I have been reading "9 Marks of a healthy Church" by Mark Dever. I don't think any Churches in Rhinelander measure up to all the marks. My hope is that Lord would cause us to grow in the areas where we are currently lacking and become a healthy Church. We do not have that far to go, and the Lord is able.
The 1st Mark is expository preaching. The 2nd is Biblical Theology. The 3rd is the Gospel and the 4th is a proper view of conversion. The next mark is a Biblical understanding of evangelism.
The gospel & a proper view of conversion come from a proper Biblical Theology. Most Churches in Rhinelander do not have a proper Biblical Theology. God is the Creating, Holy, Faithful, Loving & Sovereign God. Most Churches fall short in one or more of these areas, especially the last one. They may use the term, but they usually mean something different by it.
The Church is made up of Christians. It is not the building but the people. These 9 Marks then are what identify a true Christian. Obviously the 1st Mark has to do with the preacher, but the others so far have to do with the beliefs of the Church, which means the beliefs of the members.
The point then is that a Christian should be working on these marks, if they are to be a healthy Christian. Do you listen to expository preaching? Do you have a biblical theology? Do you know the gospel? Do you have a biblical understanding of conversion and evangelism?
Are you a healthy Christian?
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