Help Affirm Citizens of God's Kingdom
In baptism and church membership we are acting like an embassy of Heaven. We are affirming a person's claim to belong to the Kingdom of God (note this is different than placing them in or out of the Kingdom - God alone does that work). Baptism pictures that a person has been united with Jesus in his death and resurrection. It is a public declaration which is administered by the church. When we gather to observe this ordinance, we are not merely spectators but serving as witnesses and agreeing that we believe the baptismal candidate has a credible profession of faith. Church membership gives visible "borders" to those who belong to Christ. Church means an assembly of people. And when we receive new members we are saying they are part of the assembly of those who are born again, as best as we can tell. We are saying we believe this person has been brought out of the kingdom of darkness and into the Kingdom of the Son of God.
The same is true in church discipline, but it is the opposite side of the coin. If a member stubbornly sides with their sin over Jesus and refuses to repent, then we are to clearly assert that we can no longer vouch for their being part of God's Kingdom. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul tells the congregation (not just its leaders) to remove the man persisting in sin. They aren't to disassociate with unbelievers who persist in sin (though they are not to live like the unbelievers). Instead, they are to disassociate with those who claim to be brothers (in the family of God) who are clinging to evil. Why? Because the person who is claiming to belong to God's Kingdom while living in a way that sides with the Kingdom of Satan should not be affirmed as belonging to God's Kingdom. And it is the church members who have this role.
So, as a member of a church, you are responsible to participate in baptism, receiving members, and removing members.
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