1. Acts 18 27 is the earliest mention of letters which would accompany a person moving to another church fellowship. Speaking of Apollos:
Acts 18:26ff ........ Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him to them and expounded to him the way of God more perfectly. 27And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brothers wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he had come, helped them greatly who had believed through grace:
2. 2 Cor 3:1 shows that some needed letters of commendation also showing that was a common practice as it says that they also wrote such letters as well as receiving them.
2 Cor 3:1 Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or do we need, as some do, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you?
3. 1Tim 5:9 speaks of supporting widows. "Taken into the number" shows there had to be a reckoning of who was and was not a member "in the number."
1 Tim 5:9 let not a widow be taken into the number under sixty years old, having been the wife of one man,
4. The tradition of extending "the right hand of fellowship" to someone who has not been a local member but makes their own statement that they have been baptized in the name of Jesus for the remission of sins and wish membership in a local Christian Church is based on Gal 2:9. Our tradition is to accept a statement in lieu of a letter. No letter seems to have been given to or carried by Paul and Barnabas.
Ga 2:9 And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go to the heathen, and they to the circumcision.
5. A person could be deprived of membership. He could be "disfellowshipped" by the action of the whole congregation (not the preacher or elders). If he was removed as a member then there must have been a membership roll to which he with others belonged.
1Cor 4In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5To deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus. 6Your glorying is not good. Do you not know a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Therefore purge out the old leaven, that you may be a new lump, as you are unleavened.
6. Elders have responsibility over the "flock." There has to be some way to know who is in the flock and who is not. How can you watch over some one if you do not know who is in the flock.
Acts 29 :28 Take heed therefore to yourselves and to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood.
1Pet 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight of it, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but from a ready mind; 3Not as being lords over God's heritage, but being examples to the flock.
7. Christians are admonished to obey the elders in their local church. How do you know which congregation’s elders are responsible for you and which ones you are to respect as your spiritual overseers if you are not a member of a local church. Christians are to obey their elders of their local "flock." Members at 1st Christian do not need to seek the advice of the elders of Ben Hill Christian Church, Their elders are responsible for their flock, not ours. Unless someone, from there, places his "membership" here.
Hebrews 13: 7 Remember those who have leadership over you, who have spoken to you the word of God: whose faith follow, .........17Obey those who have the leadership and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as those who must give an account, that they may do it with joy and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
8. A Bible based church scripturally, fully "set in order" (see Titus 1:5) has elders who are the leaders assisted by deacons who SERVE the saints who make up the congregation. Paul and Timothy wrote to them. Notice they did not write to "The Pastor." There was no one man "Pastor." They included the saints or those saved Christians who would be in the "number."
Plilp 1:1 Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons:
9. A sinning member who had been expelled from the local church could be restored to membership. That is: he could be restored to the fellowship of that local church upon his repentance. There seems to have been a formal acceptance offered that was yet to be offered in Corinth to the repentant sinner who was expelled after the action in 1 Cor 5. The following scripture show that the disfellowship action was carried out by the congregation i.e. was inflicted of many, – not by officers or one man. The repentant brother was restored to membership.
2Cor 2: 6 Sufficient to such a man is this punishment, which was inflicted of many. 7So that contrariwise you ought rather to forgive him and comfort him, lest perhaps such a one should be swallowed up with overmuch sorrow. 8Therefore I beseech you that you would confirm your love toward him. 9For also to this end I wrote, that I might know the proof of you, whether you would be obedient in all things. 10 To whom you forgive any thing, I forgive also:
10. Some people in Bible time, as well as the present, usurp authority that does not scripturally belong to them. (We are speaking about a New Testament church not any denomination which does not try to follow New Testament church order as Christian Churches have aimed at doing.) Diotrephes mentioned in 3rd John usurped the congregation’s authority as to who could and could not be received as a member and also "cast out" members of the church. If there were no church roll as who was or was not a member, how could they be "cast out?" Diotrephes could not have acted arbitrarily at all if he did not know which member opposed him. He was a usurper of the freedom which belonged to all. The rest of the letter shows that John ignored the false usurper and visited the church anyway.
John says in 3Jo. 9 I wrote to the church: but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us. 10Therefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words: and is not content with that, neither does he himself receive the brothers and forbids those who would and casts them out of the church.
What do you think happened to Diotrephes? Did the church let him stay?
