Re-Form Your Church’s Health – Week 1
This series of messages is based on the book “What Is a Healthy Church Member” by Thabiti Anyabwile. Thabiti is the senior pastor of First Baptist Church, Grand Cayman Islands.
For an audio copy of Rob teaching this information, check with the church library.
We will never “arrive.”
We will never be finished growing spiritually.
Over the next five weeks, we’ll be looking at 10 specific characteristics that we should all have in our own lives so that we have a healthy church.
• If we are to be a healthy church, we must be healthy individuals.
You don’t just decide - I’m going to be healthier - then it happens. You formulate a plan.
That’s sort of what we’re doing tonight and the next few weeks.
• The health of our church depends on each one of us looking at our own hearts, making sure our thinking is right - is biblical about everything - and being engaged in the purposes of the church.
As time goes by, we should all be getting more involved. Serving more. Knowing people better. Becoming more a part of the church.
When I was young, my Mom planted three small trees in the front yard and braided them together. It was cool. A couple years ago, I drove by that house to show my wife Amy where I grew up and that tree was still there, but it wasn’t three trees braided together anymore. It was one really cool looking tree. Those three trees had grown together so that they were really one tree. They were inseparable. We should all have this long-term mindset about our church. That I’m here for the long-haul and I’m going to be so engaged and so much a part of this body that as time goes on, I’m really inseparable from others. We’re deeply engaged and wrapped up in each others’ lives.
Remember - for us to be a healthy church - we have to have healthy church members.
And healthy church members are marked by some specific characteristics.
The first characteristic of a healthy church member is this:
• An Expositional Listener
Expositional Preaching
One of the most important things to look for in a church is a commitment to expositional preaching. It truly is the starting point of a healthy, faithful church.
If God’s Word is not shaping everything - our thinking, the way we interact with each other - and obviously our purposes - we might get some things right along the way, but the foundation will be wrong and eventually, we’ll stray.
• Expositional Preaching is preaching the point of the passage, not a “topical” approach.
An Expositional Listener:
Understands that the sermon is not a “practical how-to message” like “How to live a better life.”
• Expositional listening is listening for the meaning of a passage of Scripture and accepting that meaning as the main idea to be understood and integrated into our personal and corporate lives.
As expositional listeners, we must listen for the voice and message of God as revealed in His Word.
Hebrews 4:12 – For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the division of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and intentions of the heart.
Benefits of Expositional Listening
1. It cultivates a hunger for God’s Word
When God’s Word is central, and we are listening for Him, our desire to hear His Word, read His Word, Study His Word, and Memorize His Word will grow in us.
2. It helps us to focus on God’s will and follow Him
It’s not about the Pastor’s agenda, it’s not about your agenda. It’s about God’s agenda. His agenda is found in His Word. So we listen to the proclamation of His Word.
(BTW: I listen to expositional sermons regularly too.)
3. It protects the Gospel and our lives from corruption
Galatians 1:6 — I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ.
2 Timothy 4:3-4 – For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
There are false teachers everywhere (they can even be in a church) and we must train ourselves to think Biblically.
4. It encourages pastors
It’s so encouraging to a pastor to know people are actually listening and engaged in the sermon. And yes - if you’ve ever taught - stood up in front of a group of people.. you CAN tell who is engaged. And when someone asks a question after the service, or makes a comment (and not just “great sermon Pastor,” although that’s nice – but a question or comment about the content of the message), it’s very encouraging.
5. Cultivates Koinonia
1 Corinthians 1:10 – I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
When we all listen expositionally, it will cultivate greater unity and connection within the body.
How do we Grow in this area?
1. Meditate on the Sermon passage during your devotion time
I’m not the only one allowed to study the passage.
Read the passage in your devotion time. It will almost always be the next passage in the book I’m preaching through.
We’re going to start putting the text of the next sermon, along with the outline, on the website so that you can read and study it yourself.
You could even outline the passage yourself and bring that with you when you come.
You’ve seen “Prepare Your Heart for Worship” on the screens on Sunday morning. What better way to prepare your heart than to be reading the passage for several days ahead of time.
2. Commentaries and a good Study Bible
Not just for sermons - but for your study in general.
Our library has plenty. You can buy commentaries one at a time for your library or check them out of ours.
www.challies.com lists good commentaries in for many Books. He’s doing a series on commentaries.
3. Talk and pray with friends about the sermon after church
This coming Sunday - as soon as church is over, find someone & tell them what stood out to you during the service and ask them what stood out to them. Get into the habit of asking at least one person one question about the service.
• How did the Scripture challenge you today?
• What about God’s character stood out?
• How did you grow in your understanding of the Gospel?
4. Listen to and act on the sermon throughout the week
The sermon shouldn’t end when the service does.
James 1:22-25 – But be doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. 23 For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks intently at his natural face in a mirror. 24 For he looks at himself and goes away and at once forgets what he was like. 25 But the one who looks into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and perseveres, being no hearer who forgets but a doer who acts, he will be blessed in his doing.
If you’re a note-taker, look back at your notes during your devotional time during the week. Take the outline points and the reflection questions and refer back to them during the week. Maybe use them in your family devotions. If you’re in a discipling relationship, bring them up.
Check the AfterBlog for the summary of the sermon. You could even go back and listen to or watch the sermon again.
Think through how God’s living, active, and powerful word has changed you and how you should now live as a result of that change.
5. Develop the habit of addressing any questions about the text itself
If anything comes up - ask. Ask me. Ask Ed. Ask Rex. Ask one of our deacons. The person discipling you...
We should all develop the habit of determining what Scripture means.
Remember: every passage has one meaning – many applications. Search for the one meaning.
6. Cultivate Humility
When you are growing spiritually - which will happen if you’re truly focused on and digging into the Word, don’t let that knowledge “puff up.”
You’re not better than any other believer. Pride is everyone’s biggest problem. Cultivate Humility - which is the only solution.
Discussion Questions
1. How would you rate your ability to listen for the meaning of the Word during sermons? During private devotions?
2. What will you do this week to strengthen your listening ability?
The second characteristic of a healthy church member is this:
A Theologian
Watch this video:
(You might need to watch it a couple of times to get it all)
J.I Packer wrote “ignorance both of His ways and of the practice of communion with him – lies at the root of the church’s weakness today.”
According to Thabithi Anyabwile, too many Christians have neglected their first great calling - to know their God. Every Christian is meant to be a theologian in the best and most intimate sense of the word.
We won’t all become theologians to the same capacity due to many factors, but we must all strive to grow in our theological knowledge and depth.
• Theology is Knowing God Himself
If you’re interested in knowing God - you’ll be interested in knowing what God has said about Himself. And that is found in the Bible. To know God, we must start by knowing what God says about Himself in the Bible.
• We need to know both the themes and the Big Picture
We need to know the major themes of the Bible & what it teaches about them. We need to understand how everything fits together as a whole.
We come to the Bible knowing that it paints the beautiful, grand picture of an awesome God redeeming for Himself a people for His own glory.
How Theology helps my growth:
These come from Wayne Grudem’s Systematic Theology
1. You’ll grow in reverence for God
When you see our faithful, loving, consistent God - you can’t not grow in reverence for Him.
2. Overcome wrong ideas
There will be things in the Bible that challenge you, confuse you, and upset you. There are many teachers out there who would take you down the wrong path. When you are committed to the big-picture of Scripture, it will help correct any wrong thinking that’s been planted in your head either by bad teaching or even the culture we all live in.
3. Inoculates against doctrinal controversies
When you know the whole Bible and the “big picture” of redemption - it will help you to process doctrinal controversies.
4. It’s necessary to fulfill the Great Commission
Matthew 28:19-20 – 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, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
How can we teach all things if we don’t at least understand all things.
You don’t have to have the entire Bible memorized, but you should understand the overall flow and the big picture.
5. It deepens our understanding of the Gospel.
We don’t just focus on one passage, one book, or even one Testament.
Understanding the Old Testament helps you in your understanding of the Gospel.
How to Grow as a Theologian
1. Read a good book on Theology
There are quite a few good ones in our library. There are several recommended books on the website and in the newsletter each month.
It’s also important what you don’t read. There are many books that will be harmful to your spiritual life.
2. Study Scripture Thematically
There’s “Biblical” theology - which looks at the big picture of the Bible.
And there’s “Systematic” theology, which looks at themes and topics.
Your main diet should be going through the Bible in verse by verse, but you also need to develop an understanding of themes - justification, sanctification, salvation, who is God? What is the Trinity, etc.
3. Link the Old and New Testaments (NT study)
When you study the New Testament ask these questions:
• How is this passage a fulfillment of something promised in the OT?
• How is this NT idea different from or similar to an OT teaching?
• How does this clarify, unveil, or amplify the OT?
4. Link the Old and New Testaments (OT study)
When you study the Old Testament ask these questions:
• Where does this fit in the “Big picture” timeline?
• How does this point to Jesus?
• How does this help me understand Christianity better?
• Where in the NT is this question answered? How does Jesus answer this?
5. Know your church’s doctrinal statement
THis is simple - again, you don’t have to have it memorized, but you should at least read through it so that you’re familiar with it. It really does matter what you believe about God. It impacts a great many things on a great many levels. It starts with our basic belief framework.
6. Seek doctrinal unity
Disagreements will come. The question isn’t will they come, but how will you participate in them?
Is it essential to the gospel? Then it’s worth fighting for.
We do want unity on all things, but we have to work together and have a relentless commitment to Christ and to the Word as the starting point.
We also have to have a relentless commitment to each other.
Philippians 2 is the mindset. Strive for unity.
There’s an old maxim : In essentials: unity
In non-essentials: liberty
In all things: love
It can’t be a cop-out, but it’s a good starting point. However, our goal is to determine what the Bible says about the topic, whatever it is.
Always remember:
• Sanctification is a group project.
We are to strive together for spiritual growth and unity.
Now - don’t panic. This is a lot to take in. This is not a homework assignment to be completed in a week. This is a lifelong process of growing in knowledge.
The point is that you ARE a theologian. Either a growing one or a bad one.
Discussion Questions
1. How familiar are you with theology?
Do you have an adequate grasp of the major theological themes of the Bible? (systematic)
Could you explain to someone how the entire Bible fits together as one book? (Biblical)
How well can you refute error? How easy is it to spot? (ex: Joel Osteen, Joyce Meyer)
2. What specific plan can you put in place to grow as a theologian?
The Homework Assignment:
Think through the discussion questions and come up with a plan for growth in each of these two areas. Write it down.
Remember the three words: Discipline, effort, intentionality. All three will be necessary for growth.
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