The main 'Christian' denominations in the UK are almost as spiritually dead as it is possible for any denomination to be. The insistence upon church membership being determined by one's profession of faith is well established, so well, in fact, that to bring about reform in this regard will be to provoke war from the religious formalists.
To be admitted to church membership on the basis of what an individual says, is not New Testament religion. Of course, man cannot look on another's heart, so must be guided by what s/he reveals about him/herself. But that has become the excuse par excellence for taking little care when it comes to admitting new members to the church.
Further, if church elders were to admit new members on probation and then confirm their membership after they have proved the reality of their profession of faith, this would be a welcome advance on what exists today.
But it seems to me that there is another and better way to weed out as many false professors of religion as possible. Ask new potential members the following questions:
Have you met Christ personally?
Do you know Christ personally?
How do you know Him?
What does Christ mean to you?
What did He say or do to you when you met Him?
Tell me what your life would be without Christ.
How does His importance to you show itself?
When you say you are trusting Him as your Lord and Saviour, are you talking about Someone you've known personally for a while, or is He Someone you just know a few things about?
Are you speaking as a Witness to Christ, that is, from personal experience; or as an Advocate, that is, Someone you know through other people's experiences?
Are you speaking about Someone you have never met personally?
Do you know the Lord Jesus Christ intimately?
What does knowing Jesus Christ personally mean to you?
Knowledge of the facts of Jesus Christ is not enough; you need to know also the power of the Holy Spirit in your life if you are to be an effective witness to Him. You needs to know the facts of Christ AND the anointing of the Holy Spirit. Do you?
Tell me about it?
Are you sure you are a child of God? Tell me about it.
Are you sure you are a citizen of Heaven? Tell me about it.
Do you know that God loves you? Tell me about it.
Were some such questions to be asked of prospective church members, there might be a lot less religious formalism in the churches today.
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