Written by Colly Caldwell, this article appeared in the July 1971 edition of the "Mooresville Memo" published by the Mooresville Pike Church of Christ in Columbia, TN.
1. My responsibility to the local church of which I am a member is to be free from divisiveness (I Corinthians 1). Churches need so badly to be united within themselves upon the word of God. The church at Corinth was literally torn apart by the attitudes of the member parts. They wished to be divided. Theirs was not a question of doctrinal belief. They simply would not get along (I Corinthians 1:10-16; 11:17-21; 4:6-7; 6:1-7). Some are so self-willed that they will divide the body of the Lord over trivial, meaningless questions, or over matters which are purely determined by judgement or expediency. The attitude of many is to have things their own way. The words of Paul, "Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself" (Philippians 2:3) are so very timely for churches today.
2. My responsibility to the local church of which I am a member is to stand upon the revealed word of God (I Corinthians 2). In matters which involve human preferences within the realm of lawful selection, the Christian must bend his desire many times to accommodate others; but in matters involving revealed Truth there can be no bending. Paul addresses the Corinthians with the proposition that faith is directed by the revelation of the mind of God and that the words of man's wisdom can only destroy.
Many churches could have been saved from digression in the past twenty five years if Christians had only been strong enough to stand upon the truths of the New Testament. I owe that to my brethren with whom I worship. They may not always appreciate it but it will be to their good. I cannot be compromising in dealing with God's revealed Word. I may cause my brethren to be lost.
3. My responsibility to the local church of which I am a member is to labor for the building up of the body (I Corinthians 3-4). Paul uses first his own example, how that he diligently worked to build at Corinth (I Corinthians 3:1-10). He then turns to the responsibility of each man and woman there to build upon the foundation which is Christ. Their work should be an abiding one (I Corinthians 3:11-15). And then in chapter four, he discusses further his stewardship and its place in their growth.
Saving souls by leading them to the Savior is the primary work of the church. We have been saved and we must help others to be saved. If any local congregation is to grow, each member must put himself to the task of talking to others about the Lord and teaching the Truth to all that we can. This takes persistent effort. It takes getting folks out to the worship services. It has often been suggested that every Christian try to convert one soul to Christ each year. This is not an unreasonable request. If we were all as interested in souls and giving our best to the task of converting them, we would be doing more than that. And if we did, the church would double in size each year.
4. My responsibility to the local church of which I am a member is to lead a righteously moral life. (I Corinthians 5-7). At Corinth there was fornication (chapter 5), public defrauding of one another (6:1-14), or immorality (6:15-20) and uncertainties about the proper marital and home life requirements of God (chapter 7). Now how could the Corinthian church grow with the world seeing all that? If this church of which I am a member is to be what it ought to be, each member must be a Christian in every sense of that word. We want the congregation to radiate a wholesome influence in the community. We must show the light of Christ in our lives. None of us is so insignificant that our example cannot hurt. What we do reflects upon the other brethren either for good or bad. When the world sees our evil, they associate it with the church. When the other brethren see it, they are discouraged and some may even imitate us. Paul said that a little leaven leavens the whole lump and therefore must be purged out before its effect may be felt. On the other hand, the influence of a godly life will do as much for the well-being of the local church as any other single factor.
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