October 3, 2008

The book and the date!

Well, I actually finished "What is a healthy Church?" by Mark Dever. What a book! I really enjoyed and took some things from it...
Here are the 9 marks of a healthy church and my thoughts are in parenthesis:
  1. Expositional Preaching. (Lets get back to what Jesus has to say and not your bad feelings that you got when you woke up on Sunday morning concerning "that" pastor that dissed you. Hehe)
  2. Biblical Theology. (we desperately need SOUND DOCTRINE)
  3. A Biblical Understanding of the Gospel. (What really is the good news?)
  4. A Biblical Understanding of Conversion. (People need to know what does Conversion hold you to)
  5. A Biblical Understanding of Evangelism. (Is evangelism a department or a lifestyle. Oooh!)
  6. A Biblical Understanding of Membership. (is there a need to BE a member of a church? Yep)
  7. Biblical Church Discipline. (Umm, this chapter should be read by many people in church leadership... all I have to say. Hehe)
  8. Biblical Discipleship and Growth. (The church has to grow in numbers but also in holiness, grace... Peter said, "Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord..." 2 Peter 3:18)
  9. Biblical Church Leadership. (Elders and Deacons. Blows me away every time I read about this model of Leadership)

Well, I'm done with that one! Hehe.
All I know is that I will reference to that book many times in ministry and apply those marks to the church. We gotta be in healthy churches.

Switching the subject, I'm ready for the weekend!
I'm taking my lovely lady out on a date to a "surprise" restaurant and catch "Nights in Rodanthe" starring Richard Gere and Diane Lane (talk about a chic flick).
They say it is "The Notebook of 2008". We'll see.
Hopefully, Gere does not start forgetting Diane Lane at the end of the movie and I find myself sitting in the middle of the room with people crying all around me... Hehe.

Goodnight.