Membership in Newcastle Baptist Church

From the pen of a Newcastle Baptist Church elder!

Membership in Newcastle Baptist Church?

1. Introduction:

In Newcastle Baptist Church we desire to glorify God the Father as we exalt Christ Jesus through the power of the Holy Spirit. We do this by desiring to be obedient and committed to Christ at all times and in all things.

If we desire to be obedient and committed to Christ in all things; it means that we will be committed to Him through a local church. The local church is made up of members who are committed to Christ and because they are committed to Christ they commit themselves to the Local Church.

2. Who can become a member of Newcastle Baptist Church?

There are certain qualifications before anybody can become a member of Newcastle Baptist Church. These qualifications are:

2.1 God has to sovereignty place you into this local body.

We read in Acts 2:46 and 47 –

“So (The believers in the Jerusalem church) continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they ate their food with gladness and simplicity of heart, ⁴⁷ praising God and having favour with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.”

This text is not talking about the universal church but it is speaking about the local church in Jerusalem. The Church (universal) grows when God ads saved people to local churches. Newcastle Baptist Church is no exception! God saves people and ads them to the Newcastle Baptist Church.

Once you believe that the Lord Jesus Christ alone can save you and you repent of your sin; then God will lead you to a local church through His Holy Spirit. You join a local church because God adds those He saves to a local church. There is no such thing as a lone ranger within the body of Christ.

2.2 When you become a member of Newcastle Baptist Church you become part of this local body of believers; each part has a function and each part has to fulfill his/her respective functions for this body to be what God intended it to be.

We read in 1 Corinthians 12:14 “For the body is not one member, but many.”

1Co 12:24 – 27 “For our presentable members have no need, but God tempered the body together, giving more abundant honour to the member having need; that there not be division in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is glorified, all the members rejoice with it. And you are the body of Christ, and members in part.”

Romans 12:4 “For even as we have many members in one body, and all members do not have the same function…”

3. Who should not consider membership?

• If you have a profession of faith but your life does not reflect your profession.
• If you intend to be a spectator and see how the other members of the church live as Christians; or
• If you desire to sit on the sideline and criticise others; or
• If you think that membership means that you only have to come to church on Sundays and attend a LIFE Group every week; or
• If you think that you can pay something to the church every month and then you are ok; or
• If you attend church once or twice a month and the rest of the time you have excuses for not attending; or
• If you come to the church with the purpose of receiving encouragement and something to carry you through the week until the next Sunday; or
• If you think that being a member of Newcastle Baptist Church is a right and not a privilege; or
• If you do not make every effort to attend business meetings; or
• If you think you have a position once you become a member of the church; or
• If you refuse to be a servant of everyone in the church, no matter what their “socio-economic status”; cultural background or level of education is;
• If you expect everybody to jump to attention when you are around; or
• If you are not willing to share your faith with unbelievers; or
• If you hope to join a perfect church without faults and issues; or
• If you expect that all your and your family’s needs will be met by others in the church; or
• If you expect the elders to do all the work in the church and you are just there for the ride; or
• If you are running from another church because you didn’t like the pastor or you had problems in the previous church; or
• If you cannot function as part of a body of believers; then membership is definitely not for you, and you should explore the possibilities of joining a       social club somewhere which can cater for all your wants in life.