What does it mean to be a disciple?

The church. How opinions abound about the church! One thing to note is that we are not talking about the capital C Church, which is the universal Church or all believers everywhere in all of time. Here we are talking about lowercase c church, aka the local church. While every church has a building they meet in, the church is truly the people who gather together for fellowship, preaching, teaching, and accountability. 

And let us consider one another in order to provoke love and good works, not neglecting to gather together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging each other, and all the more as you see the day approaching. Hebrews 10:24-25 CSB

The Beginning of the Church

In the time after Jesus’ resurrection, while He was preparing for His ascension to heaven, Jesus gives the disciples the great commission. 

Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20 CSB

Later after Jesus was gone, the disciples created what we could refer to today as the first church. There was no Bible with 66 books. Most of Jesus’ teachings hadn’t been written down yet. So in order for the people to follow Jesus’ great commission command, they had to listen to the teachings of the apostles who were with Jesus for much of His ministry. 

In Acts 2:42-47, we get a glimpse at what this first church looked like: they had teaching, fellowship, meals, prayer, wonders and miracles, shared possessions, lots of time of praising God. Then we see in the last part of verse 47- “the Lord added to their number those who were being saved.” They were doing as Jesus commanded, making disciples and being disciples by being the church. 

They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer. Everyone was filled with awe, and many wonders and signs were being performed through the apostles. Now all the believers were together and held all things in common. They sold their possessions and property and distributed the proceeds to all, as any had need. Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. Every day the Lord added to their number those who were being saved. Acts 2:42-47 CSB

Why Should I be a Member of a Local Church? 

For one, the Bible says so. Hebrews 10:24-25 says that we are not to neglect gathering together. So obviously that means we are to gather. We are to be a local church and worship together. The early church did it. Churches around the world for centuries have done it. Therefore, we are not exempt, we must gather together for regular corporate worship, too. 

I hear the common excuse from people saying that they don’t need to attend church worship services because they can just watch a service online. Or, better yet, “I have my own church when I’m sitting in a deer stand hunting.” While Jesus is definitely present in the deer stand with you, and you may get some solid teaching watching an online service, these cannot be substitutes for attending and belonging to the local church. We were MADE for community. God saw Adam alone and realized it wasn't right, the ONLY thing that wasn't right during creation.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians that just like the body has many parts, the church has many parts. Each part is important!! I always thought the spleen was of no importance and it didn’t matter if you had to have it removed. Then I met someone who now has a weaker immune system because she doesn’t have a spleen. She is no longer able to do the things she enjoyed years ago due to the lack of immune protection. To the church, you may not be the brain or the heart or the lungs, but you may be the spleen! You may be the big toe that provides balance to the entire body. You are important. One person can’t do it all, serve all age groups, have all the knowledge, evangelize to all the people groups, but a group of people following the Lord can do far more than that. 

For just as the body is one and has many parts, and all the parts of that body, though many, are one body—so also is Christ. 1 Corinthians 12:12 CSB

The local church also allows for accountability of believers. While I’m sure that a fellow believer and church member would call me out if I were actively living in sin, most of the time just knowing that they are there to provide me accountability keeps me from sinning. Many are able to provide godly council. And when I show up to my small group Bible study, I know that I have to be prepared, having read and studied the material. I am not only accountable for myself, but for others. 

What should I look for in finding a local church?

First and foremost, find out if they are teaching the Bible. If you visit for a Sunday morning worship service and there is no scripture referenced, that should be a huge red flag. 

Next, look for the main aspects during a worship service. Is there prayer? How are they praying? To whom are they praying? And what are they praying for? What is the teaching like? Who is teaching? Is the teaching mostly related to the Bible or all applicational? Is the teaching political? Do they provide time for fellowship amongst believers, maybe before or after the service? Is that fellowship done in a Biblical way? If you see no fellowship or only fellowship that seems to exclude or tear down others during the entire time you are visiting, that may also be a red flag.  Also look at the way the church does worship. Are the songs praising God or all reflective of me? Is the worship time more of a performance than a time of praise to God? Sure, you may be persuaded to make sure their preferences align with yours, like the music used, clothing worn, etc. but this is not a main qualification for a local church.

Does my local church’s doctrine really matter?

You definitely also want to take some time to dig into the doctrine of the church. This can make or break a decision to be a part of a local church. This is simply finding out if the church affirms the main tenets of the faith. This would be things we see in the Apostles Creed; things believers have agreed on for centuries. God is triune (another word for Trinity) and consists of God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Jesus was born of a virgin. Jesus was fully human and fully God and lived a real human life. Jesus never sinned, yet was tortured, crucified, and died. Then He was bodily resurrected three days later. He spent time on earth again before ascending to heaven. One day in the future, Jesus will return to judge all people. 

This matters. This matters so much. The local church having these basic top tier theology matters because if the local church doesn’t support and teach the basics of the Christian faith, they may not be a true Christian church.

Questions to ask the Pastor or church staff before joining a local church: 

• What denomination or association does this church fall under? 

• What is this church’s view of the Trinity?

• What is this church’s view of the Gospel?

• Did Jesus really die? Was His physical body resurrected?

• What is this church’s view of worship? 

• What emphasis is put on children and youth ministry?

• What kind of serving opportunities are available?

• Who makes decisions in the church? Is it pastor-led, congregation-led, session-led, etc.?

• What is this church’s view of baptism?

• What is this church’s view of the Lord’s Supper?

• How does this church evangelize?

The local church is important. The Bible clearly tells us that we are to meet together often, not only to learn and worship together, but to also be the church to each other, holding each other accountable and encouraging one another. On a scale of 1-10, how important do you personally feel it is to be a member of a local church?