Healthy churches are comprised of healthy church members. Because I love the church I thought it might help to challenge some of her members to evaluate themselves.

Take a few moments to answer these ten questions and consider what type of church member you are. (These questions are not original as I have based them on the primary emphases in a helpful book.[1])

1.      Are you an expositional listener? Proper sermon digestion requires “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” (20). Healthy churches are built with men and women who discipline themselves to hear God’s word in a way that fosters understanding and obedience.

2.      Are you a biblical theologian? A believer’s first and greatest calling is to ‘know God.’ Do you know what the Bible says about God? Are you committed – through systematic study – to pursuing this knowledge of God?

3.      Are you gospel saturated? “Apart from the gospel, the church has nothing to say – that is, nothing to say that cannot be said by some other human agency” (39). Have you so immersed yourself in this story that you order your life around it’s truth?

4.      Are you genuinely converted? Salvation brings life alteration. Is there obvious fruit in your life of a genuine life change?

5.      Are you a biblical evangelist? The call for a disciple is to be a disciple-maker. Are you active in sharing the gospel with others?

6.      Are you a committed member? Church membership is a vow taken before God to participate in the life and ministry of a local church. Have you broken that vow through inconsistent attendance, a failure to give, or a refusal to serve?

7.      Do you seek discipline? Church membership involves mutual accountability. Do you humbly seek and receive the loving correction from others?

8.      Are you a growing disciple? Healthy churches grow from healthy church members. “It’s impossible to divide the well-being of a church member from his or her spiritual growth and discipleship” (83).

9.      Are you a humble follower? “Leadership in the local church is established by God for the blessing of his people” (103). Do you follow God’s leaders with wide-open hearts, eager obedience, and joyful submission?

10.  Are you a prayer warrior? Perhaps the best way to support the ministry of your local church is to beg God to accomplish what mere men cannot.

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[1] Thabiti M. Anyabwile, What is a Healthy Church Member? Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2008.

In a sermon delivered yesterday, I referenced my understanding that the role of apostle as seen in the New Testament (NT) does not exist in the church today. Because I have heard from a few people about this teaching already, I want to provide a fuller explanation.

I asserted…

“Paul and a few other men were specifically commissioned by Jesus to fulfill a special office in the 1^st century church and men are no longer called to fill this office.”

The Greek word for apostle is used a few ways in the NT. As a verb it means “to send” and as a noun it means “a sent-one” or messenger. So using everyday Greek, I might ‘apostle’ someone to go to the store and buy milk for me. Or I might ‘apostle’ my ministry assistant to deliver a message on my behalf to someone in the church. In many places the NT writers employ the word in this common way.

For example, in Mark 6:27 Herod ‘apostles’ an executioner to cut off John’s head. In Luke 7:3 a centurion ‘apostles’ some Jewish elders to get Jesus. In Luke 14:32 Jesus uses the term to speak of kings ‘apostling’ a delegation to ask for peace from another king. Again, this term is not specifically ‘Christian’ or special.

In other places, however, the NT uses the word to refer specific men who were specially-commissioned by Jesus to take the gospel to a particular place or to a particular people (i.e. Jesus ‘apostled’ the 12 disciples in Mark 6:7).

Therefore, I contend that the NT teaches that certain men were called by God and sent by Jesus to fulfill an office of authority in the church and referred to as Apostles. My understanding of the office of apostle comes in part from Acts 1:21-26. In this text the (now 11) apostles are selecting a replacement for Judas. Note (through my italics added below) how they describe themselves and their calling.

²¹So one of the men who have accompanied us during all the time that the Lord Jesus went in and out among us, ²² beginning from the baptism of John until the day when he was taken up from us-one of these men must become with us a witness to his resurrection.” ²³And they put forward two, Joseph called Barsabbas, who was also called Justus, and Matthias. ²⁴And they prayed and said, “You, Lord, who know the hearts of all, show which one of these two you have chosen ²⁵to take the place in this ministry and apostleship from which Judas turned aside to go to his own place.” ²⁶And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias, and he was numbered with the eleven apostles.

Their calling was based on seeing the risen Lord in bodily form and carried with it a special authority in the church. This authority in the church was evidenced (as we see in 2 Corinthians 12:12) by the power to perform miraculous signs.

With an understanding of the office of apostle in place, why do I apply designation to Paul? Two texts that help me interpret Paul’s apostolic calling as similar to the 12: 1 Corinthians 15:8-9 and 1 Timothy 2:7. In these texts Paul affirms that a special delegation of men who had seen the risen Christ had been specifically commissioned to spread the gospel. And he includes himself in that group.

With Paul having affirmed both the reality of an office of apostle in the church and his own apostleship, I read his self-designation as an apostle in Romans 1 in this light. I understand him to be referring to himself as a specially-commissioned “sent one” by the risen Jesus to the Gentiles.

Therefore, because Jesus no longer appears in bodily form to commission men for this type of service, I understand this role to have ceased with the death of these men in the 1^st century.

by Jim Belcher

This book makes an important contribution to an ongoing conversation about Christianity in general and the church in particular. During the last decade as leaders have wrestled with and argued about what the church and ministry and the ‘Christian life’ should look like in the 21^st century, a group of men and women have proposed some radical changes.

Like most debates within Christianity, the battle lines were drawn and leaders on both sides began speaking and writing about their views. In fact, the amount of time, money, and internet space devoted to this discussion is remarkable. Thus, if you read contemporary Christian literature, attend Christian conferences, or read Christian blogs you are sure to have at least unknowingly encountered the discussion or learned about its major topics.

I mention the book today not as a recommendation necessarily, but more as a way to credit it for leading me to address several topics. While I don’t agree with all of Belcher’s conclusions, I appreciate his fairness in explaining what both sides believe regarding the seven primary issues at stake in the debate and his clarity in articulating his views. If the term ‘emerging church’ means anything to you, then I suggest grabbing a copy of this book for a helpful review. But if you do read it, do so carefully because his third way is not perfect.

My purpose, however, is not to draw you into the discussion. Instead, I want to challenge you to consider your beliefs regarding these seven topics because they provide a foundation for your understanding of Christianity and the Church.

So as normal, I’ll address the following in individual blog entries over several weeks seeking to answer at least the questions listed.

1. Truth - Can we know truth? And if so, how?
2. Evangelism – How can churches strike the correct balance between welcoming unbelievers into their community while fostering growth among maturing believers?
3. Gospel – What are the essential elements of the gospel?
4. Worship – How can the church lead corporate worship gatherings that honor God and minister to people in the 21^st century?
5. Preaching – Why does one guy talk for most of our worship services? Should we continue to do it this way?
6. Ecclesiology – How can the church best organize herself to obey the biblical directives and minister effectively?
7. Culture – How can the church engage culture without being over-taken by it?