Belonging (Part 1 of 3)

When you become a Christian, you're automatically added to the body. You're a part of the universal church. And while many of us attend church services regularly, there are people who are hesitant to join the local church. Well, today on Truth for Life, Alistair Begg explains the value of local church membership in a message called Belonging. Father, we want to turn now to the Bible and learn from it.

We're not interested in hearing the views of a man. We want to be like the Berean Christians, who examine the Bible every day. They examine the Scriptures every day to see if the things were so, and that was when Paul was preaching.

So we know that we ought to be very, very careful here. And as we come to this subject this morning, we pray for your grace and your help. In Jesus' name.

Amen. Turn with me, if you would, to 1 Peter, just to these two verses, which are well-known verses, but we come to them equally purposefully. 1 Peter chapter 2 and verse 9, Peter writing to the scattered believers of his day, says to them, You are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light. Once you were not a people, but now you are the people of God. Once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.

In our previous studies, we asked these questions and sought to answer them. First, how does one become a Christian? And then, what does a Christian believe? And then, how should a Christian behave? And now, where does a Christian belong?

The importance of this question was brought home to me when, in the last month or five weeks, I took a trip with three friends from out of state—all male friends, all interested in golf. And in the course of our journey together, for some reason, the question of involvement in the local church came up—specifically, the issue of church membership. And I was surprised and not a little discouraged to discover that none of my three friends were actually members of a local church.

It wasn't that they didn't attend, it wasn't that they were disinterested, it was that they had decided they did not want to be members of any local assembly of God's people. And not only were they prepared to address the matter and to substantiate their position, but they were also very strong in arguing with me when I suggested to them that they were perhaps out of line in relationship to the Bible. I actually suggested to them that their position was not an uncommon position, an expression of sort of aggressive individualism—which, of course, is part and parcel of the upside of the American culture in many instances, but not always.

And not only were they representative of that kind of individualistic spirit, but they also were displaying, I suggested to them, a completely inadequate understanding of the nature of the church, both with a large see and with a small see. Since then, having reflected on that, the discussion that ensued, and having pondered where we are at Parkside, I had reached the conclusion that my three friends are representative of a significant company of those who attend Parkside. So I thought, well, it would be good for us to address this matter. Because what we're dealing with when we think in terms of belonging is the priority of Christian fellowship.

And since that is a cliché, it's good for us from time to time to try and unpack it. And what I want to do initially is to draw your attention to what I'm referring to as an important distinction. An important distinction. And the distinction is simply this—between the invisible church and the visible church. Now, that terminology may be new to some of you.

It may not. But if it is, then let me try and help you with it. When a person is placed in Christ—when an individual discovers Jesus to be their Lord and Savior, Friend and King—then they are admitted into the invisible church, the body of Christ, that great vast company of individuals throughout time, some of whom are already in glory. That, if you like, worldwide family of faith that exists, and that exists in perfect harmony and unity. It is that family that is represented, for example, in our well-worn hymn, The Church Is One Foundation, with the stanza, Elect from every nation, yet one o'er all the earth. That is not a hymn describing a local congregation. That is not a hymn that was written about a small church somewhere in the plains of the United States. It is a hymn that is giving expression to the notion of the invisible church. And if your Bible is open at 1 Peter, you will notice that the Bible tells us that we have been born into a family.

It uses that very terminology, doesn't it? Verse 23, this is chapter 1, for you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable through the living and enduring Word of God. And some of you are saying, That's exactly what has happened to me. I have been born again. The Bible used to be completely irrelevant. We had a Bible, we had a family Bible, none of us ever read it. And then one day I began to read it, and I began to think about it.

One of my friends at work told me about it, and I began to study it for myself. And the Bible came alive to me and showed me who I am and what I need, and I became a Christian. And I became a newborn baby, verse 2 of 1 Peter 2. And I began to crave the milk of the Word of God so that I might grow up in my salvation. And as I began to read the Bible, I discovered that I had been born into a family. And I also discovered, verse 5 of chapter 2, that I was a living stone, and I was being built into a house.

Born into a family and built into a house. Not only that, in verse 9, I was part of a much larger company than I knew. The Bible tells me that I'm part of a chosen people, of a royal priesthood, a holy nation. And since I've been reading my Bible, I know that I'm also a member of Christ's flock, and he is the chief shepherd. I've been reading my Bible, and I've discovered that I am part of Christ's body, and he is the head.

I've been reading my Bible, and I recognize that I am included in Christ's household, Galatians chapter 6, and I have a part to play in the house. Now, when we think along those lines, it very quickly becomes apparent to us that we are all members of this invisible body, if we are in Christ. But how does the invisible church take seriously the commands and the privileges of living in Christ? The answer, of course, most obviously is that the invisible church finds expression in the visible communities of God's people, who identify themselves with a local congregation.

And when we read the Bible—and I hope to reinforce this for us today—it very quickly becomes apparent that God anticipates, indeed expects, that everyone who is a member of his invisible body will be a functioning member of a local body. And indeed, when you think in terms of the visible church, each of the metaphors—whether it is a flock or a building or a body or whatever—each of the metaphors only works when you think in terms of a vital and close relationship with other Christians. Because, for example, one sheep doesn't make a flock. One brick doesn't make a building. One limb doesn't make a body.

And one individual doesn't make a family. And it is impossible to read your Bible without recognizing the plural nature of the way in which so much material is addressed. For example, take the letters that are written. The majority of them are written to local congregations. They are written to places, and they're written to express groups of people.

I mean, you can turn virtually anywhere. You turn to 1 Corinthians. You don't need to turn to it, but 1 Corinthians is written to the church of God in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus and called to be holy, together with all those everywhere who call on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. So in other words, Paul is covering the express group that is there in Corinth, and he's recognizing something of what is going to take place when this letter goes way beyond Corinth. He would never have imagined it coming to Cleveland, but Cleveland is covered in the second half of the verse, isn't it? It is written not only to those who are gathering in Corinth, but it is written to all those everywhere throughout the world who are gathered to Christ and therefore to one another. Philippi, the same thing.

To all the saints in Christ Jesus in Philippi. Oh, says somebody, but of course he didn't say to Corinth such and such a street. How do you know he didn't? We know for sure that he didn't send it to a church building. He didn't send it to a denominational headquarters.

But he didn't just send it to nowhere. And when he said, I'm addressing the elders, the elders knew who they were. When he said, I'm addressing the servants, they knew who was serving.

And when he began to address express and specific issues, they understood why he had sent the letter to Corinth and not to Ephesus and why to Colossae and not to Philippi. They were expressly written to specific groups of people who, without church buildings, without denominational affiliations, understood themselves not only to have been included in Christ's great and invisible body but understood themselves to be part of the visible body of Christ as it gave expression to itself within a variety of communities. And in everything, the fellowship is, first of all, on a vertical dimension—1 John chapter 1 verse 3. Remember, our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ, and then as we walk in the light, we have fellowship with one another. So the fellowship is, first of all, that into which we are brought by the Spirit of God through the Word of God in Jesus. I am placed in Christ, and I'm part of a vast company that ultimately no one can number. It is an amazing thing.

But in order that I might make sense of the Bible, I need to get myself involved where there is actual flesh-and-blood reality to this. But some of us, of course, like invisibility. We like invisibility. But do you like invisibility if you're a tennis player? Don't you think it'd be quite good to be a member of a club? I mean, how long can you hit balls against your garage door?

And how do you know if you're any good or not? And if somebody saw a set of golf clubs sticking out of the trunk of your car, and they asked you, Where do you play? You would tell them, wouldn't you? Some of you would say, I play anywhere I can get a game. They follow up and say, Well, are you a member anywhere?

You respond by saying, No, I don't belong to any specific club. Would you like to? If I could, I think I may. Well, perhaps you should. The same thing holds. Oh, I see, you have a Bible. Yes?

It's Starbucks. Where do you praise God and study the Bible? Oh, anywhere I get the chance. I see. Are you a member anywhere? Oh, no, I don't belong anywhere. Oh, I see. Would you like to?

My three friends? Absolutely not. Okay, well, that's clarity. Have a great day. Now, it is clearly possible to be a member of the invisible church without identifying with the visible church, right? And some of you are in that position. You're not in any doubt about whether you love Jesus, whether you've been born again of his Spirit, whether it's important for you to come and participate in events here and in other places. That's not in question.

You're not arguing that issue. It's possible to be a member of the invisible church without identifying with a local and visible community. And it is also possible to be part of an identifiable group of visible Christians without yourself being made a member of the invisible church. The former is a better position than the latter. Better to be an involved and committed non-member than a non-involved and uncommitted member. So please don't misunderstand me.

This actually is not driven by any desire to change the statistics as represented here. This is simply driven by the desire to complete our fourfold objective—to discuss each question in turn, becoming, believing, behaving, and belonging. And if we're going to take seriously the question of belonging, we need to recognize that although we have come to Christ individually, we do not live in Christ solitarily. We have been born again to a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. And the second thing I want you to notice is that in the church, God has made a special provision for his children.

And that special provision is a local church. Now, we understand it in family terms, don't we? We're born into a family. It's a very sad thing when, by dint of some circumstances, a baby is abandoned, a birth takes place, and the news on the television is that a child was found in a dumpster, or a child was found left outside the door of a clinic, and everybody says, But that is a dreadful situation!

And the picture of children growing up as orphans, unattached, unloved, uncared for, fending for themselves, is something that every sensible, caring community has always endeavored to do something about. So take it from the nuclear family and to the church family, and the application is fairly obvious. God has not only planned that we would be born into physical families, but he has planned that we would be born into a spiritual family. And when you're born into a physical family, you can't choose your relatives. You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family.

And the same is true in being placed in the body of Christ. So, Thanksgiving dinner will come around, and Aunt Mabel will show up again from Minnesota. She talks far too much. Everybody knows it. Uncle Leonard doesn't usually come, but when he comes, he's absolutely morose. Trying to get a smile out of him is like getting blood out of a stone.

And Tommy sees every glass half empty. But they're family. And therefore, we bear with one another. And so it is in the church family. Now, I know that Bill and Gloria Gaither wrote the song I'm So Glad That You're Part of the Family of God. But for a long time here, we haven't sung that, and we haven't sung it, because I've destroyed it for you for all time by suggesting to you that it would be far better if it were written, I'm surprised that you're part of the family of God. That would be far more honest, wouldn't it?

Starting with ourselves. You look into the mirror of God's Word, and you ought to be surprised that he has included you in his family, aren't you? I hope you are. You know all the things I've ever done. But your blood has canceled everyone.

Oh, Lord, such grace to qualify me as your own. I'm surprised. Now, you're supposed to only be surprised about yourself. You're not supposed to be as surprised about your brothers and sisters. And when people get surprised about their brothers and sisters, in my experience here in the land of the free and the home of the brave, people just take their baseball bat and head down the street for another diamond. That's the way it goes.

Oh! Don't like it here anymore. Going down to another diamond with my bat. I'm going to take my tennis racket, and I'm going to go find another club. Do you do that in your family?

Just because of freedom? No, you don't do that. Oh, you may go in the huff for a little while. You go up the stairs, close your door, ruminate about everything, describe your sisters in horrendous terms, plan your exit strategy. I'll run away from home. I'll build one of those things like Huckleberry Thin. That's what I'm going to do. I used to read Mark Twain when I was a boy, and when I got in my blues, then I'd say, I'll get one of those handkerchiefs, and I'll tie it to the end of a stick, and I'll put everything in there, and then I'll go off on my raft.

How am I going to go down the Mississippi when I live in Glasgow, Scotland? It's absolutely impossible. And as I sat in my bedroom for long enough, I realized, beg, your biggest problem is you. You are your own biggest problem. Go back down the stairs and say, Sorry. Go back down the stairs and say, Forgive me. Go back down the stairs and say, I am a flat-out idiot. Now go on. And that's what we have to do.

And that way, we repair and restore family relationships, don't we? Some of you are here, and you haven't done that. You didn't go back down the stairs. You never wrote the note.

You never said the Sorry. And as you sit and listen to me now, it's like a dagger in your heart, because you've been distanced from a physical family member for years without any reconciliation and restoration. And you know, and they know, that it's wrong. You ought to take care of it. Love always takes the initiative. Love always takes the initiative. But when I regard myself as the offended one, especially within the family of faith, especially when the options are so many, then the temptation is simply to quit, to run and hide, to keep the discussion going.

While I don't recommend that, I don't recommend it. Think of what I'm saying. Do I have to keep on talking till I can't go on? Think of what I'm saying. We can work it out. Life is very short. And there's no time for fussing and fighting, my friends.

I've always thought that it's a crime, so I will ask you once again. Think of what I'm saying. But here's the rub. What happens in the nuclear family is imported into the church. So fifty percent of marriages go down the Swanee River. Those people are then in the church, and as soon as Mabel didn't get her just desserts, she headed for the hills of Alabama. And now she's happily settled in a little church family in Alabama. And suddenly, she doesn't get what she expected in the church family in Alabama. So she's going to do the same thing in the church as she did in her marriage.

Think of what I'm saying. We can get it right. You're listening to Truth for Life and Alistair Begg with the message titled Belonging. It's part of our series called Christian Basics. Here at Truth for Life, teaching the Bible is at the heart of all we do. Our mission is pretty straightforward—to teach the Bible in a clear, relevant way every day of the year. We do this because we know that when God's Word is taught directly from Scripture, the hearts and lives of those who listen will be changed. Those who don't know Christ can come to saving faith as they hear the truth of the Bible. Those who already trust in Jesus can grow more deeply in their faith. And finally, the body of Christ, God's church, is strengthened and encouraged when God's Word is taught. If you're a regular listener to Truth for Life, know that we take this mission seriously. In addition to Alistair's teaching, we carefully and prayerfully select books to help you grow in your faith. And when you support the mission of Truth for Life by becoming one of our truth partners, you're able to request these books at no additional cost.

It's our way of saying thanks for your support. So the benefits of becoming a truth partner are twofold. You strengthen your own understanding of Scripture, and you give the gift of the gospel to listeners around the world.

Today I'm excited to tell you about our featured book for this month. The Christian life has often been compared to a race, but it's important to know that we're not running alone. In fact, the writer of the book of Hebrews tells us that we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses, believers who've gone before us and who are cheering us on. Pastor and author Tim Chester gives us the opportunity to hear the voices of those who have gone before us in a book called An Ocean of Grace. Tim has selected and edited a collection of daily readings and prayers written by Christians from across the centuries of church history. You'll enjoy hearing from people like Augustine of Hippo, John Bunyan, Martin Luther, and Charles Spurgeon. This six-week devotional is designed to help you focus on Jesus in the days leading up to Easter. If you're looking to find fresh insight into the wonder of the gospel, you'll be encouraged by An Ocean of Grace. You can learn more on our website at truthforlife.org. I'm Bob Lapine. Thanks for joining us today. I hope you'll be back next week as Alistair examines the significant role the local church plays in the life of a believer. The Bible teaching of Alistair Begg is furnished by Truth for Life, where the Learning is for Living.