What does a Healthy Church and Healthy Church

What does a Healthy Church and Healthy Church Member Look Like? WEEK 10: WHAT IS A HEALTHY CHURCH MEMBER? 1. IS AN EXPOSITIONAL LISTENER 2. IS A BIBLICAL THEOLOGIAN MARCH 10, 2013

What is a Healthy Church? Summing it all up 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. Expositional Preaching Biblical Theology Understanding the Good News Understanding Conversion Understanding Evangelism Understanding Membership Church Discipline Discipleship and Growth Church Leadership

What is a Healthy Church Member? Introduction 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. Expositional Listening Biblical Theologian Gospel Saturated Genuinely Converted Biblical Evangelist Committed Member Seeks Church Discipline Growing Disciple Humble Follower Prayer Warrior

A Healthy Church Member is an Expositional Listener Review from Week 3: What is Expositional Preaching? This is a kind of preaching that “exposes” God’s word. It takes a particular passage of scripture and explains what it says and then applies the meaning to the life of the congregation. What does the passage say? Why does the author say it in that way? Why does the author say it here? Why do this passage and book belong at this point of in the Biblical story? What response did the author want from his hearers or readers? What response should we make today?

A Healthy Church Member is an Expositional Listener What is Expositional Listening? Expositional listening is listening for the meaning of a passage of Scripture and accepting that meaning as the main idea to be grasped for our personal and corporate lives as Christians. 2 Tim 3: 16 -17: All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.

A Healthy Church Member is an Expositional Listener 5 Benefits of Expositional Listening: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. It cultivates a hunger for God’s word. (Psalm 119: 103 -104) Expositional listening helps us focus on God’s will and to follow Him. (John 10: 27) Expositional listening protects the Gospel and our lives from corruption. (2 Tim 4: 3 -4) Expositional listening encourages faithful pastors. (1 Tim 5: 17) Expositional listening benefits the gathered congregation. ( 1 Cor 1: 0; 1 Peter 3: 8; Rom 12: 16)

A Healthy Church Member is an Expositional Listener How can we cultivate the habit of being an Expositional Listener? 1) Come Sunday morning Expecting God to Speak. Practical Steps to Take 1. Look up next Sundays Bible passage and read it at home during the week. 2. Pray for next Sunday’s preacher in the middle of the week. 3. Pray often to yourself, that by His Spirit, God will grow in you a heartfelt expectation that God Himself will speak to you as His word is preached. 4. If you can, try not to come to the sermon exhausted but come rested and ready to pay close attention. 5. Deliberately quite your mind and heart before the sermon and say to yourself, ‘This is when God speaks to me’ and pray ‘Lord, speak to me I am listening’.

A Healthy Church Member is an Expositional Listener 2) Admit God knows better than you. Practical Steps to Take 1. Which part of this weeks preached Bible passage challenge your beliefs or lifestyle? 2. Does the passage clearly teach these things? 3. Pray for the Work of Gods Spirit to enable you to submit to what the Bible clearly says and to help you change.

A Healthy Church Member is an Expositional Listener 3) Check the preacher says what the passage says. Practical Steps to Take 1. Read the passage or listen carefully when it is read? 2. What is the main point of the passage? Are there any surprises in the passage? 3. Who was the passage originally written to? 4. Why do you think the Bible writer wrote this passage? What is the passage intended to achieve? 5. Pray like Martin Luther did; “Lord, teach me, teach me”.

A Healthy Church Member is an Expositional Listener 4) Hear the sermon in Church and be there week by week. Practical Steps to Take 1. Keep count for 6 months or a year of how many weeks you are in your own local church to hear the sermon. Make notes of the reasons why you are not there. 2. If you find you are away more then you realized, more then you ought to be, take practical action to make sure you’re there regularly. Come back from vacation on Saturday, be home earlier on Saturday to get a good night’s rest, etc. 3. Be aware of others in your local church as you listen to the sermon. Talk to them afterwards, not only about how we should respond as individuals but how the passage should shape the church. 4. Pray often for the work of God’s Spirit to shape both you as an individual and as a body of Christians together.

A Healthy Church Member is an Expositional Listener 5) Do what the Bible says. Practical Steps to Take 1. After this week’s sermon write down all the ways you wish other people would obey that teaching. Don’t hold back. After you have written it all down tear it up. 2. Now let’s get to business. Write down as definitely and precisely as you can some action you need to take to obey this passage. It may be a little change of attitude, or a change in the way you speak, or some action you need to stop or start doing. Whatever it is, write it down. 3. In a week’s time, and then a month’s time, look at what you’ve written and ask yourself if that Bible passage has made any difference to you. 4. Pray, pray and pray again for God to work obedience in you to His word.

A Healthy Church Member is an Expositional Listener 6) Do what the Bible says today and rejoice!. Practical Steps to Take 1. Ask yourself how the preached passage shows you an attitude, or words, or actions that need to change. 2. Then change, urgently praying for grace to enable you to repent. 3. Ask yourself in what way the passage encourages you to trust in God and in Christ afresh. Then resolve urgently to put that fresh trust into your life as God helps you. 4. Enjoy preaching, not as entertainment but as God’s regular gracious invitation to walk with Him, rejoicing in a clear conscience.

A Healthy Church Member is a Biblical Theologian What is Biblical Theology for a Church member? To practice Biblical theology is to know God Himself, all His attributes as revealed in the Bible. The Bible is the selfrevelation of God, it’s the source material for having great thoughts about God.

How do we become a Biblical Theologian? C. H. Spurgeon 1) Read a good book on Theology 2) Study the scriptures 3) 4) 5) 6) thematically Adopt the New Testaments attitude toward the Old Testament Study the OT with Jesus and the NT in mind Study books of Prophecy in the Old Testament Know and agree to support your Church’s Statement of Faith

Class Outline What is a Healthy Church Week 1: The Church (What is a Healthy Church Chap. 1&2) Week 2: What is the Church’s Purpose and Function What is a Healthy Church Chap. 3&4 and Article II from PBC Constitution What are the “Essential” marks of a Healthy Church Week 3: Essentials of a Healthy Church What is a Healthy Church Chap 5, 6 & 7 Week 4: What the Church Believes Article III PBC Statement of Faith What are the “Important” marks of a Healthy Church Week 5: A Biblical Understanding of Conversion What is a Healthy Church Chap. 8, Week 6: A Biblical Understanding of Evangelism and Church Membership Part 1. What is a Healthy Church Chap. 9 and 10 and 9 Marks Church Membership book Week 7: Church Membership Part 2 and Discipline. What is a Healthy Church Chap. 10, 11 and 9 Marks Church Membership book Week 8: Biblical Discipleship. What is a Healthy Church Chap. 12 Week 9: Biblical Church Leadership. What is a Healthy Church Chap. 13 What is a Healthy Church Member Week 10: A Healthy Church Member is an Expositional Listener and Biblical Theologian. What is a Healthy Church Member Chap. 1 & 2 and Listen Up booklet Week 11: A Healthy Church Member is Gospel Saturated and Genuinely Converted. What is a Healthy Church Member Chap. 3 & 4 Week 12: A Healthy Church Member is Biblical Evangelist and a Committed Member. What is a Healthy Church Member Chap. 5 & 6 No Class on Easter Week 13: A Healthy Church Member Seeks Discipline and is a Growing Disciple. What is a Healthy Church Member Chap. 7 & 8 Week 14: A Healthy Church Member is a Humble Follower and a Prayer Warrior. What is a Healthy Church Member Chap. 9 & 10