9 Marks of a healthy church Week 1- what is the church? Mark dever Jonathon Leeman

Issues and Answers Schedule 9 Marks of a Healthy Church through Feb 24 and possibly during April What is the Church? Preaching/Teaching Membership…why? Leadership….calling Doctrine/Theology Great Commission Missions Two exceptions: January 20….Sanctity of Life Sunday…North Care Clinic Presentation February 10: Indian Creek Foundation Revisit March is Missions Month

Upcoming Church Events Congregational Dinner (6 PM) & Business Meeting (7 PM) Saturday, January 12. Budget Approval Building Update March for Life Monday January 18; $12 per person; be at church at 5:45AM Annual Consistory Retreat Friday-Saturday January 25-26

What is the (local) Church?

9 Marks Intro – What is the church? Mark Dever attempts to answer two questions: What is the the church supposed to be like? Why is the church supposed to be a that way?

Video https://www.ligonier.org/learn/series/marks-healthy-church/what-church/

9 Marks Discussion – What is the church? What are the three characteristics of a healthy church according to the apostle Paul? Define characteristic #1 - holiness I Corinthians 1:2 and 1:8 What does it mean to be ”pure”? I Corinthians 3:16 How does the wisdom of God relate to the wisdom of the world? How does church membership tie into holiness? Why does discipline matter?

9 Marks Discussion – What is the church? Characteristic #2 – United I Cor 1:10-13 – Call for no divisions among you, no quarrelling Rid ourselves of worldly divisions I Cor 11:18 – existence of “divisions among you” I Cor 3:3 – “fleshly” Dever describes the “church of the modern music”, the “church of a certain ethnicity”, the “church of this pastor”. He says we are supposed to transcend that? How?

9 Marks Discussion –What is the church? Characteristic #3 – United in Love Love edifies – I Cor 8:1 We are to seek to the good of who? Our neighbor – I Cor 10:24 Why does Paul place prophecy above tongues in Ch 14? Dever says the “worship wars are backwards” – what does he mean? Is he realistic? 14:12 – edification of the church 14:26 – all things are to be done for edification of others, the body in the church

9 Marks Discussion –What is the church? Why should the church be like this– Holy, United, Loving? Character of the the church is to reflect what/who? I Cor 11:1 – Be imitators of Christ I Cor 2:11-13 – Spiritual thoughts – God gave them to us I Cor 2:16 - We have the mind of Christ Do you ever think of yourself of “not your own”? (I Cor 6:19-20) Is that NOT radical? We are all different…we have different gifts…but we all have the same Holy Spirit I Cor 12:4-11

Next Week – first Mark of a healthy church – Expositional preaching Give ‘em Heaven!!