I. Introduction

A. Illustration – Howard Snyder, in his message First Love, said, The church is a covenant community, which means that there are gates. You know when you are in and when you are out of the community, even though the gospel issues a call to everyone. Jesus said, “If anyone would come after me, let them deny themselves, take up their cross and follow me.” There is a sense in which following Jesus has an element of exclusiveness. We decide what not to follow in order to follow Christ, not just individually, but as part of the community. Every church has to wrestle with the cost of discipleship as it relates to being a part of this community of Jesus Christ.

B. Context – Snyder is right. There is a cost associated with belonging to a covenant community of believers. Part of that cost is entering into the covenant. This morning we’re continuing our series on principles of renewal based on Pastor Michael Slaughter’s book Spiritual Entrepreneurs by looking at the Covenant Principle. The Covenant Principle states that renewal involves commitment to the integrity of membership. This includes deciding whether we are disciples or club members, whether we are committed to Christ’s purposes (reaching the lost and setting the oppressed free), whether we accept the truth that elevating membership standards heightens expectation and commitment.

C. Have you ever noticed that whenever Jesus’ message began to attract a large crowd, he’d always blow it by saying something incredibly difficult to believe, much less follow. In Luke 14:26, he said, “If you want to be my follower you must love me more than your own father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters – yes, more than your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple.” I hate to say it, but that’s not the way you keep ministry momentum building, especially when the Greek uses the word “hate” in reference to these relationships. In Luke 9:23, Jesus said, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must put aside your selfish ambition, shoulder your cross, and follow me.” Again, not crowd-pleasing material, especially when you talk about crucifixion. In Luke 9:58, Jesus actually has a volunteer! But he says, “Foxes have dens to live in, and birds have nests, but I, the Son of Man, have no home of my own, not even a place to lay my head.” Somebody needed to get hold of Jesus’ shoulders, shake Him around a little bit, and teach Him the value of hanging on to volunteers! At least that’s what our perspective would tell us.

D. But Jesus had a different view. He was always telling people to calculate the cost. Slaughter writes, “He was calling people to become part of covenant community, a counter culture. Membership would involve forsaking individual goals and agendas for the sake of a higher purpose – the kingdom of God.” And that call really upset those enamored with the religious institutions of His time. The disciples started dropping like flies, leaving Him because His teaching was too difficult.

E. Many churches in our time view membership as pretty much the same as membership in a community club or organization. The church has officers, committees, dinners, and fundraising projects, just like those clubs and organizations. When Christians view church membership in this light, they give the church equal or even lower priority than other responsibilities in their lives. The problem for us is that we tend to take on that viewpoint as well because it meshes so well with our culture’s worldview. But Jesus didn’t give His life for this kind of idea of church membership. As Slaughter writes, “It is far more costly to belong to the Body of Christ than to any other human organization. Like marriage, membership in Christ’s Body is a covenant commitment.” And in the biblical understanding of covenant, when you made the covenant commitment, you were saying that you’d rather die than break the covenant. That may seem like a radical view of church membership, but that is how Christ views it. As Pastor Bill Hybels puts it, “The local church is the hope of the world,” and we’ve got to start treating it as such.

II. The Membership Requirements at Ginghamsburg Church

A. Slaughter writes, “When a church gets serious about renewal, it begins to ask new questions about the responsibilities of membership. Membership cannot and must not be separated from the cost of discipleship.” We’ve got to get back to the truth that church membership costs. It costs us dearly. Why? Because discipleship costs us dearly. Being a disciple of Jesus Christ is expensive because it costs us everything. The same is true of church membership.

B. At Slaughter’s church, anyone seeking membership has to spend three months in a class called Vital Christianity, and they have to make up all missed classes. Slaughter writes, “A person’s commitment to the lordship of Jesus Christ, as evidenced by lifestyle integrity, is a primary consideration. Accepting the responsibilities and commitments of a covenant membership through active stewardship, worship attendance, participation in a service-outreach ministry, and involvement in a small group is expected.” Those are high standards, but then again Jesus is calling disciples, not club members. I daresay that many of us here this morning who are members of this church would fall short of these standards!

C. Any youth wanting to join the church go through the same thing. The standard is the same for all seeking membership. Slaughter goes on, “Each person is interviewed by a leadership team before he or she affirms the covenant of membership. Questions concerning faith journey, the lordship of Christ, giftedness, service, small-group participation, and stewardship.” His church tracks attendance, and if anyone misses three weeks of worship they are contacted by letter or phone. They review the membership roster annually. Inactive members are contacted and asked about their intentions regarding continuing the covenant of membership at their church. They’re encouraged to become active again, and if they can’t do this, they’re asked to assume the role of “friend” to the congregation until they can actively reaffirm the covenant of a functioning member.

III. What Would John Wesley Say?

A. I know this seems pretty tough to us. I know, because there have been times in my life when I’ve been called by church leadership to more active participation and to a holier walk and I’ve dropped the ball. I’ve taken the “club membership” approach and told them basically that it wasn’t any of their business what I did on my own time and that my schedule just didn’t allow me to be more involved. This whole concept of covenant membership wars with our entrenched rugged individualism. But this concept isn’t new. John Wesley, whom we are affiliated with theologically, was committed to it. And that commitment gave birth and life to the Methodist renewal movement.

B. Slaughter writes, “Wesley’s genius lay in his ability to organize seekers and converts into vital discipleship groups called societies, classes, and bands. Each group represented a systematic, progressive step in spiritual maturity.” If you wanted to be a member of the Methodist movement, you had to participate in a weekly society. And as societies grew, they were subdivided into groups of ten to twelve people called classes and bands. Slaughter continues, “The leader of each class was responsible for the spiritual development of the members and for collecting money for the poor. Those who were unwilling to be committed to the cell group were discontinued form membership in the society.” After six months of non-participation, your name was removed from membership in the Methodist society.

C. Pretty tough standards, aren’t they? Let me read to you the rules of the Bands and Societies, drawn up on December 25, 1738. The design of our meeting is, to obey that command of God, “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed.” To this end, we intend – 1. To meet once a week, at the least. 2. To come punctually at the hour appointed, without some extraordinary reason. 3. To begin (those of us who are present) exactly at the hour, with singing or prayer. 4. To speak each of us in order, freely and plainly, the true state of our souls, with the faults we have committed in thought, word, or deed, and the temptations we have felt, since our last meeting. 5. To end every meeting with prayer, suited to the state of each person present. 6. To desire some person among us to speak his own state first, and then to ask the rest, in order, as many and as searching questions as may be, concerning their state, sins, and temptations. Some of the questions proposed to everyone before he is admitted among us may be to this effect: 1. Have you the forgiveness of your sins? 2. Have you peace with God, through our Lord Jesus Christ? 3. Have you the witness of God’s Spirit with your spirit, that you are a child of God? 4. Is the love of God shed abroad in your heart? 5. Has no sin, inward or outward, dominion over you? 6. Do you desire to be told of your faults? 7. Do you desire to be told of all your faults, and that plain and home? 8. Do you desire that every one of us should tell you, from time to time, whatsoever is in his heart concerning you? 9. Consider! Do you desire that we should tell you whatsoever we think, whatsoever we fear, whatsoever we hear, concerning you? 10. Do you desire that, in doing this, we should come as close as possible, that we should cut to the quick, and search your heart to the bottom? 11. Is it your desire and design to be on this, and all other occasions, entirely open, so as to speak everything that is in your heart without exception, without disguise, and without reserve? Any of the preceding questions may be asked as often as occasion offers; the four following at every meeting: 1. What known sins have you committed since our last meeting? 2. What temptations have you met with? 3. How were you delivered? 4. What have you thought, said, or done, of which you doubt whether it be sin or not?

D. Those are tough questions and tough standards to live by, yet tens of thousands had their lives transformed by these Methodist societies, classes and bands. These small groups provided not just close relationships, but accountable relationships that sparked incredible personal and spiritual growth. As Slaughter writes, “Wesley understood that a church would be only as strong as its members. Institutional-club members breed institutionalism. Transformed-body members transform whole communities and cultures.” God used Wesley and the Methodists to transform England’s culture, and that’s exactly what He wants to use us to do – transform our culture. To do that, we’ve got to be committed to covenant membership, just like Wesley was.

IV. The Life of the Body Is in the Cell

A. Wesley didn’t just throw folks interested in joining his movement to the wolves. They had to spend three months in a cell group, being taught the basics of faith and discipleship by a well-trained and mature leader. Then they could be recommended for membership, but only if they continued to submit themselves to the ongoing accountability and discipline of the small group. Their ongoing involvement was evaluated quarterly. There were no spectators in the cell groups – they were all actively involved in challenging each other to grow in Christ and to grow in involvement with the poor.

B. Wesley taught that personal piety, or holiness, could not be divorced from social action. Most of his followers were actively involved in ministering to the poor and needy. He believed that the best way to get close to God was by our actions toward people instead of by religious acts. Slaughter writes, “The test of authentic discipleship is what we do to people. Your actions and attitudes toward people are your actions and attitudes toward God.” That’s basically what Jesus taught.

C. In Matthew 25:35-36, He said, “For I was hungry and you fed me. I was thirsty, and you gave me a drink. I was a stranger, and you invited me into your home. 36 I was naked, and you gave me clothing. I was sick, and you cared for me. I was in prison, and you visited me.” Jesus wraps up this parable in verse forty: “I assure you, when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to me.” That’s a powerful truth. And if we’re going to put Jesus’ words into practice, we’ve got to have the kind of commitment that the early Methodists had. As Slaughter writes, “Balanced discipleship takes place in the ongoing, nurturing environment of accountability provided by the cell group. Discipleship and discipline are one and the same.”

D. That’s why I believe in accountability groups so strongly. They are transforming my life. They give me the perspective I need to allow the Holy Spirit to work within me. I firmly believe that every member of our church should be involved in an accountability group. If we all do that, and we all involve ourselves in ministry to our community and our area, they will keep us from the narcissism that has a habit of killing off the work of the Spirit in our lives and in our church. If you wanted to belong to the early Methodist movement, you had to take covenant membership seriously. Slaughter writes, “Ongoing membership was based on accountability, discipline, progressive maturity, and involvement with the poor. Membership was reviewed and renewed quarterly.”

E. Again, tough standards. But then again, people will generally live up or down to the level of expectations you have for them. Groups that expect more get more. Look at the Mormons and the Jehovah’s Witnesses. Those are ungodly cults, but they realized the importance and attractiveness of high expectations, and they are reaping the benefits. Covenant membership will heighten expectation and commitment. As Slaughter writes, “Elevating the standards for membership elevates expectation and the quality of participation.”

V. What Is a Body Life Member?

A. Many of us here today are Body Life members. Why? Because a Body Life member is someone who is committed to Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. That’s pretty sweet. I tend to be a performance-based kind of person. A lot of it is because when I was growing up, I never felt like anything I ever did was good enough. Not good enough for my family, not good enough for my friends, and certainly not good enough for God. And I know that many of you are like me in that. The problem is that many of us who claim Jesus as Savior keep jumping through those performance hoops to try to earn the favor of God and others. As a result, we have fragile self-esteem and unhealthy, codependent relationships.

B. The answer that will bring healing to our relationships, to our attitudes about ourselves, and to our relationship with God is Jesus Christ. He is what our society needs. He is what we need. Why do we still struggle with our self-esteem and our codependency? Because we recognize that He is Lord but we don’t live like He is Lord. We talked a few weeks ago about the fact that Lord means absolute authority and ownership. One of my own personal struggles relates to the Lordship of Christ. I trust Him to do His will, but I tend not to trust people to listen to Him and do His will. That’s granting Him only partial Lordship. And most of us here in this room do the same thing. Remember what we learned a few weeks ago? “Volunteerism is the language of the club. Slave is the language of the kingdom of God.” Slave means we don’t control our own destiny.

C. Slaughter writes, “Martin Luther said that when Christians get out of bed in the morning, the first words out of their mouths should be “I am baptized.” Baptized means dead, buried, and out of the way, so that God can inhabit my body and do with me as he pleases… Baptized means dead to my agendas, prejudices, and perceptions, but alive to the will and actions of Christ.” Can you see how all this is beginning to connect? Can you see that it’s not enough to be merely a Body Life member in Christ, but that the only way to truly submit to the Lordship of Christ is to become a covenant member?

D. Slaughter takes it even one step further. “Too many of us bring our own agendas and prejudices to the places where decisions are made in our churches. Our decisions reflect the values of our culture, rather than the kingdom of God… We must empty ourselves of everything, so that we can truly reflect the mind of Christ.” If we have accepted Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior and have pledged allegiance to His kingdom, then we have no higher allegiances in our lives. Period. When we follow Jesus and enter into a covenant relationship with His Body, He is our highest authority. We’ve got to get past our love affair with our rights!

VI. A Body Life Member Is Connected to Christ’s People

A. One of the greatest heresies in the Church today is that it can be just me and Jesus. I can go to church on TV, and just enjoy the relationship of Jesus and me. The Body of Christ, the Church, is a living organism and not simply an organization. We all need each other. The apostle Paul writes that one part of the body doesn’t stop being a part of the body simply by saying so. All parts of the body are necessary. All receive nourishment and pass it on. When a part of the body stops functioning, it’s dead.

B. To be a covenant member of the Body means to accept all the responsibilities and liabilities that go along with fulfilling Christ’s mission here on earth. If you’re not getting instructions from the Head, Jesus Christ, and passing instructions on, you’re not a member of the Body. You’re dead spiritually. If you’re not receiving nourishment and passing nourishment on, you’re not a functioning member of the Body of Jesus Christ.

C. When we accepted Jesus Christ as Lord of our lives, we were born into His Body, the Church. You can’t commit your life to Christ and not become an active part of the Body. That’s like saying that your arm can keep on living if you cut it off of your body. As Slaughter writes, “The Church is the living presence of Christ in the world. To be committed to Christ is to be connected and functioning with his people. Covenant members must no longer make excuses for not supporting Christ’s mission with money, time, prayer, and service. Covenant members must be dead, buried, and free from the priorities and goals of the world.”

D. That may sound harsh, but it’s true. In order to be a true member of this local Body of Christ, and the Body at large, you’ve got to contribute your time, money, prayer, and service. There can be no excuses. It’s about time all of us choose to die to ourselves for the cause of Christ. It’s about time all of us choose to be fully committed to His purpose of reaching the lost and setting the oppressed free. We are the only hands, feet, mouthpiece, and bank account that Jesus has here on earth. Membership is the one place in our spiritual pilgrimage where we say “I do” to this responsibility. Each one of us has to give our own response to this call. Remember – it costs something to be a follower of Jesus Christ. As Slaughter writes, “The integrity of membership cannot be divorced from the cost of discipleship. Jesus is calling disciples, not club members.”

E. Illustration – Charles Colson wrote the following his book The Body. Yet membership in a confessing body is fundamental to the faithful Christian life. Failure to do so defies the explicit warning not to forsake "our assembling together." His understanding of this prompted Martin Luther to say, "Apart from the church, salvation is impossible." Not that the church provides salvation; God does. But because the "saved" one can’t fulfill what it means to be a Christian apart from the church, membership becomes the indispensable mark of salvation. "So highly does the Lord esteem the communion of His church," Calvin wrote," that He considers everyone a traitor and apostate from religion who perversely withdraws himself from any Christian society which preserves the true ministry of the word and sacraments" (as cited on SermonCentral.com). God is calling all of us to a higher standard of commitment to Himself and to His church, covenant membership.

VII. Conclusion

A. Please bow your heads and close your eyes out of respect for each other’s privacy. What’s God been speaking to your heart this morning? Let’s spend a few quiet moments listening to the Holy Spirit speak to us about our level of commitment to covenant membership in this church.

B. I’m not going to ask you to raise your hand or come up front today in response to God’s call. Instead, if you’ve sensed God’s conviction on your heart this morning about being a covenant member of our church and you want to change and do His will in this area, make a note in your Bible right now that you’re committing to covenant membership. Then, in the words of Nike, just do it. If you’d like some help in knowing how, see me sometime soon. Let’s pray.