Dever’s 9 Marks of a Healthy Church caught my attention immediately as he
explained how he started a sermon; I instantly felt as if I was a part of the
audience, considering all of his questions. Especially when he gets to
questions about the preacher, being the preacher or, in my case, the
Chaplain is a difficult job. As the author describes the preacher, “He has to
be someone that you feel you could relate to and talk with and let your
hair down with or trust in some measure. But he needs to seem holy, too.
But not too holy. He needs to be knowledgeable but not too knowledgeable.
He needs to be confident, but not too confident.”[1] d d The list of
expectations is lengthy, and I believe we all try our best to meet them.
The first mark is that I am working on improving expositional preaching; it is
not that I am horrible at it; it's simply that I do not have many opportunities
for it in my job field. I lack preaching experience; I have preached 3 times
in my life, and I am scheduled to preach in July. I also lack time to
prepare expositional sermons; I have been working on Army Orders due to
COVID much of this and last year. I look forward to time honing this skill.
Mark three: The Gospel is an area that many Christian Churches are
struggling to provide thoroughly; the good news is proudly proclaimed. The
“God is love” message is heard but not often the consequences of
disobedience. The Bible “tells us, for instance, that God requires holiness of
all who would be in a loving relationship with him. As the Bible says,
"Without holiness, no one will see the Lord" (Heb. 12:14)”[2] As ministry
leaders, we are severely slighting our church members if we do not provide
the tools for a thorough understanding.
Mark six: A Biblical Understanding of Church Membership is a topic that I
struggle with; I was a church member for many years but left when I chose
to pursue my ministry calling. In the church body that I grew up in, women
do not serve in ministry except serving children’s ministry and other women.
I felt no longer welcome there; for the past three years, I have been visiting
Churches. I have enjoyed seeing the various ways that people “do Church.”
I look forward to completing this degree and finding a church that I can
serve. I agree with the text that church membership is important. “Church
membership is our opportunity to grasp hold of each other in responsibility
and love. By identifying ourselves with a particular church, we let the
pastors and other members know that we intend to be committed in
attendance, giving, prayer, and service.”[3]
[1] Mark Dever (2015). (p. 40). Nine Marks of a Healthy Church. Crossway.
Retrieved from https://app.wordsearchbible.lifeway.com
[2] Ibid (p.92).
[3] Ibid (p.167).
