Privileges of Local Church Membership

1. Specialized Care

Church members (should) receive specialized care, meaning members receive provision and protection from leaders who are qualified and accountable.

Elders/overseers/pastors/shepherds provide concentrated and skilled care for the sheep. They shouldn’t be distant, academic “experts” like PhDs or pragmatic “professionals” like CEOs. Yet, in a good church, those who lead and feed and guard should meet certain standards.

First, overseers should be qualified. According to 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9, pastors must demonstrate character. They must be recognized for integrity in aptly (appropriately, consistently) living what they aptly teach. They follow and model the counsel they provide.

Second, overseers are accountable. Hebrews 13:17 exhorts Christians, “obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account.” They will answer God for how they care. They are also held to strict accountability as teachers (James 3:1). They will answer God for what they say.

I can appreciate the benefits of, and even the need for, peer care. The New Testament is full of mutual, “one another” responsibilities. I’m also aware that the Spirit convicts as a sort of self-diagnosis and provides prescription through illuminating the Word. I also acknowledge that no shepherd other than Jesus is perfectly knowledgeable, let alone available, thoughtful, truthful, and tender.

However, why would you not want to see a doctor who was recognized as qualified to help your health? And wouldn’t you also prefer one who was accountable, unable to do “whatever” he wanted without consequence?

God has given pastors and teachers to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for the building up of the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-12). When they do their work well, they save both themselves and their hearers (1 Timothy 4:16). They are called, charged, trained, equipped, and accountable for the souls of their sheep.

Why wouldn’t you want to follow a qualified, accountable, willing, and eager example (cf. 1 Peter 5:2-4)? And how do you expect them to know that they are responsible for you unless you identify yourself as part of their flock? Teachers have a class roll; they know who they are supposed to teach. Additionally, because they see the students day after day, they are better able to personal help and usually do so from growing personal affection.

Enroll, commit, and identify with a local flock for the sake of receiving specialized care.

2. Full Body Life

Men were never created to be alone from the beginning (Genesis 2:18), and Christians were never saved to be alone either. We, “though many, are one body in Christ and individually members of one another” (Romans 12:5; 1 Corinthians 12:27). The spiritual reality of our interconnectedness can be ignored or disliked but it can’t be undone.

In the fullness of body life we are learning to reflect the Trinity. In the church, we relate to others who are different than us but who are equally valuable before God. In some sense, others are more valuable to us because we are helped by being connected to those who are gifted differently. This is an advantage to us in three ways.

First, you are needed by others. No matter what sort of gift or service, no matter how strong or weak, “to each has been given a manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” (1 Corinthians 12:7). “God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as He chose” (12:18). We can’t do what you can do! We need you! For example, the eye shouldn’t feel pressure to perform but rather open up to the privilege of doing its part.

Second, you need others. Just as others can’t do what you can do, so you can’t do what others can. You are made to be benefitted and blessed by receiving encouragement and service from others. They see when you stand, they sing when you weep, they admonish when you’re idle, encourage when you’re fainthearted, and help when you’re weak (cf. 1 Thessalonians 5:14).

Third, together, we live in shared sorrow and joy, unity and love. When we actively do our part (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:14-20) and when we appreciate others doing their part (12:21-24), then there is “no division in the body” and “the members have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, then all rejoice together” (12:25-26).

“Whoever isolates himself seeks his own desire; he breaks out against all sound judgment” (Proverbs 18:1). Likewise, a member of the body separates itself from its own body to its own harm. Why wouldn’t you want to have your strengths fill weakness and your weakness covered by others’ strength? Why wouldn’t you want the privilege of diffused suffering (spreading out the intensity) and compounded rejoicing (boosting the intensity).

Full body life is Trinitarian, it is very good, it is a privilege.

3. Forgiveness Rehearsal

We are not merely a team with skilled position players. We are not a corporation hiring to fill a variety of jobs. We are a body, an organically and supernaturally connected people. And we are brought into the body by Christ’s reconciling work, by forgiveness. We are a gospel body. This is a privilege in two ways.

First, practicing forgiveness increases our witness. The gospel is not only a message we tell about forgiveness, the gospel is a way of life that illustrates forgiveness. Why do we proclaim Christ? Why are we excited to tell others about Him? Largely because He forgives our sin. So how can we demonstrate Christ to others? By forgiving others’ sin against us. We are to:

Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. (Colossians 3:12-14)

Church membership is important because we commit to forgive others rather than to walk away when they hurt us. Thankfully, Christ doesn’t renege on His forgiving commitment. By living like Christ in forgiveness we witness to Christ.

Second, practicing forgiveness intensifies our worship. How could someone sinning against us make worship better? It exposes how much we’ve been forgiven. Think of the parable of the king wishing to settle accounts in Matthew 18:23-35. The point of the parable is that we are a kingdom community of forgiven forgivers. We forgive lesser offenses (against us) because we’ve been forgiven infinite offenses (against God). Every time we walk a mile in His sandals, forgiving others, our gratitude and adoration intensifies.

Forgiveness rehearsal is an agonizing privilege for our corporate witness and worship. We want to get away when it’s hard, when others injure us. Members are committed to pursuing better joy and intimacy with each other through forgiveness in Christ. If we do not forgive, we show we are not truly forgiven and are not part of the body (cf. Matthew 6:14-15).

4. Faithful Wounding

Wise men know,

Faithful are the wounds of a friend;
profuse are the kisses of an enemy.
Proverbs 27:6

Wise men also know that they are prone to need “wounds” from time to time, so they commit themselves to friends. In a similar, but even more specific way,

let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. (Hebrews 10:24-25)

We “stir up,” “stimulate” (NAS), “provoke” (KJV, NRSV), “spur on” (NIV). We rouse others to activity and, more than that, we brainstorm how to do it better. Slap and stretch and shake a foot that’s fallen asleep. Think about it like physical therapy. Repeatedly knead and rotate and extend a repaired elbow. The treatment itself isn’t necessarily enjoyable. It often hurts. It is good for the health of the part. It is also necessary for the health of the body.

Some parts regularly need more attention, they keep getting into trouble. The navel may wonder why it’s always being picked on. The gathered lint reflects on the stomach. A finger that won’t stop bleeding may need to be cauterized so it won’t make a mess everywhere.

Again, we are predisposed to run from help if we think it will hurt. But “he who hates reproof is stupid” (Proverbs 12:1). In The Pilgrim’s Progress, Ignorance preferred to be alone. “I take my pleasure in walking alone, even more a great deal than in company unless I like it the better.” Of course he would. Isolation enabled him to enjoy his ignorance in (what he thought was) peace. (TPP, 146)

It “helped” Talkative to go abroad, that is, to keep moving, because then no one knew him to pin him down. “Saint abroad, a Devil at home.” (82) Talkative didn’t much appreciate the personal pressing upon. He wanted none of the accountability. But the accountability was for his own good. Especially as we remember “the Day is drawing near” (Hebrews 10:25), this work is even more important.

Even if a rebuke/wound isn’t right you can still practice forgiveness. If your friend is right, you will love him for (cf. Proverbs 9:8).

5. Soul Protection

The fifth privilege is connected with the first and with the fourth. It usually masquerades under the name Church Discipline. I understand that discipline, as with wounding, hurts. “For the moment all discipline seems painful rather than pleasant, but it later yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness to those who have been trained by it” (Hebrews 12:11). Parents discipline those they love (cf. Prov. 13:24), so does God (cf. Heb. 12:7-8; Rev. 3:19), and so must the church.

Because we are not glorified, because sin remains, and because sin makes us stupid, we need outside help. Leaders are assigned to watch over souls (Hebrews 13:17) and they must help their churches to protect the purity of the body (1 Corinthians 5:6-8) and seek the salvation of disobedient souls (1 Cor. 5:5).

What a privilege to be connected with those who love us so much and desire unity and intimacy so much that they will not sit idly by, letting us have some lesser joy. What a privilege to be committed to the joy of others so much that we will endure hard things, even from their taunts and criticism, for their sake.

Conclusion

If you don’t love the church, you put yourself at odds with Jesus. Remember Derek Webb’s song, The Church?

‘cause i haven’t come for only you
but for my people to pursue you cannot care for me with no regard for her
if you love me you will love the church

Questions

• Are you a part of Christ’s Body? In other words, are you a Christian?
• What is the difference between being part of the global Body of Christ and a local body of believers? What is the difference between being a regular attender and a member of a local body?
• If you are a Christian, and if you are 16 or older, why wouldn’t you join the church?
• If you are a Christian, and if you are leaving (GBC), what priority did finding a good church have in your decision? Have you found a good church where you’re going?

Identifying Local Church Membership

Rationale for Membership

First, all Christians are identified as part of the church (universal), Christ’s Body. That happens by (spiritual and confirmed by physical) baptism. Colossians 1:18 and 24 are two verses (among many) that reveal this identification.

Second, the church is identified by local expressions of the Body. Think all the geographical identifications of the Epistles. So not by families, let alone individuals. Elders in “every town” (Titus 1:5). Also not by ministry.

Therefore, all Christians should be identified with a local body. Yet, too many seem to want the privileges of the universal body without the hassles (and there are some) of the local body. Others seem to want the privileges of the local body without the hassles (and there can be some) of membership.

References for Membership

First, keeping roll in Acts. “Three thousand souls” in Acts 2:41 and “five thousand souls” in 4:4 are counted, in 2:47, 5:14, and 11:24 believers were added by the Lord and “to the Lord,” and according to 16:15, “so the churches were strengthened in the faith, and they increased in numbers daily.” I don’t know what spreadsheet software they used but they kept track of who was in and who wasn’t.

Second, assigning shepherds a flock. Hebrews 13:17, though exhorting sheep to obey and submit, assumes that the sheep know who their leaders are. I think it’s also fair to assume that the leaders knew what sheep they were assigned and for whom they would give an account. This dance of leading and following requires that the partners can identify one another; as Shania sang, dance with the one that brought you.

Third, taking care of widows. 1 Timothy 5:9-16 provides instructions to the (local) church for taking care of widows. Only a certain kind of widow is to be “enrolled” in order that the “church not be burdened, so that it may care for those who are truly widows.” Households and relatives bear the first responsibility (vv.3-8). The church bears the next level of responsibility. And that requires that their is an identifiable church that “enrolls” and “care” for her own widows.

Fourth, disciplining members who disobey. These passages are clear and crucial: Matthew 18:15-20, especially verse 17 and 1 Corinthians 5:1-13, especially verses 2, 12-13. In order to “tell it to the church,” the church must be identifiable. In order to have someone “removed from among you” and “purge the evil person from among you,” from “those inside the church,” their must be a way to identify who’s in and who’s out. In order for the protection to work, the disciplinee should know, the other members should know, and those outside the church should know.

Yes, there is freedom on how to do membership but, somehow, membership should be done.

Before we move on to some practical Lord’s day preparation advice, I want to clarify a couple things from last week’s message on the Lord’s day.

First, I am not saying we must do each one of the first day activities every Sunday in order to properly observe the Lord’s day. There are no commands for or regarding worship services like we have today. There are no instructions on the right order of service or how much time we should spend on any particular part of the service.

Unlike Israel’s formal Sabbath and temple worship in the OT, there is considerable freedom for Christians as we plan our time together. My point in mentioning the three categories of first day and group activities is that the raw material is there even though the shape of our Sundays may be different than the first century church. We may not style our clothes the same way, but we should cut them from the same cloth.

Second, I am also not saying that we can’t do anything else other than these things on the Lord’s day, either when we’re gathered or when we’re scattered. Like I just said, believers have a measure of liberty as a body both here and at home on Sunday. We do not want to create a “can nots” list and make laws and burdens like the Jews did to the Sabbath.

But I am saying that we should be careful about what we do on the Lord’s day and for some that does mean they should stop certain Christ-dishonoring pursuits. I am also saying that the various activities we looked at, though not commandments for corporate worship per se, are all profitable as they clear the way for us to comprehend Christ’s worth and provision and salvation and instruction on His day.

The point is that we need an entire day every week set aside to remind us that we need God! Starting with the apostles, then the early church fathers, through the Reformers and up till today, the consistent practice of the church has been to observe the first day of the week as a day for Christians to gather and worship.

The Best Day

A pastor friend of mine who helps lead a local body on the Lord’s day always posts the order of service on Saturday so his sheep can prepare. He titled his post a few weeks ago, “The Best Day.” I’ve been thinking about that ever since. The Lord’s day, the first day, is the best day of the week for Christians.

Sunday has been the center of my week for a long time, not on my calendar but in my affections. As a pastor, Sunday anchors my week, but even and especially before I was a pastor, the Lord’s day was my lifeline. It was rest from the spiritual battle. It was refreshment for my spiritual thirst. Sunday was when I got to be with my family. Sunday was when I got great instruction. It was just the best day.

I want that for you all. And I’ve got four pieces of practical advice so that the Lord’s day will be planted as the best flower in the garden of your week. Let me also say that I’m almost embarassed at how basic this advice is and how far back we’ve got to start. But I’m eager for you to do some hard-nosed evaluation and to consider how the Lord’s day might be the best day.

1. Anticipate

In other words, prepare for Sunday. Think about it ahead of time. Look forward, count down, get ready.

In your schedule.

I understand that you are not free from every responsibility just because it’s Sunday. But if you are serious about honoring the Lord on His day, it will require some effort on your part to forecast what needs to get done and then to do all the things you can before Sunday so that you can participate in as many the events of the body as possible without distraction.

The fact is, for most of us, Sunday is the most negotiable day we have. “I have to go to school Monday through Friday.” “I have to work during all week.” But Sunday is flexible. The corporate meeting of the church is like sand that moves around the bolders of appointments and responsibilities.

We plan around other thigns and through Sunday. We all do it. Our vacations are (often) longer because Sunday is another day off; we’ve got to be back in the office on Monday. We plan on doing homework on Sunday instead of working a little longer on another day so that we can go out on Friday/Saturday. That’s because Friday is the best day for us.

Now what about those who have to work on Sunday? Let me answer that two ways. It is possible that it may be the case that someone must work on Sunday to support their family. I don’t desire to place an unnecessary burden on persons in that position. I recommend they do what they can to change their schedule, but in the mean time, and hopefully only for a short season, they should look for as many opportunities as they can to make the Lord’s day special.

However, I believe most people do not have to work on Sunday in the first place. They may not make any effort to ask for Sundays off or switch shifts with someone. True, sometimes those things don’t work out. And they will probably argue that they need the hours. But why? Can I suggest that most (maybe not all) people who need to work on Sundays “for the hours” demonstrate that their life priorities are out of line. The rest of their week is full, but is that because they are slaves to some master who fills every minute? Or, is it because they are pursuing their own priorities. “But I’ve got school and work and family all week long. Sunday is the only day I’ve got.” My point is that what you pursue on Tuesday plays out on the Lord’s day.

We always do what we most want to do, and our schedule is a window into our wants. We have so many options. There are lots of jobs. When I was describing the pre-pastor time in my life when Sundays were so sweet to me, I was going to school full-time and working 30-40 hours a week. In order to make sure I could also use my spiritual giftedness, serve the body, and not neglect Sunday meetings, I worked the graveyard shift. More times than I care to count I worked Saturday at 11 pm until 7 am Sunday morning, went home to run so I wouldn’t fall asleep, attend morning worship, nap before evening worship, and return to work at 11 pm Sunday night. Was I tired? Yes. Was that schedule optimal? No. But Sunday was the best day and I anticipated it.

Most of you don’t have to worry about that. You just need to turn off the TV and go to bed at a reasonable hour so your head will be clear and your body rested.

In your heart.

The Lord’s day is a workout, not mainly because it’s a long day or there’s a lot to do, but it’s a workout because our hearts are out of spiritual shape. It is unnatural to take a whole day and focus, with full and hot affections, on someone else. Everyting in our flesh pulls our attention and our affections back to ourselves. And I promise you that if you spend the rest of your week, and especially your Saturday and Saturday night centered on you, you will resist centering on the Lord on Sunday.

You will blame the music or the preacher for not engaging you and facilitating your worship. But there is no way to please the self-centered if our services are Lord-centered. The center of those two targets are not complimentary, they are contradictory. There is no switch to flip that will instantly redirect all your self-affection to Him-affection.

That would be like a person laying on their couch, sucking down milkshakes and pizza all day all week long and then wondering why they were sucking wind after two minutes on the treadmill. Following that illustration, some of your parents make you come to the gym once a week and it’s brutal. That’s no surprise. But if there was some anticipation and preparation in your heart you might really enjoy Sunday.

So anticipate in your schedule and in your heart. The following pieces will probably fall into place if the first one is laid correctly.

2. Participate

By Getting There

Sheesh. Do I really need to say that? Apparently I do. That’s part of the reason I’m preaching about the Lord’s day in the first place.

It is true that there is no explicit command for church worship services on Sunday. But Hebrews 10:24-25 does communicate our obligation not to neglect meeting together.

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

So even though there is no command for Sunday, it is imperative that we meet. And after everything we discussed regarding the Lord’s day and the first day, I think the day for meeting is assumed.

Get here. Show up. Sunday is not a solo enterprise. After all, the word “church” (ἐκκλησία) means assembly, congregation, gathering, or group. You’ve heard it before, the church is not the building, it’s the people. So where are you? Corporate praise begins with your presence.

Some of you are like, “But my parents don’t come for first service so I can’t get here for big church.” Okay, well did you at least ask them? Maybe you did and they said no. Did you call someone for a ride? Did you set your alarm and get on your bike and ride here yourself (like one of our students does)? If you want to be here, you’ll get here.

By Being There

Attendance is where it begins, not where it ends. You are not (to be) spectators and I am not the performer. You are not the audience; God is. And He is watching me and you!

After you get here, be here. Engage! Sing! Listen! Serve! Too many come as consumers. You come to see what other people can do for you and how the people up front can entertain you. You watch, you don’t worship. You take, you don’t partake.

3. Concentrate

Each piece of advice naturally flows into the next. If the Lord’s day is worth your anticipation and participation, certainly it deserves your concentration.

Free from Distraction

It’s not just our job as the leaders to create an atmosphere that is as free from distraction as possible. We should and do try to achieve that. But there’s plenty enough to distract you right inside your own head. Assignments, bad news, a particular guy/girl who’s here, a guy/girl who isn’t, lunch, etc. are all kinds of intereference that will hinder the signal from coming through. But instead of allowing your mind to wander, aim it in adoration to the Lord.

Free from Disregard

This is dangerous. You can go through every external thing we’ve mentioned so far and it can all be an abomination to God. If your heart is far from Him, if you come it to flaunt your righteousness, it is vain. Do not disregard and disrespect the Lord (ever and definitely not) on the Lord’s day. I may not know. I may think you’re a hot snot worshipper. But I am not the audience; He knows your heart.

4. Celebrate

Isn’t this the whole point? This is not a funeral, this is a party of praise for our risen Savior! Surely there is a place for repentance, for mourning and sorrow over sin, but didn’t Jesus say those were the truly happy (blessed) people (Matthew 5:3-4)?

With Heart Integrity

Integrity and authenticity are buzzwords today. A lot of pastors are changing “church” because they feel like too many Christians camouflage their misery with polite, cheesy, Christianese speak. And I agree to some extent. Please don’t pretend that everything is alright if it isn’t. That’s hypocrisy. But also don’t act like there isn’t anything you can do about how pathetic a sinner you are. That’s folly.

If your heart isn’t right, don’t act like it is. If your heart isn’t right, get it right by the gospel.

With Multiplied Intensity

If all the other things are in order, watch out, Sunday is going to sizzle. There is something strong and resounding about an orchestra, even though an oboe could play the same song. And even though a match catches fire, it will not burn with the heat and intensity like a whole heap of sticks piled together.

So prepare your heart, be present, pay attention, and praise the Lord. Arrange your schedule, attend the services, adjust your spirit, and adore your Savior. Eagerly expect to worship, actively engage in worship, intently endeavor to worship, and passionately exult in worship.

All of this targets the heart. The heart is at the center of each piece of practical advice and is at the core of each possible activity for the Lord’s day. Genuine worship comes from the heart. Genuine worship is modeled and commanded in Scripture. If your heart isn’t right that doesn’t mean that worship is out, it means you need to get your heart in line for the sake of worship.

Perhaps we don’t really value the Lord’s day because we’re not desperate for God; God is dispensable; we delight in other things. We’re back at the broken cistern.

Conclusion

The first mark of a healthy student ministry is that we are part of a local body. We’ll always be sickly and weak if we do not participate and praise the Lord on His day. That’s why John Calvin said about Sunday,

we adopt it as a necessary remedy for preserving order in the Church. (Institutes, 2.VIII.33)

I so want your direction toward the corporate meeting of the church to be like water in a (steep) downhill pipe. Let there be no hesitation in your movement and no hindrance in your direction. There is no doubt where you’re going; you’re going to church.

Obviously our whole lives are to be worship; worship is more than just a Sunday activity, but don’t neglect the Lord’s day. And there may be times when the best way for you to worship means you’ll miss the meeting of the church on Sunday. Just don’t let that be the pattern.

My son Calvin doesn’t know a lot of words. But he has learned the names of the people living at our house, and he identifies everything by the person who owns it. He’ll point out everything he recognizes by who uses it. Cars, chairs, ladders, anything. If someone were to look at how you spend your Sunday, who would they say owned it? You? Or the Lord?

For some additional application advice, see John Piper’s 10 Practical Preparations for Hearing the Word of God on Sunday Morning

In December of 2003 I taught a short series of sermons under the banner “Church Life for Teens.” The initial motivation for that series was that I really wanted students to understand the importance of the biblical ordinances: baptism and the Lord’s Supper. I tagged on a short message concerning church etiquette, hoping to instruct students about customary and polite behavior at church (such bottom line basics like not sleeping in church or getting up, leaving, and returning in the middle of a service).

Perhaps some of you remember the events that followed. As I was preaching through those messages on church life I realized I had missed a fundamental thing. My assumption was that the church was a priority. I was wrong. There were some parachurch groups becoming more and more popular at that time and a number of our own students were directing a good portion of their time and energy into things I argued were inferior to, if not in direct competition with, the church. So I taught a couple messages on the Potential Problems with Parachurch.

But almost four years later I see another trend. This trend is even more of a threat than parachurch groups or misunderstanding about proper church behavior or ignorance about the ordinances. This trend is more selfish and more dangerous and more disobedient and more dishonoring to God than perhaps all those others. The trend, the threat, is NEGLECTING THE LORD’S DAY.

There is an increasing pattern of neglecting the Lord’s Day, Sunday, in our culture. That is probably to be expected. But most alarming is the growing disregard for Sunday and corporate worship I see here in this room, in our own ministry (and across the whole church).

I’ve given a lot of thinking effort in attempt to pinpoint why there is so much neglect. Maybe some of you just don’t know. Perhaps the problem is plain old Bible ignorance about the priorities and practices of the Lord’s day. The only thing you know about the Lord’s day is that your parents have made you go all your life. It’s just the pattern, not your passion. If that’s the case, I hope some instruction will help stir up eagerness and energy for first-day gathering.

But I’m afraid there are more here whose primary problem is not ignorance; it is selfishness and laziness. You know, either from past instruction or from your own conscience, that the Lord must be honored more on Sundays by you, but you refuse and neglect to dedicate and celebrate His day. Those of you need not only light, but heat; not only teaching but warning; not only truth, but loving pleading and prodding to get you back where you belong.

Now it is likely at this point that some are already defensive. Perhaps you are defensive because I couldn’t possibly know your particular sob story. You can’t make Sundays a priority. You just can’t change your schedule or you’re just doing what your parents want, etc. We’ll talk about that.

Others would say, Christians are saved individually. And I would agree, in some sense. But even if we agree that our relationship with Christ is personal, we cannot dismiss the fact that our relationship with the church is corporate. Students may be Christians by themselves, but every Christian is part of the church. Spurgeon called such disconnected Christians “good-for-nothing bricks.”

I know there are some who say, “Well, I have given myself to the Lord, but I do not intend to give myself to the church.” Now why not? “Because I can be a Christian without it.” Are you quite clear about that? You can be as good a Christian by disobedience to your Lord’s commands as by being obedient? What is a brick made for? To help build a house. It is of no use for the brick to tell you that it is just as good a brick while it is kicking about on the ground as it would be in the house. It is a good-for-nothing brick. So you rolling-stone Christians, I do not believe that you are answering your purpose. You are living contrary to the life which Christ would have you live, and you are much to blame for the injury you do.

Still others of you are defenders of faith, in other words, you love to hunt Pharisees and legalists. You fight against anything that even hints like it’s a rule or an external requirement because after all, we’re saved by faith alone. Church attendance can’t save us and we all know that God cares most about the heart. Those kind of students are afraid of formality and tradition and going through the motions and routine. Fair enough.

But what if God holds us responsible, not for missing church meetings or sleeping during sermons or being distracted from worship itself per se, but what if He holds us responsible for those things because they demonstrate that our hearts weren’t right? I agree that God is not most concerned about our attendance…He’s concerned about our heart’s attention! We don’t want to be Pharisees, but we also don’t want to be servants who are defiant to our Lord.

I pray God would use this message like a pointblank fire hose to douse our selfishness and direct us and drench us with love for the Lord’s day.

The Lord’s Day

George Orwell said,

Sometimes the first duty of intelligent men is the restatement of the obvious.

I’m not claiming intelligence, but I do think some restatement of the obvious regarding the Lord’s day is an eternally and spiritually intelligent thing to do.

Even the phrase itself, the Lord’s day is instructive. It isn’t just Sunday or the first day of the calendar week or the last day of your weekend. In fact it’s not your day at all. It is the Lord’s day. The name is biblical, and though only found in one verse, it is an inspired designation. The apostle John wrote in Revelation 1:10,

I was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet.

John was isolated on the island of Patmos; exiled as punishment for preaching the gospel. As he began to write the Revelation of the end times he tells us when he received this vision: on the Lord’s day.

This is the only verse that uses this exact phrase. And after reading it in English I had a question, because I was familiar with a similar phrase found plenty of places in the Old and New Testaments referring to “the day of the Lord.” I’ve read my Bible enough and taken enough theology classes to know that “the day of the Lord” denotes a coming, eschatological day of judgment, when the Lord comes back and pours out His wrath on those nations and peoples who rejected Him.

And if you know anything about translation you know that there are numerous ways to indicate possession. You can say “the desk of Bob” or “Bob’s desk.” Both constructions show that the desk is owned by Bob. In English we typically show possession by adding apostrophe “s” but in highly inflected languages (like Greek) possession is expressed by this genitive phrasing.

So I wondered if it was same phrase, and if so, why every other time in Scripture we read “the day of the Lord” but here in Revelation 1:10 it was translated “the Lord’s day.” There are at least a couple reasons for the difference. The first is word order.

In most of the references to the day of the Lord, “Lord” comes after “day” in the typical genitive construction.

ἡ ἡμέρα τοῦ κυρίου
the day of the Lord

But in Revelation 1:10, the word for “Lord” comes between the article and the noun. This is the first attributive position and is the principal way to accentuate or highlight the adjective more than the noun. The emphasis is on Lord’s.

τῇ κυριακῇ ἡμέρᾳ
the Lord’s day

But word order is not the biggest reason why Revelation 1:10 is different. The biggest reason is because it isn’t even the same word. The word in Revelation 1:10 is a form of κυριακός. While in the same family of words as the noun, κύριος, meaning Lord, this is an adjective that doesn’t refer to the person, it distinctly describes what belongs to the person.

The word κυριακός is not a Bible-only word. It was used frequently in secular Greek writings in imperial, official language: “concerning the emperor” or “belonging to the emperor,” often referring to the emperor’s accounts and what was rightfully owned and due to his position. John applies the word to a particular day as “belonging to the Lord; the Lord’s.” Like anything owned by the King, this day is set apart for, specially possessed by, and distinctive of the Lord. It is not my day or your day or even the church’s day; it is the Lord’s day.

There is only one other place that κυριακός is used to describe something else owned by the Lord. In 1 Corinthians 11:20 Paul refers to “the Lord’s supper” and totally transforms ordinary food and common meals into something that is distinct, special, and set apart. Paul admonished the Corinthians that they were treating His table with disrespect and therefore treating Him with disregard.

So κυριακός is an imperial, royal, kingly word, and His day is not something for us to treat with indifference. Matthew Henry wrote,

The name shows how this sacred day should be observed; the Lord’s day should be wholly devoted to the lord, and none of its hours employed in a sensual, worldly manner, or in amusements. … Those who would enjoy communion with God on the Lord’s day, must seek to draw their thoughts and affections from earthly things.

We are so far away from Sunday’s like this. We do not treat the day like it’s His. It’s our day, and we may share a few hours with Him if we don’t have something better to do. Instead, we should restate the obvious and remember and rehearse that it is the Lord’s day.

The First Day

The first day of the week, Sunday, was and is the Lord’s day. In the Old Testament the Jews were commanded to keep the Sabbath; to set apart the seventh day of the week (Saturday) and rest from their work just as God rested from His work of creation. But after the resurrection of Jesus on Sunday, believers have regularly gathered and worshipped on Sunday.

At least a few New Testament passages demonstrate the clear teaching and example of the apostles (Acts 20:7-12 and 1 Corinthians 16:2). And there is no doubt that when John mentioned (c. AD 100) that his vision was on the Lord’s day, he was longing for the corporate Christian fellowship and worship from which he was isolated.

There are multiple references to Sunday as the Lord’s day from the early church fathers as well, spanning from the 2nd through the 5th centuries. Just one example comes from Justin Martyr (c. AD 150):

On Sunday we hold our joint meeting; for the first day is that on which God, having removed darkness and chaos, made the world, and Jesus Christ our Saviour rose from the dead.

And really since the middle of the first century, for almost 2000 years Christians have gathered on Sunday and recognized it as the Lord’s day. This is part of our Christian heritage and should be prized as a special thing.

So what are we to do on the Lord’s day, the first day of the week? Are were simply to dress up in our Sunday best and sit around all day being bored? Well, what do we see in Scripture?

Explicit First Day Activities

In Acts 20:7-12 and 1 Corinthians 16:2 we see at least three explicit, that is clearly stated in detail, activities.

1. The Lord’s Supper – Acts 20:7a

Acts 20:7 On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread,…

The connection is obvious. The day is the Lord’s day, it is the weekly anniversary of the Lord’s resurrection, so commemorating His death and resurrection in the Lord’s supper makes sense.

So the believers in Troas gathered together to break bread. This was more significant than just having a meal, it was part of their communion service (as 1 Corinthians 11 points out). Remembering the Lord’s sacrifice and celebrating the salvation He provides is an appropriate part of Sunday worship.

2. Teaching and Exhortation – Acts 20:7b

Acts 20:7 …Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.

While the believers were gathered Paul instructed them from God’s Word. This was not just conversation. It says he “talked” with them later (v.11). You might remember that his message was so long that particular Sunday that one young man fell asleep and fell from the third floor.

Teaching has always been one of the primary reasons to gather. The early church was continually devoting themselves to the apostle’s teaching (Acts 2:42) and Paul exhorts Timothy and Titus to speak and teach and preach and instruct and exhort and remind and rebuke and reprove in season and out of season with all patience (1 Timothy 4:11, 13; 2 Timothy 2:14-15; 4:1-4; Titus 2:1, 15; 3:1, 8 )

I’ve said it before, God’s Word is powerful to save and sanctify. And while the two-edged sword can cut in private, there is a special place on the Lord’s day for the sword in public. On the Lord’s day we give attention to the Lord’s word. (cf. Hebrews 4:12-13, His Word is the only thing that can get to your heart!)

3. Giving – 1 Corinthians 16:2

1 Corinthians 16:2 On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper,…

There is something right about giving to the Lord’s work on the Lord’s day. Instead of giving whatever and whenever we feel like it, it is an important discipline to prepare and bring money (that the Lord provided in the first place) to give to the Lord. This is another way in which we acknowledge that this is His day as we give gifts.

Most student giving is pitiful and sorry.

Explicit Corporate Activities

While there are only a few things directly connected with Sunday in Scripture, there are a few more practices that are directly connected with corporate meetings of the church.

1. Baptism

Baptism is the other ordinance our Lord gave in addition to the Lord’s supper. It is the public and corporate identification of the believer to his Lord.

2. Reading of Scripture – 1 Timothy 4:13

1 Timothy 4:13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.

Again, we give attention to what our Lord says when we give attention to the Bible. God promises that His Word will not return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11).

3. Prayer – 1 Timothy 2:1

Paul begins giving instructions for various groups in the body when they meet. Prayer is an acknowledgment of our dependence on the Lord.

Implicit Corporate Activities

1. Singing

Singing is never directly connected with Sunday in the NT, but based on the example of Israel’s corporate worship, the NT obligations to speak to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs (Colossians 3:16), and the heavenly singing John describes (Revelation 5:9), corporate singing is valuable to recognize and praise the Lord.

2. Ministry Reports

Regularly in Acts we see believers giving report of the Lord’s work in another place, providing opportunity for prayer requests and thanksgiving.

Notice that all these things are about substance, not form. The material is there, but the particular style is not always defined.

And I don’t think that we are necessarily prohibited from doing other things on the Lord’s day, but each one of these elements of the church gathered aims us toward the Lord. That is why they are so important, that we might revere the Lord on His day.

The point is that we need an entire day every week set aside to remind us that we need God! The constant witness of the apostles and early church fathers was to observing the first day of the week as a day for Christians to gather and worship.

Next week we’ll consider the Lord’s day, the first day, as the best day, and consider some practical steps we can take to celebrate Sunday’s as His day.