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Membership Course Welcome to the Phoenix United Reformed Church Membership Course ( ) The Huguenot Cross is a less familiar, although no less powerful, symbol of the perseverance of the French Reformed Christians under the persecution of the pro-Catholic forces. The arms symbolize the four gospels, and the points the eight beatitudes. The dove at the bottom of the cross signifies the Holy Spirit. The arms are joined together by four Fleurs-de-lis (Lilies). The total of twelve petals of the Fleur-de-lis signifies the twelve apostles. An open space in the form of a heart lies between each lily and the arms of the Maltese cross. This symbol of loyalty signifies the seal of the French Reformer John Calvin, whose testimony resonates with us today: "My heart I offer to Thee, Lord, promptly and sincerely." May these words of heartfelt commitment be the fruit of our time together as we discover the beliefs, practices, and aspirations of the Phoenix United Reformed Church Pastor Phil Grotenhuis Table of Contents THE JOYS AND RESPONSIBILITIES OF CHURCH MEMBERSHIP 3 Church Membership in an Apathetic Age 4 The Biblical Warrant for Church Membership 4 Church Membership andthe Reformed Confessions 8 What About Christians Who Either Don't Attend a Church, or Who Belong to a Home Church? 11 The Vital Importance of Church Membership 11 How to Choose a Church 12 THE FUNDAMENTALS OF THE REFORMED FAITH 13 I n t r o d u c t o r y M a t t e r s 1 3 The Fundamentals of the Reformed Faith 14 Catholic, Evangelical, and the Solae of the Reformation 15 Our Reformed Confessions - the Heidelberg Catechism, the Belgic Confession and the Canons of Dort 18 THE DISTINCTIVES OF THE REFORMED FAITH 19 The Five Points of the Reformed Faith 19 The Kingdom, Covenant, and Mission 21 REFORMED DISTINCTIVES IN THE LIFE OF PURC 23 The Avid Support of Christ-Centered Education 23 Redemptive/Historical/Christ-Centered Preaching 24 Confessional Ecumenism 25 Male Leadership in the Home and the Church 26 God-Centered and God-Glorifying Worship 27 The Great Commission 27 THE PHOENIX UNITED REFORMED CHURCH: OUR HISTORY 29 The Reformation: Netherlands Style 29 The Deformation: Netherlands Style (1618-1816) 30 The Afscheiding (Secession) of 1834 32 Watershed Events in the Netherlands 32 What does this have to do with PURC? 34 THE PHOENIX UNITED REFORMED CHURCH 35 THE PHOENIX UNITED REFORMED CHURCH: CHURCH ORDER 37 2 The Joys and Responsibilities of Church Membership "So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God's household, having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit." Ephesians 2:19-22 Welcome to the Phoenix United Reformed Church (PURC) New Members Class! The following New Members Class begins with a very important starting point: church membership. Jesus Christ calls us to "deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him" (Matt.16:24). But as the Bible so clearly teaches us, the task of following Jesus is indeed a difficult one, one which requires "the means of grace"; in other words preaching and sacraments. Christ has instituted the church to administer the means of grace and other means of nurturing our walk with Christ. The Bible also emphasizes the need for mutual fellowship, encouragement, and accountability if we are to run the race of faith set before us. Hence, as John Calvin once said, "It is always disastrous to leave the church of Christ." For this reason, many churches (including PURC) practice church membership. Church Membership in an Apathetic Age People don't always understand what it means to be a member of the church, although they do sense that it's a formal commitment of some kind - something like a marriage. There's an initial meeting (for some it's a blind date), a courtship phase (a more in-depth familiarization phase, including membership class), premarital counseling phase (elders' meeting) and wedding (verbal commitment and welcome to the local body). Some might argue, "The Bible only commands us to worship together as Christians. It doesn't tell us that we have to become members of a local church." But as we hope to demonstrate, membership in the church of Christ, and more particularly membership in the local church, is not an option but a Biblically- mandated necessity. Well, just what does the Bible and our confessions teach about church membership? The Biblical Warrant for Church Membership Let's examine two important passages in the Bible, namely. Acts 2:42-27 & H e b r e w s 1 0 : 2 1 - 2 5 . Acts 2;42-47- church life and church growth •paDjpejd pue paSejnoDua aje spueujujoo ,,sn 03JL|; aq; qaiqM ui ixaiuoa aq; s\ diqsjoM A|>|aaM leq; s\ uojiBDiidoi! Suojis aqi ■£ 7 "X „^sn ;a|„ spjoM aq; qijM ujSaq sasejqd aajq; ieq/\/\ „-sn ;a|„ q;!M SumuiSaq s;uaujaiB;s aajq; aq; Aq paanpojiuj 'sasjaA asaqj ;o saA!;BjadLU! aajq; aq; aaqoisj S Z - l Z m s / v \ 9 j q d H There are two words in the Hebrew language that describe the people of God; aydah - used primarily in the books of Exodus through Numbers), and; qahal - used primarily in the books of Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah. The word "aydah" refers to "an appointed gathering of God's people, and the word "qahal" refers to a gathering of God's people in actual assembly, whether appointed or not. The point is: there are no such things as "lone ranger" Christians or "bedside Baptists." Christ has ordained His church (both in the OT and NT) to be a place of nurturing, accountability, and mutual edification. The church's worship in both the OT and NT is appointed by God to be a place of regular worship, feasting, and covenant/marriage renewal. Think of how the church is described in I Timothy 3:15 as the "household of God." Or consider these other names which reflect the corporate nature of the church: the people of God (I Peter 2:9, 10), a holy nation (I Peter 2:9), the faithful in Christ Jesus (Ephesians 1:1), the brotherhood (I Peter 2:17; 5:19), fellow citizens (Ephesians 2:19). Notice also the close connection that Jesus makes Himself and the church. He says He is the Bridegroom and we are His bride; He is the Vine and we are the branches; He is the Head and we are the members of His body. You can't have one without the other. The church is also called God's family. We are not just a bunch of unrelated individuals; we are part of a family who together make up a "holy temple in the Lord" (Ephesians 2:21). This familial relationship comes to expression both the universal and the local church. 6 There's an interesting statistic in the Bible. The word "church" is used over one hundred times in the NT. Seventeen times it refers to the universal church (for instance, Christ says, "I will build my church and the gates of hell will not prevail against it" - Matthew 16:18). However, there are ninety instances where the word "church" refers to the local church (for instance, we read in Acts 8:1, "... a great persecution arose against the church in Jerusalem" and Revelation 1:11, "Write in a book what you see, and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus and Smyrna and Pergamum ...") The emphasis in the Bible is overwhelmingly on the local church. The local church is called by many names: the body, the bride of Christ, City of God, household of God, People of God, Temple of God, Zion, and many others - each name describes some facet of the local church. As you can imagine, many things can be said about the local church. But for our purposes, here let's stick with the basics. Ephesians 2:19-22 - the Household of God Heidelberg Catechism Q&A 54 Q. 54 What do you believe about the (One) Holy Catholic (and Apostolic) Church? (Note the four historic attributes of the church) A. 54 I believe that from the beginning to the end of the world, and from among the whole human race, the Son of God, through His Word and Spirit, gathers, protects, and preserves for Himself, in the unity of true faith, a congregation chosen for eternal life. Moreover, I believe that I am and forever will remain a living member of it. 7 Questions to ponder: Who builds His church? How does he build it? When does He build it? From whom does He build it? Church Membership and the Reformed Confessions Let's also consider the matter of church membership from the standpoint of church history. Think about this statement from the French Confession of 1559: French Confession Article 26 We believe that no one ought to seclude himself and be contented to be alone but that all should jointly keep and maintain the union of the church and submit to public teaching and to the yoke of Christ even if the government and its edicts forbid it. For if they do not take part in it, or if they separate themselves from it, they do contrary to the Word of God (italics mine). The language of the Belgic Confession is even stronger.
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