  Does Church Membership Matter?  Acts 2 September 05, 2013
BQ062712  So then, those who had received his word were
baptized; and there were added that day about three thousand
souls. (2:41)   As already noted, much present day evangelism
seeks to make coming to Christ as easy as possible. Many today
would be appalled that Peter made the cost of coming to Christ
so high. How could he expect them to turn their backs publicly
on their culture? How could he ask them to risk becoming
outcasts among their families and society? How could he demand
that they accept as Messiah the very One their leaders had
rejected and executed? They would no doubt predict that the
results of Peter’s sermon would be minimal.   Such was not the
case, however. Those who had received his word accepted the
conditions and were baptized. Further, they amounted to more
than an insignificant handful; there were added to the church
that day about three thousand souls. That a precise number was
recorded suggests that they kept track of those