christ as faithful members of His body, the church. If you cannot be active in our church by January 1, 2020, we will remove your name from our membership. We will pray that you will become active in a Bible-believing church where you are or that you will become active again in our community.

Inactive for Less than Three Years Dear Church Member,

This is the passage where Paul actually begins defining what it means to be a
How different from our modern use of the term “member.” Today we almost always infer a voluntary association in an organization
In the same way the members or “parts” of our body are in union with the rest of our body, we as members or “parts” of the body of Christ are in union with both our

A SUPERNATURAL UNITY IN THE MIDST OF TREMENDOUS DIVERSITY v. 4b-5
How He Describes Them v.9

A Chosen Race – a sense of having been chosen pervades this letter

Being chosen indicated a new lineage
Being chosen demanded new loyalties

A Royal Priesthood

A Corporate Body – Members of the Christian community, not separate individuals

A Holy Nation – Peter again references Exodus 19:6
A People for His Possession (“Peculiar People” in KJV) 1. Destined for Uniqueness

How He Directs Them v.9b-10

To Detail the Excellencies of God’s Character
Their Corporate Identity

Paul was telling them in words they could understand that rather than being the center of the active worship of Aphrodite, they were the center of activity for the God of

Every Leader v.10a

Paul refers to himself as a “wise” or “skilled” master builder as the founder of the church

Every Member v.10b “Let each one take care how he builds upon it.”

THE ACCOUNTABILITY FOR BUILDING THIS TEMPLE OF GOD vs. 12-17
THE IDENTITY OF THE CHURCH DEMANDS IT

The Metaphors Each metaphor we have seen so far argues for regenerate church membership. Each one argues in its own way that a believer must join a church and be

The Body
The People of God 1 Peter 2:9

How the Churches Were Gathered – Dr. John Hammett points to these descriptions in the book of Acts to show that local churches were composed of believers only

Acts 2:47 – They were “being saved.”
Acts 11:21 – The church at Antioch formed when “a great number believed and turned to the Lord.”
Paul wrote a certain way to believers in his preserved letters
In every case Paul is addressing visible local churches, not the universal church as such

Articulate a clear gospel

Avoid a therapeutic gospel that bolsters self-esteem

Clearly define the conversion experience
Communicate expectations

Utilize a church covenant

These verses are often taken out of context and need to be explained properly

THE ADVANTAGES TO THE CHURCH AND ITS MEMBERS Matt. 18:15 The goal of any form of church discipline is the restoration of the offending party

There are several ways church discipline is an advantage for the church

Provides Spiritual Preparedness – Psalm 66:18 “If I had cherished iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” In revivalist circles especially the request

Paul then identifies three important blessings of membership in the body of Christ. Here he uses language about what it means to be a "member" of the body of Christ. In the same way, when one part of Christ's body hurts, the rest of the body reacts.

Illustration: Paul's metaphor is born out of the complexity and capacity of the human body. When we submit to the conductor, or as Paul put it, "the head of the church," who is Jesus Christ, we should have no problem thinking of ourselves in the right way. Many household brands were established in the shadow of the Appalachian Mountains in Lenoir, NC.

I want to share with you Paul's beautiful description of the church of Jesus Christ as a temple. Paul reveals our place in the building of the church by revealing three important aspects of the church as God's temple. Legend has it that at one point there may have been 1000 prostitutes in the temple's service.

Instead of being the abode of the Shekinah cloud, they were the abode of God in the new age. Like any earthly family, there is harmony when each member shares. responsibilities of God's family. Rather, it speaks of "the house of God." It transfers responsibilities to members of God's family.

I want to share with you three characteristics of the New Testament church that require membership in the church to be born-again. How can a member of the church be a "living" stone without a connection to Christ and the Holy Spirit. Ask most people what the purpose of the church in the world should be and they will say evangelism.

This purity of the church was the hallmark of historic Baptist confessions and preaching. Jesus gives His followers instructions on how they should deal with sins and conflict between the body of the church.