In the last article, we considered the command for believers in the Lord Jesus to be baptized. This is an essential step for every Christian since the Bible teaches that baptism should follow salvation, Acts 2. 41. But the verse goes on to say that on the ‘same day [they] were added’. Therefore, after the Lord Jesus had ascended into heaven, the example of the early believers was that they were saved, immediately baptized, and then added to a local church.
Let’s look at why Christians should be part of a local church and what a local church is.
Why?
The sequence in Acts chapter 2 is consistent with the teaching of the New Testament Epistles - that all believers in the Lord Jesus should be baptized and in the fellowship of a local church. The single exception is if a believer has been ‘put away from’ the church because of sin, 1 Cor. 5. 13, or false teaching, Titus 3. 10; in which case, repentance is expected and then restoration to church fellowship. As such, to be obedient to the teaching of the Bible, every believer should either be part of a local church, or making arrangements in life to join a local church.
What?
‘Church’ is expressed in two ways in the New Testament:
- All Christians everywhere, since the Lord Jesus returned to heaven. The Lord Jesus said, ‘I will build my church’, Matt. 16. 18. This is described as ‘the church, which is his body’, Eph. 1. 22, 23, sometimes referred to as the ‘universal church’.
- A local group of believers at a certain place. There are lots of examples in the New Testament, such as ‘the church of God which is at Corinth’, 1 Cor. 1. 2. This is often referred to as the ‘local church’.
We are focusing on the local church and the importance of belonging to one. ‘Church’ comes from the Greek word ekklesia, meaning ‘assembly’ or ‘gathering’. It is the group of believers, not the building they meet in. There are various features of a local church summarized in Acts chapter 2 verse 42:
- ‘they continued stedfastly’ - the believers were committed to regularly meeting together.
- ‘in the apostles’ doctrine’ - all they did was based on the authority of the word of God; which is set out for us in the New Testament Epistles.
- ‘and fellowship’ - because of a common bond in the Lord Jesus, they shared life experience together. The word means ‘sharing in common’.1
- ‘and in breaking of bread’ - they would meet -to remember the Lord Jesus weekly, Acts 20. 7.
- ‘and in prayers’ - they would meet regularly for prayer.
Local churches today should seek to follow this pattern.
Practical points to note
If you are saved and baptized, but not part of a local church, the following points may help you:
- Commit to God to be serious about obeying His word, and ask for His help in arranging to join a local church.
- If you are very young and you , attend local church gatherings with your family or Christian friends, there may be a need to wait until you are old enough to take on the responsibility of being ‘in fellowship’. But now is an opportunity to learn what it means and still to be committed to the local church. Ask the Lord to prepare you and look forward to the time when you can be ‘added’, Acts 2. 41, to the church.
- If you go along to meetings at a local church, approach the elders to let them know of your desire to join the believers in fellowship. You could do this with the help of a parent or friend. Be aware that the elders will want to talk to you about the responsibilities of joining the fellowship; they will also want to be confident that you will fulfil the responsibilities.
- If you do not attend a local church, or don’t even know of a church that seeks to function as described in the New Testament, you will need to find one. Ideally, this should be near where you live. JACK Hay has written a helpful booklet entitled Which Church? providing excellent advice on this subject.2 Also, feel free to contact us at Precious Seed if you need any help.
