Life Church 101 – Discovering Life Church Membership
Last Updated on April 8, 2020 by Rocklyn Clarke
vine
Contents
(4/24/2012 – under review in consideration of our revised vision, mission, and core values)
Life Church 101 is our basic membership class. You will get a basic overview of our ministry and explanations of the benefits and responsibilities of membership. At the end of the class, you will have an opportunity to sign a membership covenant and become a member. This is the class to take:
- If you are interested in becoming a part of Life Church.
- If you just want to find out more about us, since the signing of the membership covenant is optional. You are free to take this class as many times as you like without deciding to join.
Class Contents
(Click on a topic for more details.)
- Our Salvation: Jesus, Christianity, and Church
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Our Four Life Principles
God Exists
God exists! – Genesis 1:1-25
God Loves You and Wants a Relationship With You
This has always been God’s goal. – Genesis 1:26-31; 2 Corinthians 5:1 – 6:2
A Relationship With God Must Be On His Terms
God calls the shots! – Genesis 2:1-25
God’s Terms Are: Follow Jesus
We must follow Jesus! – Matthew 3:13-17; Matthew 17:1-8; Hebrews 1:1-4
Jesus frequently told people to follow him:
- Peter, Andrew, James, and John – Matthew 4:18-22
- Another disciple – Matthew 8:18-22
- Matthew (Levi) – Matthew 9:9-13
- Rich young man – Matthew 19:16-30
Following Jesus is something that we do in a publicly verifiable way!
Following Jesus
Who Is Jesus?
You can learn more about who jesus is from our Jesus page.
How Do I Follow Jesus?
Following Jesus is a lot like following other leaders or trainers (e.g. exercise instructors, MCs, band leaders, drill sergeants, etc.). You follow by using your whole body:
- Head
- Brain: Remember
- Eyes: Read God’s Word
- Ears: Listen to him – Matthew 17:1-13; John 10:1-16
- Nose
- Mouth: Identify with him – Matthew 9:35 – 10:42; Mark 8:27-38
- Hands
- Serve him – John 12:20-50
- Give
- Heart (figuratively)
- Repent – Matthew 4:12-17
- Believe in him – John 6:22-40
- Feet: Go tell others
- Reproductive Organs
What Happens When I Follow Jesus?
Following Jesus has two basic results:
- Salvation
- Eternal Life
Salvation and Eternal Life – It’s Personal
What Does It Mean?
Salvation
When we talk about being “saved” we really mean “rescued”. Salvation is the process and/or the condition of being rescued from several things:
Sin
The word “sin” refers to the internal human condition that results in “sins” – the specific acts of disobedience to God that we commit. Its original meaning is to “miss the mark”, a reference to it’s origin as a archery term.
- Independence from God – Genesis 2:8-17; Genesis 3:1-24; Romans 1:18-32
- Universal human condition – Isaiah 53:6; Romans 3:9-26
- Adam’s sin is our sin – Romans 5:12-21
- Jesus was sinless – John 8:21-29, 42-47
- Jesus saves us from our sins – Isaiah 53:5; Matthew 1:20-23
Sickness
Salvation is good news for the physically sick. Jesus healed everyone who came to him as a reflection of God’s desire for our well-being and in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy (Isaiah 53:1-12; Matthew 8:1-17).
God’s Wrath
God’s wrath refers to the anger that we deserve because of our sinful rebellion. Jesus saves us from this (Romans 5:1-11).
Satan’s Power
Our sinful rebellion has left the entire human race vulnerable to Satan’s power. Jesus saves us from this (Luke 10:1-20; 1John 3:4-10).
Who Can Be Saved?
Salvation is promised to:
- The sheep (followers) who enter through the gate (Jesus) – John 10:1-18
- Those who stand firm to the end (spoken to disciples) Matthew 9:35 – 10:42
- Those who give up their lives for Jesus daily – Luke 9:18-26
- Those who believe and are baptized – Mark 16:14-20
Eternal Life
Eternal life is God’s life lived out in us. Eternal life is promised to:
- Those who give up everything to follow Jesus – Matthew 19:16-30
- Those who love God with all their heart, soul, and mind and who love their neighbors as themselves – Luke 10:25-37
- Those who believe in Jesus – John 3:1-21
God’s Grace
Our understanding of salvation and eternal life would be incomplete without discussing God’s grace!
Salvation Is By Grace
Salvation and eternal life cannot be earned. We receive them because we put our trust in what God has already accomplished for us through Jesus Christ and not by putting our trust in the good things that we do:
- Ephesians 2:1-10
- Tit 3:1-8
Grace Frees Us From The Law
Because we’ve been saved from God’s wrath, we are now free from trying to “measure up” to God’s standard by our own effort.
God is not mad at us – he’s for us and not against us! – Romans 8:29-39; Colossians 2:1-23
We don’t have to earn God’s approval! – Romans 4:1-25; Romans 10:1-13; Hebrews 4:1-16
Do You Believe (Have You Made It Personal)?
Believing
In the New Testament, the words translated as “believe” and “faith” come from the same Greek root.
- Pisteuo (pisteu/w – Greek) – To Believe
- Pistis (pistis – Greek) – Faith
These words imply something stronger than their English equivalents – Biblical faith or believing produces outward results:
- Parable of the Sower – Luke 8:4-15
- Abraham sacrificing Isaac – James 2:14-26
Baptism
The word “baptism” comes from the transliteration into English of the Greek word baptizo, which means to “dip” or “immerse”. It is an ancient practice. Although there are several types of baptism that are either referred to in the Bible or were practiced in biblical times, we will focus on baptism as practiced by three of them: John the Baptist (or Baptizer), Jesus, and the Church:
John the Baptist – Matthew 3:1-17; Mark 1:1-11; Luke 3:1-22; John 1:1-34
John, the Baptist (or baptizer), not the apostle, practiced a baptism of repentance that also served to reveal Jesus to Israel (John 1:15-34).
- John’s Message: “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.”
- John’s Ministry: Baptism preceded by confession
- Repentance must be genuine – only genuine repentance counts with God
- John is asked for explicit instruction about repentance.
- John responds with examples of behaviors to stop:
- Selfishness – he instructed followers to share resources
- Greed – he instructed tax collectors not to “over collect”
- Abuse of Power – he instructed soldiers to treat people justly
- John presents himself not as Messiah, but as Messiah’s forerunner. (John 1:6-8)
- Jesus approaches comes to John to be baptized. John initially objects, but then consents in response to Jesus’ assurances.
- The Father declares his approval of Jesus.
Jesus – John 3:22 – 4:3
Jesus began his ministry by joining the people streaming to John for baptism. This baptism was unique. Jesus had no sins to confess or repent of, but he was turning from his previous lifestyle of obedient waiting (for God’s perfect timing) to a new lifestyle of obedient service – preaching, teaching, and demonstrating God’s miraculous power.
Jesus adopted John’s baptism of repentance and adapted it for his own movement (John 3:22 – 4:3). His disciples baptized people on his behalf and his ministry actually began to draw people away from John’s ministry. Finally, Jesus commanded his disciples to continue baptizing under his authority after his resurrection and ascension into heaven (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:14-20).
The Church Baptizes
The apostles obeyed Jesus’ command and received new members of the church through baptism beginning with the 3000 who became followers of Jesus on Pentecost (Acts 2:36-41). Christian water baptism reflects the four Life Principles that we listed earlier. In submitting to baptism we acknowledge principles 1 and 2:
- God exists.
- God wants to have a relationship with us.
In baptism we are also obeying principles 3 and 4:
- We repent from relating to God on our own terms and relate on his terms instead.
- By being baptized in his name we acknowledge God’s requirement that we follow Jesus.
- We thus repent from our old way of life and commit ourselves to follow Jesus and to be publicly identified with him.
Thus in baptism, we do two key things:
- Repent from our old way of life
- Commit ourselves to follow Jesus and to be publicly identified with him
Repentance
The word repent in the Bible carries two meanings:
- To turn
- To change your mind
Your old way of life was one that you lived on your own terms. You did what you decided to do and you decided for yourself what was right or wrong. You can’t follow Jesus that way. In order to follow Jesus you have to change your mind about your old way of life and turn from it. At the same time you turn to the new lifestyle of getting to know Jesus and obeying him.
Public Identification With Jesus
Identifying with Jesus means that you want the people who know you to think of you as a follower of Jesus.
- Required by Jesus – Matthew 10:31-42; Mark 8:27-38; Luke 9:18-27; Luke 12:1-9
- Endure persecution for the sake of Jesus’ name – Matthew 10:17-42
- Preach repentance and forgiveness of sins in Jesus’ name – Luke 24:44-49
Identifying with Jesus also means identifying with his body – the church! People who follow Jesus come together as the church. You can’t love the Lord without loving his children (1 John 4:7 – 5:2).
Communion – The Lord’s Supper
In Communion we remember Jesus’ sacrifice on our behalf.
- Jesus uses elements of the Passover meal to establish a new practice. – Matthew 26:17-29
- The Church continues to celebrate the Lord’s Supper – 1 Corinthians 11:17-34
Following
Following Jesus involves:
- Preparation
- Practice
- Product
Preparation
Commit yourself to study for deeper understanding:
- Who Jesus is
- What Jesus said
- What Jesus did
Practice
Put into practice what Jesus said (Matthew 7:21-27)
Product
- You – transformed to be like Jesus – Matthew 10:24-25; Romans 8:28-30
- You – carrying out your part of Jesus’ mission – Matthew 28:18-20
The Gospel In a Nutshell
The following passages present the good news of salvation through Jesus in a compact form:
- Parable Of The Sower – Luke 8:4-15
- Lost Sheep, Lost Coin, Lost Son – Luke 15
- Zacchaeus – Luke 19:1-10
- “For God so loved the world . . .” – John 2:23 – 3:21
- Jesus heals a man born blind – John 9:1 – 10:42
- Cornelius’ Household – Acts 10:1 – 11:18
- Day Of Pentecost – Acts 2:1-47
- Paul in Pamphylia – Acts 13:13-52
- Paul’s gospel – 1Cor 15:1-11
- Paul in Athens – Acts 17:16-34
- Romans 10
What Difference Does It Make?
It makes a difference now
Relationship vs. Rules
There are two contrasting ways of dealing with God that we have to consider. We can deal with him via rules or we can actually eng