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Christian Network

 
   
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Acts 12:1-4
 
Ticket master does a booming business. They handle rock concerts, gospel music 
showdowns, tractor pulls, rock-a-thons, and quilting bees. If it requires a 
ticket to be sold, Ticket Master can sell them. And most often they sell them 
out. For a performance handled by Ticket Master, it is usually a standing room 
only crowd. I think I will list our church with Ticket Master and charge a hefty 
price to walk in the door. Perhaps those chairs lining the wall can be put to a 
good use. 
 
Of course, I won't be doing that, but have you ever stopped to think what might 
happen if we were to charge a cover charge, or a yearly dues? People are 
interesting. Did you know that someone is more likely to stop at a high school 
car was when a price of $5 is set than if the sign says for donation only? 
 
People outside of church life have often asked, "What are the dues to be a 
member of your church?" That is an interesting question. To be a Toastmaster, we 
pay a yearly due, to be In a trade union or a music guild one pays dues. To be a 
mason, a Rotarian, or a lion, one must pay dues. To be a member of the museum 
society, the friends of the library, or beach walkers Anonymous you guessed it 
dues are part of the picture. Yet in the church, we do not charge dues. But the 
person requesting about the dues has realized something very important. They 
have realized that it must cost something to be a part of the church. What 
exactly is the cost of church membership? Too many times we give new believers 
the idea that nothing is expected of a church member. If you doubt that, just 
look at the number of committed attendees and workers we have in our churches 
today. Many folks simply don't come on a regular basis, and there is minimal 
commitment. 
In our scripture this morning, we find that it cost James, the pastor of the 
church, his life. In New Testament times, it cost something to be part of the 
church, and sometimes that cost was more than expected. What does it cost for 
you to be a member of the Church? 
 
 
 
 
I. Church Membership is Costly To a Believer. 
In our passage, James became the target of King Herod' s rage because he was the 
central leader of the Church. He became the target because he stood out from the 
rest. The godless crowd very often targets the leaders of the church to vent 
their anger at society. Christian suffering is alive and well today. Those who 
take seriously their commitment to Christ will have to pay. But just what is the 
cost? What are our monthly dues? 
I. Time 
The first casualty is our time. We live in a busy world where so many different 
things are competing for our time. On any given day, we may have a multitude of 
things that just must be done. We have Car races, soccer games, piano recitals, 
dance recitals, football games, Monday Night Baseball, shopping, cooking, and if 
there is any time left over we just might find time to sleep. We rush here and 
there, to and fro, scarcely taking time to enjoy what God has given to us. In 
our business, we will have to sacrifice some time if we are to place a priority 
on things of the Lord. We will have to consciously set aside time that we can 
say is God's time, and guard it jealously. We cannot allow things of the world 
to interfere with the things of God. He must always take precedence. 
A man I know owned a car dealership. He had strong convictions about working on 
the Lord's Day, and for 40 years he never opened his doors on Sunday. He never 
sold a car, he never gave a quote. That car dealership grew into one of the most 
successful dealerships in the area. When he decided to retire, his son took over 
the management and thought he could make a little more money if he were to open 
up on Sunday, so that is what he did. Quickly the dealership began to lose 
profits, and began a slide downhill, and I believe that this occurred because 
this man dared to take away from God time that was set aside for Him. 
 
2. Your Values will Change 
  
 
When you make a decision to give God the time that is his, and you put Him first 
in your life, you will change your values. No longer will "Me First" be 
prevalent, but instead you will be telling God that His will should be done in 
your life. God's will should be foremost among our considerations. Different 
things become important to you. So what church membership costs you is worldly 
desires. Of course, are the pleasures that this old world has to offer really 
worth your time? 
 
3. It will cost our material resources. 
Church membership also costs us materially. In the early church, members gave 
freely and gladly to meet the needs of the church. They didn’t have to have a 
system of dues, but rather gave freely from their own pocketbook. Good 
stewardship is ultimately of great importance as we strive to place God first in 
our lives. We are called to be good stewards of what He has given to us. What 
this means is that we should have some accountability where our finances are 
concerned. 
 
4. Church Membership costs us some compassion. 
Becoming a member of the church and putting God first in our lives costs us some 
compassion. We are required to love one another freely, and without strings 
attached. In the New Testament church, the members went about sharing the good 
News boldly. They loved each other, and they loved the lost. We cannot come into 
church with a chip on our shoulders, or a score to settle. We will never be able 
to worship in that attitude. When we feel slighted or wronged, it is no use 
getting angry, and vengeful over it. If we are asked to do our duties in the 
church differently than before, or are given new duties all together, we should 
never take it personally. We have to be overflowing with love and compassion, 
remembering that Christ forgives all, and we should do no less. This is much 
easier to say than it is to do. It is much easier to tell someone you love them 
than to show it. We have to be 'show-ers' of our love. We must be known as 
people of love and compassion. There is no room in the kingdom of God for a big 
ego, because it is likely to be bruised. Church 
Membership causes us to pay in compassion. 
II. Church Membership is costly because we live in a wicked World. 
You might be wondering why it costs so much to receive the free gift of God's 
eternal life. The easy answer is because our world is wicked. We are decadent 
and sinful. In Acts, the Church was persecuted, even to the death. Herod used 
the early Christians for his own political gain. After killing James, he 
discovered that this pleased the Jews, so he ordered the arrest of Peter. It 
seemed like a safe bet for him to come down hard on these hated, dreadful, 
rabble-rousers called Christians. Not much for him to lose, but he stood to gain 
quite a bit in the current political climate. But believe me, if it became 
expedient for him to embrace Christianity, he would have done it. Anything to 
secure his own future. Yet, he was so concerned about the immediate future, he 
was neglectful of his eternal future. 
 
Human nature hasn't changed much in twenty centuries. People still use the 
Church for selfish reasons. People still join the church simply for personal 
gain. Sometimes people go to church to further their business goals, or to win 
votes in a political race, whatever the reason, the church is still vulnerable 
to abuse. People take advantage of our trusting, and loving nature. 
Look how easy it was for the cries of Hosanna on Palm Sunday to turn to angry 
shouts of Crucify Him just a few days later. Nero found the Christians a 
convenient scapegoat after he burned Rome. It was easy for him to say "Look at 
those shiftless Christians, they are always stirring up dissension they are to 
blame. Persecution in 2000 might not take such drastic measures, but it happens. 
People are passed over for promotion because their bosses are not believers, and 
hold it against an employee. Teenage Christians are mocked and made fun of. 
Count on it, if you are part of the church, you will be called to suffer. 
The sinful nature of the world around us guarantees that fact. 
 
III. Being a Member of the Church IS Costly, but worth it. 
Yes, being a member of the church is indeed costly, but it is so worth it. James 
lost his life, but he gained eternity with Christ in Heaven. Now, of course, 
James was not the first, nor the last to give his life for Jesus. We might not 
be called upon to die for our faith, but we are certainly called upon to live 
for it. Living for Christ is a worthwhile endeavor. When we live for Christ we 
can: 
I. Live with our selves. 
When we have been forgiven and received our salvation, we are able to find a 
peace and joy that makes the cost of being a believer pale by comparison. Most 
of us would give anything or do anything to see a loved one receive life giving 
medical attention. Why? Because the potential gain greatly outweighs the 
material loss. When we accept Christ, the guilt is removed, and joy comes into 
our hearts. Friends, guilt is not from God. God's Holy Spirit might convict us 
of a sin, and call it to our attention but he never expects us to continue to 
feel guilty about it. 
 
When God forgives us of our sins, it is forever . We are able to live with our 
selves because of Christ. 
2. It is also worthwhile to other people. 
' When we share our faith with others it enriches our lives and theirs too. We 
can be an example to others because of our walk. We can bring encouragement to a 
life of disappointment. Our faith is a testimony to other people. Our lives 
might inspire others to walk closely with the lord 
3. A Lost World benefits from Christians willing to pay the price. 
Most people grudgingly have a sense of admiration toward the Christian who is 
faithful, consistent, and sincere in their faith of Christ. Hypocrites on the 
other hand are usually scorned and looked down upon. A faithful Christian's 
consistency opens the door to salvation for someone else. That brings rejoicing 
and a sense of well being. This makes the cost of church membership worthwhile. 
Some would look at James and say he lost everything. His idealism cost him his 
life. But did he lose everything? If he could speak today, I feel he would say 
his commitment and dedication was well worth the cost. 
Yes, church membership is costly, the dues are high. But so was salvation for 
our dear lord. We need to challenge modem day Christians to take up their cross 
and be willing to pay the price of living for Jesus. 

Copyright © 2000 by Claim The Victory Ministries
South Peninsula Baptist Church