Church Membership part 2

 

LIMAVADY INDEPENDENT METHODIST CHURCH

SERMON NOTES FROM SUNDAY 12 FEBRUARY 2023

ACTS 19 VERSES 1 TO 9

What do you and I have to offer as we come into the membership of our church?  Would I be blessed as a result?  How can I share that blessing with others?

Paul makes his way to Ephesus.  A great challenge to the gospel awaits him here.  It was an immoral, idolatrous and rich city.  It had everything going for it that was against the word of God.  When Paul preached things began to happen.

Notice firstly the steps that were taken.  Verse 9 shows us that Paul went into the synagogue and spoke each week for 3 months.  He sees a word that begins and Paul addresses the 12 men who he sees with a change in their lives.  He askes them have you received the Holy Spirit (verse 2)?  Something about their lives does not quite add up.  He examined their lives according to God’s word.  They didn’t know about the Holy Spirit.  They went as far as believing that Jesus was the Messiah but that was it.  We can go so far as that too.  We can have a head belief but not a heart belief.  We see it happening in our gospel meetings – men and women are told about the great love God had for them even when they were sinners, that even while they were in that state Christ died for them but they must receive him for themselves.  Maybe that is where it stops for some.  For some that little bit makes them believe they are a Christian.  Paul sees something is not quite right in these mens lives.  He challenges them and confirms the work of God in their lives.  They were human instruments for God to use.  In our weaknesses God comes to us and he uses us.  As Paul preached he realised he had 12 men behind him to start the work.  They devoted themselves to the Lord.  They were being used by God.  If we are totally surrendered to the Lord today we can be used by him.  Does not matter what situation we are in.  John Wesley said “Give me 100 preachers that fear nothing but sin and desire nothing but God, then we will shake the world.”  In verse 8 we see that Paul’s word was not widely accepted.  Steps had to be taken.  When the gospel is rejected by a man or woman their heart becomes hardened.  For 3 months Paul preached in the synagogue.  He told of God’s sinless son who came into the world and was crucified.  The Jews rejected that.  There was a hardening of hearts.  Think of the parable of the sower and the seed.  Some seed fell onto hard ground which men trampled on every day.  No fruit resulted from that seed sown on the hard ground.  That is what happens every time the gospel is proclaimed.  The devil can come and take away the seed just to make sure no-one responds.  In Hebrews 3 verse 8 we are warned “harden not your hearts.”  Ridicule can set in as it did here in Ephesus.  They claimed Jesus was not the way to heaven, he was just an imposter.  He was here to ruin the Jewish faith.  Steps had to be taken.  Paul had to separate the believers.  At the school of Tyrannus he taught the new believers (verse 9).  There were those sitting in the synagogue who had come to faith.  They were sitting amongst those who rejected the word of God.  They ridiculed the way of salvation.  Somehow we can get diluted in our faith.  We no longer hear the word of God.  These people who separated themselves in Ephesus had a vision and passion for their families to hear the word of God.  Remember the instruction God gave to Moses – tell your children and your children’s children (Deuteronomy 4 verse 9).

The statement that is made.  We can affiliate ourselves with this fellowship prayerfully, practically, financially but putting your name on the role means you are stating you believe in the gospel of saving grace.  Acts 11 verse 26 tells us that the people were first called Christian at Antioch.  Paul told Timothy to be an example to the believers.  Your life is telling for Christ.  Elisha’s life in the Old Testament made a statement.  A Shunamite woman saw him passing her house continually and she told her husband that she thought he was a holy man of God.  These people in Ephesus wanted to follow the teaching of Christ.  They wanted to align themselves to Christ, to follow their master and Saviour.  A statement was being made by these believers.  In Ephesians 1 verse 13 Paul takes them back in their Christian journey – “in whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the words of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also after that ye believed.”  He goes on in chapter 2 to say “And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.” Then in verse 12 “That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”  If they had died in this condition they would have been without hope in eternity.  He goes on to say “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ.”  They would not protect that faith sitting in the synagogue.  They had to defend it.  In Ephesians 5 verse 11 Paul tells them “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness but rather reprove them.”  They wanted to be in fellowship with kindred minds and hearts, somewhere you would know family members could come and hear words whereby they might be saved.  That is what our lives are all about.  Church membership is not about great numbers.

There is the sharing of the workload.  They were ready to stand one with another.  In Galatians 5 we read of the fruits of the Spirit.  They develop from something within.  Think of the fruit tree.  The trunk, then the branches, the leaves and the fruit.  The branches bear the leaves and the fruit but that cannot happen without the trunk as its support.

In Acts 20 we see the structure of the church.  Paul gathers the elders together at Miletus and gives them a warning – “after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you.”  He tells them “take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the church of God.”  Paul wanted them to be responsible for the people.

A service they had.  The word of God went forth all because of this fellowship.  That is what we want to see – to grow strong spiritually holding on to God, praying and seeking his will in all things so that one day God might open the heavens and pour out his spirit on this fellowship of believers.