THE FOUR TYPES OF CHURCH MEMBERS

In every church in America and the world, there are four types of church members. In this age, the Church Age, the church is supposed to point the world toward Jesus Christ. That is not happening in many churches today. WHY?

People have gotten the wrong idea about church membership. Too many people look at church membership today as if it comes with no obligations and no responsibilities. Many look at church as a social institution, a place to make business, personal, and political contacts, but the church is so much more than that. The church is to point people to Jesus.

If the church is not doing that today, it is not the Lord’s fault; it is the fault of the membership of the church. As we look at the four types of members in every church, I think you will understand why the church is not pointing people to Jesus.

1.                     Christlike Members

1 John 1: 7-9

7 But if we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanses us from all sin. 8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

John’s Epistles are written to Christians. You know that by his use of the word we. A Christlike member walks in the light and fellowships with fellow members and God. The light in these verses is referring to the absolute perfection of God’s standard. Now, we know it is impossible to walk in those standards, but a Christlike member is not ashamed of that word confess in verse 9. A Christlike member makes it a practice to confess their sins so that they can walk in the light. In the wording, it says that when a Christlike member confesses that He is faithful and just to forgive us of our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. What does that last part mean? When a Christlike member confesses sins, he or she is even forgiven of sins that he or she did not even know he or she committed. Confession of sin brings about a cleansing from all sin, and that is what happens in the life of a Christlike member. A Christlike member sins, but that Christlike member knows to confess that sin immediately. Because a Christlike member is able to walk in the light due to forgiveness and confession, there are certain characteristics that mark him or her.

A.        Faith

A Christlike member is marked by a strong faith. A faith that comes from studying God’s Word.

Romans 10: 17  So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.   

Studying God’s Word increases faith because the Holy Spirit, through God’s Word, will give the Christlike member a perfect picture of who Christ is and the promises of God. The Bible says the just live by faith. A Christlike member does just that because his or her faith has increased due to studying God’s Word. A Christlike member cherishes what God has inspired which is the perfect, inerrant Scriptures. Reading those inspired verses causes that person’s faith to grow and grow.

B.        Obedience John 14: 15    If you love Me, keep My commandments. 

A Christlike member keeps the commandments of Christ. In 1 John 2, John says that Christians know the commandments. He is not referring to the 10 Commandments. He is referring specifically to the commands given by Christ. What are those commandments?

Matthew 22: 36-40    36 “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the law?”37 Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ 40 On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”

Matthew 28: 19-20    19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.

Jesus gives, according to me, two independent commands and two commands that are dependent upon the first two. The two independent commands are that a Christian is to love the Lord with all of his or her heart, soul, and mind, and a Christian is to love his or her neighbor just as himself or herself. If a Christian is obedient to those two commands, he will be obedient in the two other commands that are dependent upon those first two. Namely, a Christian that obeys those first two commands will go and make disciples and will teach those converts how to make more disciples. A Christlike member is obedient in keeping those commandments.

C.        Prayer

James 5: 16    Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 

1 Thessalonians 5: 17-18       17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Prayer is the most powerful weapon a Christian has, and it is the most under-utilized weapon for most Christians and church members. A Christlike member lives in prayer. The reasons why a Christlike member can pray fervently is his or her faith and his or her obedience. We are to pray. Prayer is not to be neglected.

D.        Love

1 Corinthians 13: 4-7                 4 Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; 5 does not behave rudely, does not seek its own, is not provoked, thinks no evil; 6 does not rejoice in iniquity, but rejoices in the truth; 7 bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

1 John 2: 5-6        5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

A Christlike member is a loving member. He or she loves the Lord, the church, and the church’s members. Because a Christlike member is faithful, because a Christlike member is obedient, because a Christlike member prays, and because a Christlike member is loving, he or she abides in Christ and the love of Christ is perfected in him or her. A Christlike member will neither cause dissension nor get mad when things do not go his or her way. A Christlike member will not get caught up in petty disagreements because he or she is perfected by the love of Christ. Look at this verse.

1 John 2: 10   He who loves his brother abides in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him.

A Christlike member will love his brothers and sisters in Christ. As a result, that member is abiding in the light, and here is the important part. Because of their love and the abiding presence of Christ, there is no cause for stumbling in him or her. A Christlike member will not be trapped in or ensnared by sin, and if he or she does sin, he or she is not trapped by that sin, but he or she confesses it immediately so that he or she will remain abiding in the light. AMEN!!!! Because a Christlike member has a strong faith, is obedient, prays, and is loving, he or she produces fruits of the Spirit instead of fruits of the flesh.

Galatians 5: 22-24     22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. 24 And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 

A Christlike member will not be controlled by his or her desires or passions. He or she will be controlled by the Spirit and that control will produce the types of fruit against which there are no laws. A Christlike member is marked by faith, obedience, prayer, love, and the fruit he or she produces. These are made possible by that member abiding in Christ, and that is the key.

John 15: 4-5      4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.

A Christlike member abides in Christ. Now, I said Christlike members are a small minority of the total church membership. Considering what I just said, did I describe you? Are you a Christlike member? You are not if you do not fellowship with fellow members. You are not if you hold grudges, gossip, or cause dissension. If I did not describe you, it could be that you fall into the next category of church members, backslidden members.

2.         Backslidden Members

Unfortunately, a larger percentage of the church membership falls into the backslidden category. Let me be clear about this. We often think that church members who never attend are backslidden. In reality, those who never attend are more than likely lost, or at the very least, they are carnal. Someone can be a backslider and never miss a church service. If the description of a Christlike member does not fit you, that means that you are one of the other three types of church members. A backslidden member knows the marks of a Christlike member. He or she knows about faith, obedience, love, and prayer. He or she knows the fruits that a Christlike member is supposed to bear. To go from being Christlike to backslidden means that a backslidden Christian has stopped abiding in Christ. How do backslidden members get to this point? It is quite simple. A backslidden member, in his soul, has given a place to the Devil.

Ephesians 4: 25-31    25 Therefore, putting away lying, “Let each one of you speak truth with his neighbor,” for we are members of one another. 26 “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, 27 nor give place to the devil.28 Let him who stole steal no longer, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give him who has need. 29 Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. 30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. 31 Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. 

A backslidden member is not abiding in Christ because he or she has grieved the Holy Spirit by allowing the Devil to gain a stronghold in his or her life. A backslider’s sins are not necessarily more grievous than a Christlike member’s sins. All church members are prime to the sins Paul lists in Ephesians 4, lying, anger, corrupt communication, malice, etc. All Christians are prone to these sins because of the nature we inherited from our Ole Granddaddy, Adam. These sins, however, do not mark a Christlike member’s life. These sins, however, do mark a backslider’s life. A backslidden member is going to want to know all the gossip. The backslidden member likes to poke the bear. The backslidden member will have hurt feelings all the time because of the size of the chip on his or her shoulder. How does a member go from being Christlike to backslidden? Ephesians 4: 26 is the key. “Be angry, and do not sin”: do not let the sun go down on your wrath,”

The distance between abiding and backsliding is measured by confession of sins. A backslidden member allows the sun to go down on his or her sin, and that sin builds up because of a lack of confession. Remember what John said.

1 John 2: 5-6       5 But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him. 6 He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.

How is this possible?

1 John 1: 8-9      8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 

If a member refuses to confess sin, that member is not abiding in Christ. That member has grieved the Holy Spirit and has backslidden. You are either going forward with Christ, or you have backslidden. Too many preachers have to smooth out disagreements over hurt feelings. Dear friend, that is not the preacher’s responsibility. It is the Holy Spirit’s. When you get all caught up in your feelings, the Holy Spirit will convict you of that sin, and if you get mad or hold a grudge instead of confessing it, you have grieved the Holy Spirit. You are no longer walking in the light because the Bible says to fellowship with God, you must be in fellowship with the membership. If you do not confess that sin before the sun goes down, you allow that sin to buildup, and it is as if you are a vine cut from the branch. You cannot live.

Seriously, ask yourself this. If someone does something to you or says something to you that hurts your feelings in church, who do you think is behind your anger or wrath that starts to build up? It certainly is not the Holy Spirit. It is the Devil, and if you do not confess that anger, even though you might never miss a church service, you have become backslidden, and that condition describes the majority of most church memberships. If you give him a place in your life, he laughs in your face if you try to avoid him, but through confession, you can tell him to leave you alone, and that is what a Christlike member is able to do. Some members are Christlike, a larger number is backslidden, and unfortunately, an even larger number of the membership falls into the last two categories of church members.

If you are not Christlike, if you are not backslidden, you are either carnal or lost.

3.         Carnal Members

A carnal church member wanders around in the wilderness just like the nation of Israel after they were freed from Egypt. Those Israelites, except for Caleb and Joshua, never entered the Promised Land, and unfortunately, many Christians never enter the Promised Land, the victory that God desires for them. Paul wrote two letters to the Church at Corinth concerning the carnality of the church’s members. In writing to the Romans, Paul said this.

Romans 12: 2       And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

Romans 8: 5-6      For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.

A carnal member is a slave to the sin from which he or she has been freed. The carnal Christian belongs to the world because he or she has a care-free attitude toward sin, the church, and God’s Word. Notice, what Paul says about the carnality of the church membership of the last days.

2 Timothy 3: 1-5        1But know this, that in the last days perilous times will come: 2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good, 4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God, 5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away! 

These carnal Christians, these carnal members, have a form of godliness but deny its power. A carnal member has been pardoned at Calvary, but they did not receive the power of Pentecost. I am not talking about receiving the Holy Spirit. I am talking about being filled with the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5: 18      And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit, 

A carnal member needs to confess his or her sin, repent, and be filled with the Spirit. If he or she will do that, he or she can abide in Christ and enjoy the victory Christ wants them to enjoy. If he or she does not do that, he or she will continually wander around in the wilderness. The church has Christlike members, backslidden members, carnal members, and unfortunately, lost members.

4.         Lost Members

2 Corinthians 13: 5-6        5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. 6 But I trust that you will know that we are not disqualified.

Not all church members are saved. They have substituted some experience for true salvation. The evidence for my claim is that in every church a high percentage of the membership lives in sin and frequents the church with his or her absence which indicates carnality or being lost. Most lost church members want to live like the Devil and hope that church membership guarantees their entrance into glory, but the church is not the way to glory. Jesus is the Way. Church membership does not save. A belief in Jesus Christ saves.

John 3: 16    For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

Romans 10: 9-10        9 that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10 For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 

To be saved, you must believe in Jesus, the virgin-born, sinless Son of God, who died for your sins and who was raised from the dead on the third day. If you believe that, you will be saved. I am not talking about a head knowledge. The facts of who Jesus is will not save you, an absolute belief and trust in Jesus is what saves you. You can have a head knowledge of Jesus and go to Hell. You must believe in your head, heart, and soul that Jesus is who the Bible says He is.

It is as easy as ABC.

Admit that you are a sinner. The Bible tells us as much in the Book of Romans.

Romans 3: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,

Romans 6: 23   For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We are all sinners. Because we sin, that sin separates us from God by death. Every single one of us is going to die because of sin. You must admit that you are a sinner.

Believe in Jesus Christ.

Acts 16: 31    So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.

Acts 4: 12       Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”

Because you are a sinner and separated from God, you need someone to bridge the gap between you and God. You need someone to lead the way, and that someone is Jesus. Jesus could die for your sins because He did not sin. He was the perfect sacrifice that became your substitute. He died for you, and you can believe on Him to save you. When you believe in Jesus, you will repent. You will turn away from sin. You will not live a sinner’s lifestyle.

Confess.

When you admit that you are a sinner and believe in and on Jesus, you must confess it before man. Jesus said this:

Matthew 10: 32-33    32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven. 33 But whoever denies Me before men, him I will also deny before My Father who is in heaven.

Confession for some reason seals the deal. When you admit you are a sinner, believe in Jesus, and confess it before man, you will be saved, and you can abide in Christ and begin enjoying eternal life at that very moment. As a lost member, you might be highly regarded. You might even serve in the church. You might be more “churchly” than a backslider. You might act more saved that a carnal member, but the backslider and the carnal Christian will go to Heaven, but you will go to Hell. Will you examine yourself? Are you abiding in Christ? Are you lost? I have told you what you need to do. Will you do as I have said?