Secret Church

If you missed Secret Church with David Platt you can catch the video teaching here.

http://www.disciplemakingintl.org/media/schurch/series_list/?id=293

Healing the Sick

We know that Jesus in his short ministry did many works of healing, John 21: 25 says "Now there are also many other things that Jesus did. Were every one of them to be written, I suppose that the world itself could not contain the books that would be written".

Today we got word from our team in Honduras who are faithfully sharing the Gospel and running a clinic where hundreds are receiving medical and dental help along with the good news. Yesterday the clinic saw a young baby with a cleft lip and palate who is dyer need of surgery. The team desires to help this young baby receive the surgery and follow up necessary. There is an organization in Honduras that will do the surgery our part would be simply in helping the family with travel expenses.

We will give more details as they are available and more information on how you can help in the process of healing this child as we work as Jesus did in healing and preaching the good news.

"How beautiful upon mountains are the feet of him who brings good news,..." Isaiah 52:7

Marks of a Healthy Church

How do you know if a church is healthy or not? Is it the number of people who show up on Sunday morning, the size of the budget, is it by counting the number of outreach projects it is doing in the community, the number of mission trips, or how well you enjoyed the worship music and the sermon during the service?

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.

Discovering a Healthy Church

My desire for The Church at Grace Point is to be a church that seeks Biblical wisdom in order that we can be the body of believers that God has called us to be. So, in that vein I will be writing a series of post reviewing two outstanding books that take an in-depth look at what the Bible says a God loving, God fearing, God worshiping, God serving church looks like.

As part of the introduction to this series I have included a few comments from notable Christian leaders regarding the importance of these two works.

The first book is Nine Marks of a Healthy Church by Mark Dever and is described by a few heros of the faith as follows.

“Books that affirm the priority of the church are rare. Books that define the practice of a the local church from the pages of Scripture rather than from cultural trends are even more rare. Mark Dever has given us just such a book.Written by a pastor and theologian who has built a strong local church in Washington D.C. , this is the best book I have read on the topic of critical importance.”

-C.J. Mahaney, Sovereign Grace Ministries

“In a day when a church is most likely evaluated on her cosmetics, it’s vital to know how to assess her true health. They put cosmetics on corpses! Mark Dever gives the biblical criteria for discerning the spiritual well-being of a church, not what it looks like on the outside before the world, but what is is on the inside before God. This is a foundational work which I highly recommend.”

-John MacArthur, Pastor-Teacher

“Postmodern Amercica is awash with spirituality-but not with authentic Christianity. Clear evidence of this fact is seen in the loss of a biblical ecclesiology in so many sectors. Reformation is always directed to the church-and we must pray to see the church reformed in our age. Mark Dever points toward a truly biblical recovery of the New Testament church in his manifesto, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. Every page is loaded with thoughtful analysis and careful consideration. It belongs in the hands of every faithful pastor and all those who pray for reformation in this age.”

-R. Albert Mohler President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

It is astonishing that the apostle Paul describes the local gathering of Christians as ‘the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood’ (Acts 20:28,ESV). That raises the stakes of church life and health and mission about as high as it can be. We are dealing with a blood-bought body of people. I do not want human ideas. I want God’s word about the church. I turn with hope and confidence to Mark Dever’s radically biblical commitment. Few people have thought more or better about what makes a church biblical and healthy. I thank God for the book and Nine Marks Ministries.”

-John Piper, Pastor for Preaching and Vision, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Minneapolis

“Books on the church are a dime a dozen. This one is different. Only rarely does a book on the church come along that marries responsible biblical and theological reflection to godly, experienced, good judgment and practical applications. This book is one of them. If you are a Christian leader, be careful of the work you are now holding in your hand: it may change your life and ministry.”

-D.A. Carson, Research Professor of New Testament, Trinity Evangelical Divinity School

The second Book is a work by John MacAthur, The Master’s Plan for the Church, and is best described as it is written on its back cover.

“It is absolutely essential for a church to perceive itself as an institution for the glory of God, and to do that, claims John MacArthur, the local church must adhere unfaltering to biblical leadership principles. Christ never intended church leadership to be earned by seniority, purchased with money, or inherited through family ties. He never compared church leaders to governing monarchs, but rather to humble shepherds; not to slick celebrities, but to laboring servants, this updated edition guides the church with crucial, effective lessons in leadership.”

“This book is pertinent not only for pastors and elders, but for anyone who wants the church to be what God intended it to be.”

My heart hurts for the church, as we are the bride of Christ living often not in obedience but in oblivion to his will . We have no excuse, we have the word of God which clearly shows us how to best imitate his glory for his renown. I look forward to learning with you as we take this in-depth look at God’s plan for his people.

-Matt

Free To Do As I Choose?

Doesn't freedom mean that I can choose to do whatever I want to do whenever I want to do to it? Which reminds me of time under the strict rule of my 8th grade math teacher, who happened to share the same last name(no relation), that I was was reprimanded for talking in class. The consequence for getting in trouble in this class was writing out the following sentence 100 times, "I will do what I am told to do when I am told to do it in Mr. Davies classroom from now on." The consequence for not completing the said punishment was to multiply the 100 sentences by 5 and if the 500 hundreds sentences where not completed you where to meet with the headmaster for a final judgement. So I received an in-school suspension where I was bored out of my mind and stared at the walls for the entire day. In this instance I was clearly in the wrong, I did not do what I should of done even though I felt like the punishment did not fit the crime. What gets a little more difficult in life as a follower of Christ is dealing with decisions in regard to Christian freedom.

Christian freedom can be described by looking at 1 Corinthians 10:23-31 where we learn "All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful", "let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor" and "whatever you do , do all to the glory of God". Within Christian Freedom we are no longer slaves to the law, it is not through what we do or don't do by which we are saved. It is through the Spirit and the work of Jesus Christ and his death, burial and resurrection in which we have been bought with a price and freed from our due consequence. Romans 6:4, 1 Corinthians 6:20 and 2 Corinthians 3:17

Now being bought with a price we no longer belong to ourselves, we are now sons and daughters of a Holy, Righteous, Just, Gracious and Loving God who is to be the foundation for every decision we make. Paul teaches the church in Corinth using the example of what believers should do in regard to eating food that had been offered to idols, most of us don't deal with that issue on a daily basis but we deal with choices in regard to other items we eat, what we drink, what we wear, what we pierce, what we tattoo, what part of our body we alter, how we spend our time, how we spend our money.....

As Paul guided the church in Corinth the Lord guides us to take the following into consideration as we make choices on what some may consider the more gray areas of Christian living. When faced with these choices it is best to reflect on Paul's teaching and ask yourself the following.

• Am I bringing glory to God in this? (1 Corinthians 10:31)
• Does this seek my own good or that of others? (1 Corinthians 10:24)
• Am I endangering myself to a harmful addiction? (1 Corinthians 6:12)
• What does my good conscience, inward integrity of the heart, say? (1 Timothy 1:5)

Freedom seeks not itself but the will of the Father who graciously gives it.

-Matt

"Visit Orphans and Widows in their Affliction"

"Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world." James 1:27

Haiti is a beautiful country filled with strong Haitian men, women and children, estimated at 10 million. The country is also the poorest in the Americas battling political corruption, malaria, cholera, child trafficking, and the daunting task of rebuilding after the the January 2010 earthquake that still has over 500,000 people living in tent cities.

I had the privilege of joining a team of 11 other men traveling to Haiti with the mission of finding out how we can best "visit orphans". What was evident throughout the trip is that the Lord is gracious in leading us as we seek Him for direction. We saw many doors closed, at one point we were stopped by a band of rioters after a 3 hour bus ride to visit with a group of 25 orphans, we were used as road block for protest and then turned around to head back to the mission house, in addition supplies we needed to do the work we had initially planned on were not present and some that we initially trusted were now appearing questionable. But as we committed our path to the Lord it was clear to see that God had others in place that we were to visit. God used a young lady named Sarah, who has committed to working at God's Planet Mission House and serving the orphans and street kids of Haiti, He used a young Haitian gentleman, Eve, who guided us through Port Au Prince, and a Haitian Pastor and his wife who care for 35 children at Agape Children's Home.

Our visit with Agape Children's Home was pure evidence of God's plan for us being in Haiti. The children were delightful, well cared for, sang worship songs for us, were appreciative when we presented them with gifts but lived in conditions worse than what the incarcerated are treated to here in the states. Our project for the time there was to love on the orphans and the care givers and to provide running water to the two bathrooms in the home, as the current water situation included the kids running the water in buckets for bathing, washing clothes, cooking and filling toilets. Through a team effort we were able to devise a plan, bring together the monetary resources for a pump and materials, obtain the necessary parts, water line, 300 gallon basin and connectors and then see the project to completion-water flow and smiles stretched across happy faces.

The Lord works in amazing ways and it certainly is blessing to be a apart of what he has ordained. There is still much that is to be done in visiting with the orphans of Haiti and I know that our work is not done.

"For the Lord your God is God of gods and Lord of lords, the great, the mighty, and the awesome God, who is not partial and takes no bribe. He executes justice for the fatherless and the widow, and loves the sojourner, giving him food and clothing." Deuteronomy 10:17-18

Matt

Our Town, Tornado!

When the devastation is seen in the news it is not quite as real as it is when experienced first hand. The watch, the warning, the urgent call from a family member or friend, the afternoon-evening-night in the basement, closet or hall, the hail, the winds, the power outage, the tears, the prayers the freight train... And now we see 100 year old trees ripped from the ground, trailers turned into shards, roofs pried open, houses picked up off there foundations and lives lost. All this the evidence of what we cannot completely understand.

What we do know about God, Tornadoes and Life is this:

God is Gracious no matter what the circumstance.

For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith - and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God - not by works, so that no one can boast.

Ephesians 2:8-9

Tornadoes are a reminder that life here and now is short and we all need a Savior.

There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God. All have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no one who does good, not even one

Romans 3:10-12

God is Sovereign over the Earth, the Wind, You and I

When he utters his voice, there is a tumult of waters in the heavens, and he makes the mist rise from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, and he brings forth the wind from his storehouses.

Jeremiah 10:13

We must repent and worship the one and only true God

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Matthew 10:28

God has called all who have faith to be the Gospel voice

Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.

Matthew 28:19

The Mark of a True Christian Steps Up in a Time of Need

Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.

Romans 12:9-13