Acts 2:47 (NKJV)

47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

ACTS 2:47

Membership Of The Church

Membership Of The Church

Last week we began a series of lessons designed to help us see the distinctiveness of the Lord’s church

There are many who do not see the difference between the church spoken of in the New Testament, and the many denominations in society today

Membership Of The Church

Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 that “I will build My church”

If the church is His, then everything we learn and know about it should come from Him

We looked at some basic truths last week concerning what the church is

Membership Of The Church

We noticed that the church is…the called outthe savedthe body of Christthe bride of Christthe house of Godthe pillar and ground of the truth

Membership Of The Church

One of the most basic aspects of the church would be the membership requirements

How does one become a member of the church of the New Testament?

If we find that answer, then we will know the admission standards for the church today as well

The WhoTo find the answers to our questions, we simply go to God’s word

“And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47)

The first “who” we look at here is “Who is doing the adding?”

The WhoThe Lord was the one adding to the church

It’s His church, His body, and He is the savior of the body (Eph. 5:23)

There is no committee meeting or “pastors” or “ministers” that add to the body

The WhoThe other “who” here is “Who is being added to the church?”

The Bible says that it is “those who were being saved”

So the saved are the only ones being added to the church, being done by the Lord Himself

The WhoThe conclusion we draw then is that one cannot be a member of the Lord’s church unless they are saved

This salvation must be God’s way, not ours

The next question is, “What is Biblical salvation?”

The HowUnderstanding the “who” in Acts 2:47 is certainly important

We also need to understand how one becomes saved, so that we know exactly who the saved are added to the church

Understanding a verse can mean looking at it in context

The HowSo if we look at Acts 2:47 in it’s context, we can see how those on the day of Pentecost were saved

Peter preached a very direct sermon to those Jews who wanted to see Jesus crucified

He proclaimed Him “Lord and Christ”

The HowAfter being convicted of their sin, they asked what they could do

“Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” (v. 38)

Belief was inherent in this command; their asking what to do showed that

The HowRemember that the Bible teaches us that the church is also the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18)

Romans 6:3-6 tells us that we are baptized into Christ

Galatians 3:27 teaches us the same thing

The HowThe Bible explains to us how salvation is in Christ

“To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Rev. 1:5)

“In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Eph. 1:7)

The How“And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16)

Belief in Christ leads to obedience (baptism) which then puts us into Christ (church) where His blood cleanses us from our sins

The HowRemember we are the “called out”

We are called by the gospel (II Thess. 2:14)

The gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (I Cor. 15:1-4)

We must obey the gospel (II Thess. 1:8)

The HowHow do we obey the gospel?Romans 6:3-6Our obedience to the gospel culminates with our being buried with Him in baptism and raised to walk in newness of life

II Corinthians 5:17