Acts 2: 47 (NKJV)

1. Acts 2:47(NKJV) 47praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved.

2. Membership Of The Church Acts 2:47

3. Membership Of The Church • Last week we began a series of lessons designed to help us see the distinctiveness of the Lord’s church • There are many who do not see the difference between the church spoken of in the New Testament, and the many denominations in society today

4. Membership Of The Church • Jesus said in Matthew 16:18 that “I will build My church” • If the church is His, then everything we learn and know about it should come from Him • We looked at some basic truths last week concerning what the church is

5. Membership Of The Church • We noticed that the church is… • the called out • the saved • the body of Christ • the bride of Christ • the house of God • the pillar and ground of the truth

6. Membership Of The Church • One of the most basic aspects of the church would be the membership requirements • How does one become a member of the church of the New Testament? • If we find that answer, then we will know the admission standards for the church today as well

7. The Who • To find the answers to our questions, we simply go to God’s word • “And the Lord added to the church daily those who were being saved” (Acts 2:47) • The first “who” we look at here is “Who is doing the adding?”

8. The Who • The Lord was the one adding to the church • It’s His church, His body, and He is the savior of the body (Eph. 5:23) • There is no committee meeting or “pastors” or “ministers” that add to the body

9. The Who • The other “who” here is “Who is being added to the church?” • The Bible says that it is “those who were being saved” • So the saved are the only ones being added to the church, being done by the Lord Himself

10. The Who • The conclusion we draw then is that one cannot be a member of the Lord’s church unless they are saved • This salvation must be God’s way, not ours • The next question is, “What is Biblical salvation?”

11. The How • Understanding the “who” in Acts 2:47 is certainly important • We also need to understand how one becomes saved, so that we know exactly who the saved are added to the church • Understanding a verse can mean looking at it in context

12. The How • So if we look at Acts 2:47 in it’s context, we can see how those on the day of Pentecost were saved • Peter preached a very direct sermon to those Jews who wanted to see Jesus crucified • He proclaimed Him “Lord and Christ”

13. The How • After being convicted of their sin, they asked what they could do • “Repent and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins…” (v. 38) • Belief was inherent in this command; their asking what to do showed that

14. The How • Remember that the Bible teaches us that the church is also the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18) • Romans 6:3-6 tells us that we are baptized into Christ • Galatians 3:27 teaches us the same thing

15. The How • The Bible explains to us how salvation is in Christ • “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood” (Rev. 1:5) • “In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins” (Eph. 1:7)

16. The How • “And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22:16) • Belief in Christ leads to obedience (baptism) which then puts us into Christ (church) where His blood cleanses us from our sins

17. The How • Remember we are the “called out” • We are called by the gospel (II Thess. 2:14) • The gospel is the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ (I Cor. 15:1-4) • We must obey the gospel (II Thess. 1:8)

18. The How • How do we obey the gospel? • Romans 6:3-6 • Our obedience to the gospel culminates with our being buried with Him in baptism and raised to walk in newness of life • II Corinthians 5:17