This guide to understanding in Church membership is designed to stimulate Christian growth.

      A Personal Letter

      Dear——————

      Having joined the church we want you to feel at home with us, for the church is the family of God and we need you as much as you need us. We sincerely trust that you come to us as a working partner in the enterprise of the Kingdom of God.

      In this place you will find many friends, people of like mind, yet all different from one another. Some, you will notice, are talented in public ways, others are talented as being silent partners--yet all work together. You will find your place, and in whatever you shine do it worthily unto God. Irrespective of our abilities we are all the workmanship of God.

      As the days pass by you will find growing within you a more ardent desire for the things of God, and this is as it should be, for Peter speaks of "growing in grace." However there will come disappointments and discouragements from within yourself. Be not unduly alarmed, nor seek to defeat self with self. The words of Browning help us here:

     

"My business is not to remake myself, But to make the absolute best of what God made."

      This can be accomplished only by the ministry of the abiding Christ within you.

      As you go, you will find that people outside the church are watching you, for you have made an attestation for the Highest, and your life will react upon others. S. D. Gordon suggests that we are a gospel, or God-story, and perhaps the only one some people will ever read. If that is so, then how sure we must be that there are no blots, that the type be true, and the things they read be Christlike.

      May you be happy in the church, taking a part in its programme, and sharing yourself with others.

      The minister is your friend. and urges you to seek him out, to share your problems and joys with him. Remember that you can contribute much to his spiritual life and his ministry. To that end is offered the following thoughts on things that matter, seeking to share with you what has been found to be valuable.

      Christ's work demands much of us in time, prayer and energy. Let us give it without complaint for we have received more than we can ever repay. The church is a "going concern," and may we all be concerned with its going.

      "The church is the continuation of the Incarnation" says one.

      "Our souls are connected and intimately joined to God, as being indeed members and distinct portions of His essence; and must He not be sensible of every movement of them?" The writer is telling us that God is sensitive to every movement of the pulse of His church on earth. It is as though a thin wire stretched from God to His people; a plucking at one end is felt at the other.

      1. THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH. The Book of Acts tells us the story. This was written by Luke, the companion of Paul, and he tells of the birth and rapid growth of the church. Look into chapter two of the story.

      2. THE HEAD OF THE CHURCH. This is a position occupied by no one man or group of men. Jesus is the Head of the church and it is subject to Him. These three passages tell us what we ought to know:--

      "I will build My church" (Matthew 16:18).

      "And hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church" (Ephesians 1:22).

      "And He is the head of the body, the church" says Paul again, in Colossians 1:18.

      3. THE NAMES OF THE CHURCH. The names given to the church can be seen in a two-fold aspect:

      (a) Universally; when such expressions as, "the church of God"' (1 Cor. 11:22); "the church of Christ" (Rom. 16:16); "the church" (Ephesians 1:22); "the body of Christ" (Col. 1:18), are used.

      (b) As a congregation: e. g. "churches of Christ" (Rom. 16:16); "churches of God" (1 Thess. 2:14); "churches of the saints" (1 Cor. 14:33).

      All other names, not in the New Testament are sectarian and wrong. However, never let us fall into the mistake of asserting that because we call ourselves churches of Christ, we are the only churches of Christ.

      4. THE PURPOSE OF THE CHURCH. We note but a few of the many important phases of this theme.

      (a) To be for Christ "a people of his own who are zealous for good deeds" (Titus 2: 14 R.S.V.).

      (b) To be a light to the world and the salt of the earth. Not to be a proud people, but the seasoning of God in the society of men (Matt. 5:16).

      (c) To preach the Gospel. The great charter of the Christian church is in Matthew 29:19, 20, This has been called the Great Commission. The church is fulfilling her mission when she is evangelising.

      (d) To be God's protest against sin. That is why Paul spoke so strongly to the Corinthians in 2 Cor. 6:14-18.

      (e) To share the mind of Christ in service and holy living (Phil. 2:5-8).

      5. YOUR PLACE IN THE CHURCH. By your identification with the church you attest that the eternal purpose of God is your purpose also; that the

      life of Jesus is your pattern. As members, we each one place certain demands on the church, that is, to cater for us spiritually and fraternally, but more so, does the church place demands upon us. These demands are:--

      Patriotism--we are citizens of a kingdom.

      Loyalty--we serve under a standard.

      Consecration--we are God's vessels.

      To be priests--all Christians are priests and in the church we fulfil this office.

      To share in eternal enterprises--the world is God's field and He uses what we are, and what we have, to plant the message of the Cross.

      "I am the vine, ye are the branches." said Jesus.

      "Make your calling and election sure," said Peter.

PRAYER:

      "O Lord, as we enter the portal into the congregation of the redeemed, do Thou sanctify me as Thy servant. Use even me to glorify Thy name through the church of Jesus Christ." Amen.

      "Baptism stands midway in the life of a man who submits to it, very much as one of those old fashioned guide posts, which we see at the cross roads, with finger boards pointing this way and that. It stands there with one arm pointing back to the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord, and the other pointing to our own death, our own burial, our own resurrection."

--Dr. J. W. McGarvey.

      1. WHY WERE YOU BAPTISED? There are several answers to this, and each one satisfies in itself.

      (a) Jesus submitted to it to "fulfil all righteousness." As He is our example we want to follow Him in fulfilling righteousness.

      (b) Jesus commanded it as He sent His apostles out to preach the Gospel. Further, He said, "if ye love Me keep my commandments."

      (c) In our decision for Christ we signify that there are no reservations, and this is an act of obedience and surrender.

      2. THE DESIGN OF BAPTISM. There must be some design behind all this, for its preservation throughout all the centuries suggests it to be an integral part of the message of the church. Three things can be said of baptism.

      (a) It is initiatory. Paul says in 1 Cor. 12:13, "we are all baptised into one body." In Gal. 3:27. He also says, "as many of you as have been baptised into Christ, have put on Christ." This means that we have identified ourselves with Christ. Then in Romans 6:3 he says, we were "baptised into His death." That means we have undergone, by symbol, an experience similar to His death.

      (b) It is declarative of faith. We read in Acts 2:41 "they that gladly received his word were baptised." That simply means that their faith expressed itself in the ordinance of baptism.

      (c) It is a pledge of forgiveness. At the birth of the church Peter

said, "Repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins" (Acts 2:38). Dr. Kershner has said of this passage, "This means not a mechanical rite which washes away past sins, but simply the final expression of the complete surrender of the heart and will to Jesus Christ. Baptism is for the remission of sins in this sense, and in no other." (Read also from 1 Peter 3:21 and Acts 22:16).

      3. ITS SYMBOLISM. The beauty of this must never be lost to us. Think of the first "Good Friday" and the first Easter Sunday, and you have the symbolism of baptism. Jesus died, was buried and rose again. Paul tells the rest simply in Romans 6:1-5. We die to sin, are buried in the water and rise to walk in the new, or Christian life. Thus we know what Jesus meant when He said to Nicodemus, "Ye must be born again."

      We can sum up by stating that baptism is an outward expression of an inward experience. Alexander Campbell has given us an excellent word when he said, "The soul of the intelligent subject is as fully immersed into the Lord Jesus as his body is immersed in the water. His soul rises with the Lord Jesus, as his body rises out of the water; and into one Spirit with all the family of God he is immersed. The candidate, believing in the person, mission and character of the Son of God, and willing to submit to Him, hastens to be buried with the Lord, and to rise with Him, not corporeally, but spiritually, with his whole soul."

PRAYER:

      "Dear Lord, as I have entered into the experience of Thy death, do Thou go with me into all the experiences ol life, that in the end I may pass with Thee to the greater life." Amen.

      1. THE SIMPLE STORY. The scenes of the upper room are made vivid in, this simple service. Each Lord's Day, wherever believers observe the Supper, the upper room is portrayed all over again.

      In writing his account of the instituting of the Supper, Matthew says, "And as they were eating, Jesus took bread and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, 'Take, eat; this is My Body.' And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, 'Drink ye all of it; for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

      As you meet each Sunday to remember Him, you also tell the story.

      2. THE SACRED SYMBOLS. He took the bread and brake it--they took His body and brake it.

      He took the cup and the contents were poured out into each one of them--they took Him and His blood was poured out on the cross.

      We "show forth the Lord's death" as we partake.

      3. THE SIGNIFICANT SIGNS. Among many, we point to these:--

      (a) The table is spread and we are invited to attend and partake. The partaking is our own act. The emblems are the Lord's, and become to us, in a sense, a banquet of salvation; and salvation, like the bread and wine is God's gift.

      (b) We must not come mechanically and without undue thought, but cheerfully, hopefully, believingly.

      (c) we feed upon Christ by faith, upon the example of His illustrious life, upon His words that have put iron into the thin blood of the ages.

      (d) We are taught that we should call nothing common. Thus we see the sacredness of common things. The bread and wine represent the body and blood of God's Son. May our lives be transfigured in the same way.

      (e) This is a prophecy of a second coming, "without sin unto perfection."

      (f) It is a communion with God in Christ and with one another.

      (g) Coming to us in unbroken continuity of observance from the time of Christ, it is a proof of the life and death of Jesus Christ.

      4. SEVEN REASONS FOR OUR CONTINUANCE.

      (a)It is an act of Christian obedience (1 Cor. 11:24. Matt. 26:26, 27).

      (b) It is an act of remembrance (Luke 22:19).

      (c) It is an act of testimony to His death (1 Cor. 11:26; 1 Cor. 5:7).

      (d) It is an act of confession that salvation is through His blood (Matt. 26:28).

      (e) It is in act of fellowship (Luke 22:19, 1 Cor. 10:16,17).

      (f) It is act of silently yet powerfully proclaiming His second coming (1 Cor. 11:26).

PRAYER:

      Be known to us in breaking bread,
      But do not then depart!
      Saviour, abide with us, and spread
      Thy Table, in our heart.

      "Worship is man's response to his soul's hunger for God.

      It is the Divinity without clasping the hand of the divinity within.

      It is the consummation of man's search for God, realising that it has reached not consummation, but commencement.

      It is inspiration, blending with aspiration, revealing one's best nature, his truest appreciation, and his noblest expectation of himself.

      It is poetry unwritten, but struggling to be born.

      It is the trysting place of holiness."

      "Worship" means "worthship" or a confession of worth. "When we worship we do just that for which man was born." In worship we walk in life's highlands and there get a soul view of God.

I--ON COMING TO THE PLACE OF WORSHIP

      It is possible to go to worship without any conscious realisation of why we are going. This is often seen in noisy entrances to, and noisier exits from church buildings. We do well to ponder these "aids to worship."

      Be SILENT in the house of God.

      WORSHIP Him in the beauty of holiness.

      Offer a PRAYER when you enter.

      PRAY QUIETLY when you leave.

      Do not LOOK, AROUND at others.

      Have God in your THOUGHTS.

      Remember always that "worship springs from salvation, not from obligation."

II--PRAYER SUGGESTIONS OF ENTERING

      It would be well if all worshippers developed the habit of bowing the head for silent prayer on entering the house of worship. There are several fitting subjects:--

      Pray for the minister, that he may be filled with the Holy Spirit as he gives his message.

      Pray for yourself, that all wandering thoughts may be banished, and the soul be in the proper condition for worship.

      Pray that the burdened souls in the congregation may find peace, and that the unconverted may be brought to God.

III--THE SATISFACTION OF NEEDS

      Whenever we worship God in the assembly of the saints, there are five needs which are satisfied within us.

      The need to pray.

      The need to meet God,

      The need of re-creation on The Lord's Day.

      The need to hear God's Word expounded.

      The need of fellowship with Christ and His people.

IV--JESUS AND WORSHIP

      "God Is a Spirit, and they that worship Him must worship Him In spirit and in truth" He said. Our Lord gave no directions for worship, only the qualifications for it. As we turn to two Psalms we see these made plainer.

      "Behold, Thou desirest truth in the inward parts; and in the hidden part Thou shalt make me to know wisdom" (Psalm 51:6).

      "The sacrifices of God are a broken heart, a broken and contrite spirit, O God, Thou wilt not despise" (Psalm 51:17).

PRAYER:

      "Humbly, O God, we offer Thee:
      Our hearts--asking Thee to purify them.
      Our hands--asking Thee to use them.
      Our possessions--for they are already Thine.
      Our lives--urging that Thou shalt consecrate them,
      In this hour of worship we are yielded, determined to serve Thee well."
      Amen.

      The matter of stewardship does not apply to money only, for in the church it applies to all phases of one's life, particularly our abilities in any specific direction. We are all part of a family, and each one contributes by sharing the whole of life with the other members of the family. The same is true of the larger family which is the community, and ultimately the world. The application is true for the Kingdom, for Paul says, "It is required in stewards that a man be found faithful."

I--A MAN'S MONEY

      "A man's money is an extension of his body, an enlargement of that material, physical equipment through which his spirit works. Money is another pair of legs. and lo! it can go where otherwise we could never go, walking amid the need of China today, or ministering in India or the islands of the sea. Money is another pair of hands, and it can carry burdens which our fingers cannot touch in our community, our nation, and around the world. Money is another pair of vocal chords and it can speak where our voice could never be heard, teaching and preaching where in personal presence we could never go. What a man does with his money he is in a real sense doing with himself."

--Dr. Harry Emerson Fosdick.

II--LUKE 21:1-4

      This story in the life of Jesus should ever be our guide when tempted to neglect the stewardship of our possessions. if you react the story carefully you will see that the widow gave her all. So did Jesus!

III--THE SCRIPTURAL TEACHING

      Paul gives us a safe rule for our giving to the work of the church.

      PERIODIC--"Upon the first day of the week." Worshipful, habitual, prayerful.

      PERSONAL--"Let each one of you." Each member.

      PROVIDENT--"Lay by him in store." Deliberate, thoughtful, intelligent.

      PROPORTIONATE--"As God hath prospered him." Generous, careful, responsible, faithful.

      PREVENTIVE--"That no collections be made when I come." No deficits, no worry, no special appeals.

QUESTIONS

      Make these personal, and as you answer them, so you shall determine your stewardship.

      1. Is one hour per week spent at the chinch building, a sufficient stewardship of time?

      2. Will I use every opportunity which the church provides, for developing any talent I may have?

      3. Am I supporting the church, as God has given me power to do?

      4. Is every gift of time, ability and money, "Cross directed," and thus away from myself?

      In all our stewardship, we are taking out stock in kingdom enterprises, and we determine the dividend by the stock taken.

PRAYER:

      "Giver of every good and perfect gift, accept, I pray Thee, my life and my possessions. Magnify them in magnifying Thyself through them. Use me as a partner in eternal business." Amen.

I--JESUS AND PRAYER

      The life of our Lord is a prayer in itself; a prayer for mankind. We see the intimacies of Christ as He prays. Prayer was vital to Him, the very spring of all His strength. And how He prayed! All night. Before the dawning. In the crisis. For those who were His, and for those who hated Him.

      One word sums up His law--"Ask."

      One name is all prevailing--"In My name."

      One pledge to law and name--"I will give it thee."

II--THE LORD'S PRAYER

      Our lips have framed these lovely words: and often when minds have been tired and distraught they have gone out from us. These words are a universal heritage to mankind.

      But, have they grown too familiar? Let us look at them again: analyse the prayer, and as we do so we find that it makes our hearts an open book. and at the same time opens the heart of God to us.

III--LEARNING TO PRAY

      So many have asked, even as the apostles, "teach us to pray." The saintly Dr. Samuel Chadwick speaks to the heart of the matter when he writes, "We discover by using. We learn by practice. Though a man should have all knowledge about prayer, and though he understand all mysteries about prayer, unless he prays he will never learn to pray."

IV--LIFE AND PRAYER

      We shall find the vital necessity of prayer. S. D. Gordon makes several suggestions.

      1. Prayer should be a habit. There must be a quiet pause in each day - a silence in which the "still small voice" is supreme. But, only a listener will hear.

      2. Prayer will become a bent of mind. The bent of your mind is to pray as things come up in the daily round. Thus, we do not need to stop our work, but can think our prayers. The heart prays while the hands are busy.

      3. Prayer is a life. The life is what you are in yourself, your thoughts, loves, ambitions, desires and gripping purposes--that is your life. If in all these, there is God and man and world direction, then life is a continual prayer.

      4. Prayer is a person. You yourself may be a walking prayer. Your presence will be a benediction upon other lives.

PRAYER:

      "O Father of spirits as my petition comes to Thee, may I meet at Thy throne the spirits of all those who call Thee Father. As I reach out to Thee, do Thou touch my life and cause the fount within me to run over." Amen.

      The Bible is the Library of God. and contains the Love-Letters of God. One says, "How many soever may be the inspired writers, there is but one Author."

      "Sink the Bible to the bottom of the sea, and man's obligations to God would be unchanged. He would have the same path to tread, only his lamp and his guide would be gone; he would have the same voyage to make, only his compass and chart would be overboard." said Henry Ward Beecher.

I--TAKE YOUR LAMP

      It is a beacon lamp; it lights the storm-tossed mariner to the port of peace. It is a hurricane lamp; no storm can put it out. It is a safety lamp: take it with you when you go into places where the moral atmosphere is impure. It is a student's lamp; study history in its sacred light. It is an invalid's lamp; its soft and gentle rays cheer the long watches.

II--ITS ADVICE TO YOU

      Love the Word--Psalm 119:140.

      Search the Word--John 5:39.

      Understand the Word--Luke 24:45.

      Meditate on the Word--Psalm 1:2.

      Live up to the Word--Joshua 1:8.

III--THE RESULTS OF BIBLE READING

      1. Certain passages fix themselves in our minds, and in times of temptation, these stand by us. Remember that Christ was fortified against the evil one by His knowledge of the Word.

      2. Our education becomes enlarged as we read its poetry, laws, proverbs, history and visions.

      3. Because it is Divinely inspired. it breathes into our very lives, until not only do we possess it, but it possesses us.

      4. We can see ourselves so plainly in the characters who cross its pages and therein we are conscious, in a degree, of how God can, and does, deal with our own lives.

      5. In it we see the choicest language and soon the influence of refined speech becomes us.

PRAYER:

This Department shall be entrusted with the publication and distribution of Literature designed for:

1. The spreading of the Gospel;
2. The deepening of the spiritual life of the church;
3. The promotion of the aims of the Restoration Movement.
(Victorian-Tasmanian Constitution.)