ON GUARD!

“Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves.” - Matthew 7:15

Throughout both the Old and New Testaments, the greatest threat to God’s people has never been Philistines or Pharisees… Caesars or Hitlers… Moabites or Mormons... Sadducees or Scientologists. It’s always been insiders—those who appeared to belong but whose hearts were far from God.

Think about it: Moses' brother, Aaron, made the Golden Calf. Korah, a member of the priestly tribe of Levi, led a rebellion against God’s appointed leader. Eli, Samuel's mentor, refused to discipline his sons. King Ahaz sacrificed his own children to false gods through pagan fire rituals. Ananias and Sapphira lied to the Holy Spirit in the very early days of the Church. Judas. Over and over again, Scripture reveals the real danger has always come from within—from those who adopted the values and idols of the surrounding culture, even while claiming to be part of God’s people.

“Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their ancestors did.” - 2 Kings 17:41

That’s always been the issue: adoption. Not into God’s family by grace through faith, but the adoption of the world’s values—its philosophies, empty deceit, and fake light. As Paul describes in Colossians 2:8, it’s the stoicheia—the elemental principles of this fallen world, rooted in the worship of created things rather than the Creator (Romans 1). It’s a cesspool of deception, where darkness is loved more than light because the light of the GOSPEL exposes everything (John 3:19–20).

This is exactly why we take church membership so seriously at Big Island Christian Church. We don’t believe biblical membership is a mere formality, a line on a clipboard, or getting your name into a database. We believe church membership is a sacred ministry and a spiritual safeguard for both the individual believer and the local Body of Christ. The Church is not a place, it's a people. It's certainly not somewhere for anonymous attendees or passive spectators to have a voice—it is Christ’s Body and His Bride, saints set apart for His mission and glory, led by the Holy Spirit, and governed by His perfect, unchanging, glorious, inerrant, and sufficient Word.

At BICC, we’ve developed a multi-tiered membership process—not to be elitist or controlling, but to be faithful to our calling to safeguard and shepherd. We move carefully and prayerfully through four stages:

1. Anonymous Member of the Community – someone who may attend or engage casually

2. Attendee – someone who begins to walk with us in community

3. Congregational Member – someone who affirms our Statement of Faith & Practice and completes our Membership Foundations Course

4. Church Member – someone who has demonstrated doctrinal soundness, devotion, unity, and a pattern of faithfulness

We are intentional about each step. We don’t believe voting rights should be granted to someone simply because they filled out a form or attended a class. A vote in Christ’s Church is a sacred act of faithful stewardship and worship. It must be entrusted only to those who have been tested, taught, and found humble, steadfast, patient, and faithful to Christ Jesus.

We realize this approach will offend some and turn away many. But we’re okay with that. We’re not called to be popular. We’re called to be pure (Matt 5:8) and perfect (Matt 5:48), not affirming and accommodating. The churches in Revelation 2–3 adopted the secular approach and were harshly rebuked by King Jesus, not for poor outreach strategies or a lack of inclusivity or diversity, but for tolerating false teaching, compromising biblical doctrine and convictions, and abandoning their first love. We refuse to follow in their footsteps. We're following King Jesus with the Holy Spirit as our only leader and the WORD of God as our only guide. As the psalmist wrote in Psalm 119:112, "I have inclined my heart to perform Your statutes, even to the very end."

King Jesus, the eternal Son of God, bled and died to redeem His Bride, the Church, and make her holy, set apart, and devoted—not a social club that compromises truth for comfort or integrity for inclusivity. At BICC, we strive for the things above. We do everything we can to guard the integrity of legitimate church membership, not out of human arrogance or pride, but out of reverent obedience to Christ.

For those looking for a fast track to a position of influence or for a watered-down version of Christianity, we're not your church. But for those seeking authentic GOSPEL community that loves the Word, guards the Gospel, and takes discipleship and devotion to Christ seriously—we welcome you to walk with us. We’d rather be a faithful few than a convention of compromised charlatans. The Church isn’t ours to redefine. It’s Christ’s holy and spotless Bride.

You may have heard the recent story of Stephanie Turner, the female fencer who took a knee to protest allowing a pseudo-woman (man) to compete in women's sports (story HERE). While I certainly applauded Stephanie for her courage, Christ's Bride will never take a knee to culture and corruption. We are called to advance His kingdom, and not even the Gates of Hell will prevail against us! We take the ministry of safeguarding seriously—and by His Grace, He will be glorified in and through us as we gather, grow, give, and go in the power and unity of the GOSPEL!

Blessings and love,

Kevin M. Kelley

Senior Pastor

Big Island Christian Church