Thank you for your transparent post. I am sorry for how the church has delegated its
orientation to that of men. It is a difficult thing sometimes to overcome traditions and
embrace the biblical standards that Christ brought with Him that God will pour out His
Spirit on his man and maidservants to prophecy (Acts 2:17).[1] I am also struggling
with church membership. As a remarried man, it is very difficult to overcome the
tradition of a “one woman man” that Paul uses as qualifications to mean just that
instead of never having to been divorced, and to find a Bible indoctrinated church that
doesn’t have traditions based off not the Bible but the Catholic churches traditions that
Protestantism sprung from. My current church does not struggle with the marks that
you claimed as working on other than the membership aspect. Currently my church
struggles with its ability to prioritize evangelism and discipleship. Jesus is explicit to go
and make disciples (Matthew 28:18-20), to go into all the world (Mark 16:15), and that
He is sending us (John 20:21). This is a sore subject among churches that is often
tacked up to be a “job for the professionals.”[2] However, every disciple of Jesus Christ
is called to the great Commission. We are all called to be on mission with Christ,
bringing forth His kingdom that is now and yet to come. c I, too, believe expository
preaching is the most important issue of the 9 marks--when one gets that right,
the other areas will follow. I pray the Lord opens some doors for you to preach
more often.
Getting the gospel right has never been more important in our day (of course, it
was important in the Reformation, but that was a different day). Advocates of
social justice, as important as it is, have tried to insist everything under the sun
is part of the gospel. Paul clearly communicated the gospel in Romans and
then talks about its implications (without adding to it). Churches need more
clarity on it today.
Finally, what you have to say about church membership is valuable in that more
Christians should be taught of the importance of serving in the body of Christ.
We must understand what it means to belong.
I thought it was good when you talked about your experience with women in
ministry. I think it took vulnerability to speak up about your experience regarding
that and I appreciated reading about your story.
As Dever states the responsibilities and duties of a church member are the
responsibilities and duties of the Christian.[1] Overall, what we’re called to do
individually be God’s word, we are called to do within the context of the family
of Christ as well. This, in my opinion, is a very simple way to break it down to
someone that may be new to the faith and wondering about what it means to
be a member of the local body of believers.
Overall, I enjoyed your post and I hope you have a great rest of the semester.
