Devotionals

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A nurse sent out resumés but got no responses. After two weeks,
she finally got a response that said, "Your resumé was not
enclosed, but we do thank you for the nice lasagna recipe you
sent." Oops.

What would happen if our churches asked for resumés from those
seeking to join? Who would be qualified to approve the resumés?
Who in your church is holy enough to cast the first stone? This is
a sticky subject in many churches.

Since the Scriptures seem to contain nothing definitive that talks
about "membership" in a church, any rules regarding same are
those man-made rules set up by the individual churches for their
own reasons. As I view it, the main reason for having "members"
is for legal reasons -- only members can vote.

Jesus got His followers by saying "come, follow me." He still
does. From reading the New Testament, it seems that the
requirements for entrance into Christ's church are those recorded
by our Lord in Mark 16:16 (nlt), "Anyone who believes and is
baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be
condemned."

To join a church should be to declare that you are a follower of
Jesus Christ in accordance with Mark 16:16. A church, therefore,
should be a collection of "saved" individuals. However, it is
common knowledge that some join churches for social or business
advantage without ever being confronted with the rules of entry as
indicated in Mark 16:16.

Unfortunately, there is no perfect way to keep a church "pure."
Aspiring members can easily say the "right" things, and we have no
way to search a person's heart -- that's God's job. Why am I saying
all this? The best defense of a Biblical church is strong Biblical
preaching. The saints will love it. The not-so-saints will not love
it and will either get convicted and right with God or find another
home.

Pastors -- here is your job description: 2 Tim. 4:2 (nlt), "Preach the
Word of God. Be persistent, whether the time is favorable or not.
Patiently correct, rebuke and encourage your people with good
teaching."

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