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

2. 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

3. 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

4. What is the (local) Church?

5. 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?

6. Video

7. 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?

8. 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. 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

10. 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

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