The last post on this blog introduced two books, the first being Nine Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever and the second The Master's Plan for the Church by John MacArthur. In this post we will look specifically at the first three marks in what Mark Dever sees in scripture as being nine marks of a healthy church. Which in turn will help us determine the measuring stick for a congregation of believers.
Mark One: Expositional Preaching
In Dever's words "Expositional Preaching is preaching in service to the Word. It presumes a belief in the authority of Scripture - that the Bible is actually God's Word; but it is something much more than that. A commitment to expositional preaching is a commitment to hear God's Word - not just to affirm that it is God's Word but to actually submit yourself to it." "A healthy church is a church that hears the Word of God and continues to hear the Word of God. And such a church is composed of individual Christians who hear the word of God and continue to hear the Word of God, always being refashioned and reshaped by it, constantly being washed in the Word and sanctified by God's truth."
- 2 Timothy 2:4
- Acts 6:4
- Romans 10:17
- Ezekiel 37:1-14 "life comes by the Word of God"
- The phrase "the word of the Lord came" occurs 3,800 times in the old testament
- John 17:17
- Ephesians 5:25-26
- 1 Corinthians 1:21
Dever says "What does all this mean for our churches? Simply that the preaching of the Word must be absolutely central. It shouldn't surprise you to hear that sound, expositional preaching is often the fountainhead of growth in a church. Let a good expositional ministry be established and watch what happens."
Mark Two: Biblical Theology
This mark deals specifically with where a church stands on who God is, not what a church might think God is, or who they think God should be, but where a church stands on what the Bible tells us about the nature of God. Dever tells us "One of the chief marks of a healthy church is a biblical understanding of God in His character and His way with us." and "If we are to learn the sound doctrine of the Bible, we must come to terms even with the doctrines that may be difficult or even potentially divisive but that are foundational for our understanding of God." He then breaks down this mark into five areas that the Bible teaches about God: He is creating; that He is holy; that He is faithful; that He is loving; and that He is sovereign. These foundational truths about God are vital to the heartbeat of the church in that we are able to truly worship and reflect God's glory when we know him through the revelation of who He is as seen in His word.
- Romans 11:33 "Oh, the depth of the riches of the wisdom and knowledge of God!"
- John 1:32 "...for we shall see Him as He is"
Mark Three: The Gospel
In this third mark of a healthy church we see that it is paramount that a church stand on the fact that the "Good News" is: "Not Simply That We Are Okay"; "Not Simply That God Is Love"; "Not Simply That Jesus Wants to Be Our Friend" and lastly "Not Simply That We Should Live Right" but is about "Repentance" and "Belief". The "Good News" is communicated from Genesis to Revelation, it is the central theme of God sharing Himself with us, why would we not make it a mark of the church? Dever quotes J.C. Ryle "There is a common worldly kind of Christianity in this day, which many have, and think they have enough - a cheap Christianity which offends nobody, and requires no sacrifice - which cost nothing, and is worth nothing." Jesus Christ born of a virgin, being fully God and fully man, living a sinless life, dying a brutal death on the cross for our transgressions, buried, and risen on the third day, not because he had to but because he loved us first, and this is certainly a sacrifice worthy of our sacrificial worship.
- Isaiah 53:1-12"wounded for our transgressions"
- Ephesians 2 "by grace you have been saved"
- Romans 6:23 "the wages of sin is death"
- Mark 10:45 "the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve"
These are three of nine marks which measure a healthy church.
