We’re living in the age of the individual. Individualism is trumpeted by the world’s media as one of the chief virtues of being a modern man. ‘I did it my way’ is an anthem for millions of people. Individualism is the belief that each person must work for his own self-interest, whether it be politically, socially, economically or religiously. The individual is most important in individualism. Advertisers continually exploit and promote individualism as a sales force: you ought to have the choice; you ought to have the right; you ought to have the best. ‘You’re your own man – you should have this”. Of course, no one ever seems to pick up the irony that if you follow the ads instructions, you are definitely not your own man. They market useless and sometimes foolish items to people purely by appealing to a human’s erroneous belief that if he can have it, he should have it.

Individualism is exalted as strength. The enshrining of the individual is nowhere more apparent than in our economic system, where managers can only make employees truly contribute toward the company by appealing to their individualism – higher pay, better benefits, a better position. All through society – in politics, in economics, even in social behaviour, individualism is rife. Nowhere is this clearer than in Christianity. The kind of independent, individualistic, lone-ranger mentality is ever-present in professing Christians. It is most clearly seen by people’s approach to the local church. For many Christians, the local church is to their spiritual lives what the mall is to their material lives. It is nothing more than a place to stop over at when it suits you, a place to obtain some spiritual food and perhaps see some familiar faces. There is no relationship implied, everything is casual, impersonal, and intentionally so. People don’t want a local church where there is personal discipleship, where there is accountability, and worst of all, where there is church discipline. Instead, they want the spiritual equivalent of a recreation centre – a place where you can breeze in and breeze out when it suits you, where you can have the briefest type of attitude of commitment, but still obtain some benefits for yourself. To think of a local church where there is a pastor or pastors with authority that you must submit to – this idea would cause the modern, individualistic Christian to just about choke. After all, he submits to no one else in everyday life – he’s his own man everywhere else – why should it be any different as regards church? “What is this,” he asks when you use the words commitment, authority and submission, “some kind of cult?”

Such is the sad state of Christianity today that it’s probably safe to say that the majority of nominal Christians have what I would call a dating relationship with the local church. They date the church. They are to the church what an immature teenage boy is to his girlfriend – trying to get something out of the relationship, but unprepared to commit to anything greater. Enjoying the weekly liaison, but uncomfortable with an attachment that might invade his personal space, seeking to enjoy the privileges of marriage, but avoiding the responsibilities of marriage. This attitude is common in the church today. People treat the local church the way immoral boys treat pretty girls. They seek to use them, and dump them when they no longer suit their purposes.

In short, there is a consumerist attitude at work here. Church becomes another product or service that I, as the all-supreme individual, consume. I arrive there to have my needs met, to have my views supported, to have my lifestyle endorsed. It’s all about me. A church must meet my needs. I don’t have to meet its needs, anymore than I must meet the needs of the petrol station that fills my car. If a church strikes me as being confrontational, or as demanding things from me, I just change the channel, so to speak – I go somewhere else. Indeed, some people even boast in being a self-styled spiritual nomad. “Oh,” they tell you, “I don’t just go to one church. I go here and sometimes I go there, and sometimes when so and so is speaking I go there, and at times I go there for their evening service, and other times I go here” And they present this as if it is something to be proud of. In fact it just reveals how selfish and consumerist they have become. Church has become like a restaurant to them – sometimes I go to McDonalds, sometimes to KFC – sometimes to Steers. They reveal how little they think of the local church – nothing more than a spiritual food drive-through. Certainly, the church is to provide spiritual food – but as we’ll see, so that you can exercise your spiritual muscle in the local church, it is not to create spiritually obese couch potatoes dashing off to the next supposed spiritual meal.

Of course, a number of things have contributed toward this dating attitude toward the local church: Firstly, as we’ve said, the whole culture emphasises individualism and selfishness, and downplays commitment and belonging, which are the heart of the local church. Secondly, there has been, in the twentieth and now the twenty-first century a massive proliferation of para-church ministries. By para-church, I mean a Christian organisation or ministry that is not begun by, or accountable to any one or more local churches, and exists outside the local church. Now many wonderful para-church ministries and organisations exist. Many of them exist because the local church has, in many cases, dropped the ball, so to speak. But sadly, many of these ministries have in a sense outgrown themselves, to where they are now bigger than their mission. If you ask the average Christian who the most influential Christians in the world are, they are bound to give you the name of someone in charge of a big radio or television ministry, or a prominent author, or a travelling evangelist – they will more than likely not give you the name of a pastor of a local church. That’s because increasingly, we have the idea that the church itself is visibly these visible, popular Christian teachers and preachers. So we end up with an almost name-brand Christianity – different Christian consumers buy at different ministries. And this causes some people to abandon the local church. They reason, why must I go to church? I’ll just order so-and-so’s tapes, and do my Bible study at home, and order literature from such and such a ministry. Once again – this whole, individualistic, I’ll-do-it-my-way approach. For them, Christianity can be done via correspondence – just get the right information and you’re fine. For some who live this way, they sometimes tack on what they call cell-groups or home fellowships. These can be useful when part of the local church, but very often, they are nothing more than a maimed form of the fellowship that a local church is to provide. Here individualists can remain outside the accountability of the local church, but at the same time deceive themselves that they are obeying the mandate to assemble together with other believers. In such situations, very often everybody is the authority, and we all go around the room saying, ‘What this verse means to me is…’ No one is truly taught, instructed or edified, because no one is willing to plug in, boots and all, to a local church.

Indeed, many people begin their own ministries simply because they do not have the support or endorsement of a local church. For that matter, some do not only start para-church ministries, some start anti-church ministries, openly discouraging people from going to church. One such worldwide radio ministry insists that all people leave their churches, and of course, send all their money to that particular radio ministry.

I love this radio ministry that God has given me. But if forced to choose between my radio ministry and that of helping shepherd my local church – I would choose the local church – because that’s what God is building. He uses ministries like this, no doubt – and they are great in assisting the local church. But my first priority is to my people attending my local church.

A third reason why people date the church today is that many churches are catering to that exact mentality. Many churches do not call for service or commitment from people. They are happy to have large numbers of uncommitted; Sunday-morning only people do their once-a-week-church thing, put money in the plate and go home. And they do not want to discourage them from coming back by insisting on anything more. So many Christians remain spiritual midgets because their local churches never give them any exercise, and never train them to regard their relationship to a local church as a marriage –something requiring much time, effort, commitment and unselfishness.

A fourth reason for this modern casual attitude toward the local church, and one in my opinion vastly overblown by those who use it, is that there is much apostasy and false teaching today. It is sometimes not all that easy to find a good, sound, Bible-believing church. As a result, some people have wrongly concluded – “Well, it’s all apostate, so I’ll just have church by myself’. Now that is wrong for several reasons. One, God promised to keep his church going.

He said, “I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail.”

“Yes”, say such people, “but that’s the universal church, not the local church”.

To which I answer, ‘Where in the Bible did God ever suggest that the local church would disintegrate while the somehow, the universal church pressed on? That’s as sensible as saying that a huge fast-food company still exists in the world, it just no longer has any outlets, any actual branches.

Two, there is no command to forsake the local church, so long as it is preaching the fundamentals of the faith, Indeed, the command in Hebrews 10 is to not forsake the assembling of ourselves together. So, it’s very ironic to stay away from the local church, claiming it is in disobedience, when by doing so, you are in disobedience yourself.

When it comes to this supposed reason for boycotting the local church, the truth is that some people lack the ability to sort out the big issues from the small ones. They regard a church as apostate because of a difference in a small, minor, cosmetic issue, but do not see the log in their own eye. As Jesus said of the Pharisees, they strain out a gnat and swallow a camel. So claiming that all local churches are apostate is not a valid reason to avoid attending or seeking out a Bible-teaching church. There were many apostates in the first century when the New Testament was written to local churches.

But let’s now ask a simple question. What is the local church? Isn’t the church simply the universal body of Christ? Once you are saved, are you not part of the Body of Christ? Yes, you are. And yes, once you are saved, you are part of the universal church, for lack of a better term. But the Bible knows nothing of Christians who are seemingly saved, but do not belong to a local church. Someone says, “Oh, but Jesus said – where two or three are gathered together in my name – there am I in the midst of them” When Christians are together – that’s the local church. No, it’s not. Firstly, Jesus spoke those words in the context of describing church discipline. Instead of proving the point they are trying to make, it disproves it. Church discipline can only be exercised in a properly organised local church with the Biblical structures of authority in it.

The local church is an organised local assembly of born-again believers. Most of the New Testament epistles were written to local assemblies – the local church at Ephesus, at Colossae, at Philippi, at Corinth, at Rome, at Thessalonica. Paul knew nothing of free-floating believers who belonged nowhere. The New Testament reveals a number of things about a local church that differentiate it from the para-church or anti-church ministries so prevalent today.

Firstly, it has Authority.

I Timothy 3 describe the two offices of a pastor and a deacon. The book of Acts describes how as the apostles phased themselves out, increasingly, the local churches had elders – or pastors. There is a form of government in the local church. Paul instructed Titus in 1:5: “For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order the things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee” Why should Titus ordain elders if a casual meeting of believers would suffice, and would be the New Testament version of a local church? Because a local church has authority – properly trained and godly men who are able to lead the local church. Shepherding the flock is one of the most critical and crucial things that a good local church provides. The local church is not a live performance of a sermon every Sunday. It is a relationship of guiding, leading, counselling, warning, discipling. That’s why the local church is to have godly leaders. Not SAPs – self-appointed pastors, but men who meet the requirements of I Timothy 3 and Titus 1. These are to be appointed by other godly men who plant and start Bible-teaching churches. This is the pattern Paul describes in 1 Cor 3:6: “I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.” If we do not have these properly appointed leaders, what sense does a verse like I Thes 5:12-13 make: “And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves.” Men who are trained to accurately handle the Word of God, men with proven track records of faithfulness; men whose lives are beyond reasonable question – these are to be appointed by other Spirit-controlled men to be authority in the local church.

Secondly, a local church observes the ordinances of baptism and the Lord’s Supper.

These are clearly instructed by both the Lord Jesus in the Gospels, and the apostles in their writings. These two solemn ceremonies represent the meaning of the Gospel. The New Testament knows nothing of an unbaptised believer. You do not baptise yourself. As on the day of Pentecost, the church’s leaders baptised those who were saved. Now, this is an interesting point. The book of Acts records how many were saved and baptised that day, – about 3000. What does that show? Someone was keeping a record. Someone was writing names down. There was membership. It was not a self-styled, “Let’s jump in the pool, I’ll baptise you”. This was done under the auspices of the local church at Jerusalem.

Indeed, the very name of the Lord’s Supper – communion, suggests this is to be done corporately, when we meet together as a local assembly. New Testament churches meet regularly for worship, the exposition of the Scriptures. You could say the three ships of a New Testament church are worship, discipleship and fellowship.

Thirdly, the local church ministers to its members.

Go through the New Testament and count up all the ‘one another’ commands. You will find that a major theme of the New Testament is the ministry of Christians to each other in the local church. Indeed, Paul’s great metaphor of the church being a body with different members in I Corinthians 12 refers to the local church. “God hath [composed] the body together, That there should be no division in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. (1Co 12:24-25) The kind of care Paul is speaking about is only possible in a local church setting. This further indicts the ‘stay-at-home-Christianity’ mentality. How do you hope to perform the over 22 one-another commands of the New Testament when you never meet with ‘one another’?

Fourthly, the local church disciplines its unrepentant members.

The whole concept of church discipline becomes vague and impossible if we believe there is nothing more than the universal church. How do we exercise church discipline if everyone is hit-and-miss in attendance, if no one is the leader, and no one is committed enough so that discipline would even be noticeable? But when Paul writes: 1 Cor 5:13: “Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” he is writing to the local church at Corinth, telling them to exercise the authority they had as a local church.

Fifth, the local church starts and oversees ministries.

Studying the life of Paul you find something very interesting. Paul, though an apostle with far more authority than any of us will ever have, was submissive and accountable to a local church – the church at Antioch. He remained in loyal service there for probably ten years before setting off on his missionary journeys. Even when this was so, we are told, the church sent him out – he did not get up one day without the blessing and approval of his church and go off. Furthermore, when he was finished a missionary journey – he returned to Antioch to give a report. Evangelism is seldom effective if you have nowhere to report back to. Your church is a big part of your testimony. The command in Matthew 28:18-20 to make disciples is not only going – it is baptising and teaching, which presupposes the local church.

This is a New Testament church: A church with Biblical officers; one keeping biblical ordinances; one practising biblical church discipline; one ministering to each other; one overseeing ministries and missionaries. The universal church does not have elders and deacons, observe the ordinances, practise church discipline, minister to all its members or oversee ministry. It cannot. This is to be done in the local church.

Now what is a Christian’s responsibility when you believe God is leading you to a particular local church? We began by saying we must not date the church. So, instead, there is to be an entering into of a commitment, a decision to be loyal as long as God has you there i.e. – church membership. The Bible suggests this by the very terms it uses. It uses the metaphor of a human body. Various parts make up a human body, none of which is a human body by itself, but without which the human body suffers. This suggests joining yourself in organic unity with a local church. A human lung does not just attend the body, it belongs to the body. Likewise the metaphor of a household, of a family – the very terms, brothers and sisters, these suggest close family bonds. Brothers and sisters do not just attend the home – they belong to the home.

I think the New Testament gives us some clear ideas of what church membership is.

Firstly, there is identification.

In the marriage ceremony, the couple are publicly identifying their intent before God and others to stay together. There is no loose, informal agreement such as live-together couples have. There is a solemn identification that you believe, for at least this period in your life.

• You believe this is the local church you will identify with and be identified with.
• You are saying that your individual identity is now part of the corporate testimony and stand of this particular local church.
• You are stating you will be responsible to it, and it will be responsible for you. People say, “Well, I identify with Christ.” How do you identify with Christ and not identify with the local expression of His body?

I John 4:20 says: “If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”

Secondly, there is devotion.

Marriage partners promise faithfulness to each other. Now membership in a local church is not quite the same – there may be times to leave. When leadership goes corrupt and is unrepentant and lacks any sign of change – it may be time to go. Also, God may simply move you on by circumstances, neither of which cases make you unfaithful. But there certainly is something to be said for a return to loyalty and faithfulness regarding the local church. Speaking highly of it, seeking to build it up, seeking to work for its edification – this is loyalty. Loving it during the hard times as well as the good times – this is loyalty. Included in the idea of loyalty is the faithful use of your abilities, talents and spiritual gifts for the building up of the church. Instead of seeking self-edification, we are to seek that which edifies, as Paul teaches the Corinthians in chapter 14. Devotion implies a loyalty uncommon in the consumerist attitude of today. It implies a loyalty seldom seen in the market place where people job-hop and continually seek better salaries and benefits, with little or no loyalty to the company itself. Certainly some companies may be worth very little loyalty on our part, but this is not true of Christ’s body. If the local church is a Bible-centred, God-honouring, Spirit-controlled New Testament church, it certainly deserves our loyalty.

The writer of Hebrews wrote: “And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.” (Heb 10:24-25) Membership implies devotion to Christ and to His people, as organised in the local church.

Thirdly, there is submission.

Submission means coming under the guidance of the shepherds appointed to lead that assembly. That means the simple submitting of one’s ears to listen to the Word – and allowing it to cleanse and minister to you. It means accepting correction and rebuke where necessary, submitting oneself to the sometimes painful rebukes that may come. It means submitting to the needs that may arise, and the calls for your commitment or service or help or support. Perhaps the real test is submitting to the application of Biblical church discipline. Not a warped form of church discipline – the real thing as taught by Christ in Matthew 18. Very often, people’s submission to a local church is shown to be non-existent when church discipline appears on the horizon. Submission means being willing to take the bad with the good, as it were – to submit to correction as well as encouragement. Hebrews 13:17: “Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.” The Bible has checks and balances. If church authority goes bad – then it is to be disciplined as well – I Tim 5:19-20.

Don’t date the church. Jesus calls the church His Bride. If the metaphor of Christ and the church is marriage, we ought not to treat our relationship with the local church like a casual dating relationship. Instead, we need to find a Biblical New Testament church that has Biblical offices, ordinances, preaching, ministries, doctrine and practises holiness and godly living. Then, once we know this is the church for us, we need to identify with it, devote ourselves to it and submit to it. Perhaps we might roughly rephrase John F Kennedy and say, “Ask not only what a Biblical local church can do for you, ask what you can do for a Biblical local church”.