Mark 9: A Healthy Church Member is a Humble Follower

A humble follower honors the elders (1 Timothy 5:17-19), caring for their financial and physical needs, and refusing to consider unedifying and uncorroborated rumors. A humble follower shows open-hearted love to the leaders, a sweet exchange of affection as they live, grow, and labor together. A humble follower is teachable. A pastor’s instruction is meant to be gentle, kind, and for our good. Pastors watch over our souls as one who must give account to God; we should trust and accept their leadership as a gift from God for our everlasting benefit.

Patiently participate in the selection of leaders. By choosing leaders, a congregation sets the spiritual tone and direction of the church. Obey and submit to leaders (Hebrews 13:17). Joyfully, eagerly, and completely submit to our leaders for our good, their good, and the good of the entire body. Follow the leaders’ example. Pray for leaders (Colossians 4:2-4), for their boldness, clarity, and consistency with the gospel message. Support outside ministry and leader interaction.

Mark 10: A Healthy Church Member is a Prayer Warrior

On the basis of our sonship through faith in Christ, we may speak to God as his redeemed children. “Prayer is our response to God as He speaks to us,” first in the gospel of Christ, and subsequently in his Word. We stand before God receiving a full hearing, involving ourselves in the business that God has with the world.

Pray constantly, without ceasing, continuing steadfastly, with thanksgiving. Pray in the Spirit, according to the will of God revealed in his Word. Pray for laborers and shepherds. Pray for all the saints. Pray for those in authority, from government leaders to parents. Pray for those who abuse and persecute us.

Mark 7: A Healthy Church Member seeks Discipline

Discipline is about education and learning, order and growth. Discipline in the life of the congregation and the healthy church member provides an atmosphere for growth and development. Two forms of discipline occur in the life of healthy church members, both originating in the Word of God. “Formative discipline” refers to how Scripture shapes and molds the Christian as he or she imbibes its teaching and is trained to live for God. “Corrective Discipline” describes how the Word of God confronts and turns us away from error to righteousness.

Receive the Word of God with meekness, acknowledging it as the source of salvation and instruction in godly living. Recognize chastisement as evidence of God’s love; God himself is a loving Father who disciplines his children. Humbly accept correction from others. Take seriously our responsibility to care for others by sustaining the discipline of the local church; proactively in love seek to restore those who are caught in sin.

Mark 8: A Healthy Church Member is a Growing Disciple

It is normal for Christians to grow, to work for growth, and to expect increasing spiritual maturity. We must not focus superficially on the outward signs and neglect the inward reality (Luke 18:9-14). We cannot fall into the trap believing that good performance and success are related to spiritual growth and discipleship. We cannot judge our well-being by comparing ourselves to others. We should not rely solely on our self-effort. A growing church member is someone who looks more and more like Jesus in attitude of heart, thought, speech, and action.

Abide in Christ, remaining in the True Vine (John 15:5-8). Study the Word of God, participate in the ordinances of baptism and communion along with the gathered church, and pray. Be strengthened and matured through participation in the body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-16). Meditate on and look forward to the second coming of Christ (Philippians 3:20-21).

Mark 5: A Healthy Church Member is a Biblical Evangelist

Evangelism does not depend on eloquence, using the correct mood lighting, emotionally sappy songs and stories, or high-pressure sales pitches. We simply and deeply trust God and the power of the gospel to produce the fruit he desires. We plant and water faithfully, confidently trusting that God will give the increase. Faithful evangelism must (1) be content-specific, presenting the truth about God, men and women, sin, Jesus, and Jesus’ work; (2) present Jesus as the exclusive way of salvation; and (3) call the hearer to repentance and faith in Christ.

Mark 6: A Healthy Church Member is a Committed Member

It is God’s intent that the local church be central to the life of his people. While there is no “book of church membership” in the Bible, the idea of membership is nearly everywhere in Scripture. Many practices and commands given to the church lose all meaning if membership is not practiced, visibly identifiable, and important – commands on church leadership, on church discipline, and on keeping lists and voting.

The essence of membership is committed love to another. Love is singled out as signifying to the watching world that we belong to Christ (John 13:34-35). A healthy Christian is one who is committed to expressing this kind of love toward other Christians. Faithful church attendance is associated tightly with stirring each other to love and good deeds. Committed membership is expressed by attending regularly, seeking peace, edifying others, warning and admonishing others, pursuing reconciliation, bearing with others, and preparing for the ordinances.

Mark 3: A Healthy Church Member is Gospel Saturated

The gospel is not only news for a perishing world, it is the message that forms, sustains, and animates the church. Apart from the gospel, the church has nothing to say. The gospel is absolutely vital to a vibrant, joyous, persevering, hopeful, and healthy Christian and Christian church.

Take steps to be sure we know the gospel with some clarity and depth. Recognize that there is no risk in sharing the gospel, only the reward of faithfulness. Desire to hear the gospel and preach the gospel to yourself. Memorize the gospel, pray the gospel, sing the gospel, review how the gospel has changed you, and study the gospel. Fight for and protect the apostolic gospel delivered and preserved in the pages of Scripture (Galatians 1:8-9).

Mark 4: A Healthy Church Member is Genuinely Converted

Conversion is the radical turn from an enslaved life of pursuing sin to a free life of pursuing and worshiping God. Conversion is a change of life, not merely a decision. This change is not a matter of moral rectitude, self-help, or mere behavior modification. It cannot be accomplished by human effort but only by the power of God.

The book of 1 John is a helpful book to study when examining the work of God in our souls. Do we walk in the light or darkness (1 John 1:6-7)? Do we love God the Father (1 John 2:15)? Do we love other Christians (1 John 3:14-15, 3:18-19, 5:1)? Do we have the testimony of the Spirit that we are children of God (1 John 3:24b)? Are we persevering in the faith (1 John 5:4-5)?

I recently finished reading “What is a Healthy Church Member” by Thabiti Anyabwile. I read it as part of the deacon training we have been going through in our meetings. I was responsible to read this book and present its ideas to our deacons. I am going to use a series of posts to highlight key sentences and thoughts that I took away. All the words are from Thabiti (if I may presume such familiarity with him). Here are the first two marks of a healthy church member.

Mark 1: A Healthy Church Member is an Expositional Listener

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. Expositional listening gives us a clear ear with which to hear God. Listening to Jesus as it is heard in his Word is critical to following him.

Cultivating the habit of “expositional listening” means meditating on the sermon passage during your quiet time, using a good set of commentaries to help you hear God’s Word with a clear ear. Talk with friends about the sermon after church. Seek answers to questions by searching the Scriptures yourself or with a small group. Listen to the sermon and then act upon it. Seek to meet Jesus each time you come to the Scripture.

Mark 2: A Healthy Church Member is a Biblical Theologian

To practice biblical theology is to know God himself, to know God’s macro story of redemption – the history of revelation, the grand themes and doctrines of the Bible, and how they fit together. Biblical theology helps us to see how God has spoken the same message to his people in diverse places and diverse ways. We follow in the steps of Jesus and the apostles by mastering the unity of Scripture, seeing Christ and the gospel throughout.

Allot some portion of your private devotions to study the Scriptures thematically. The Bible is one story about God’s redeeming for himself a special people. Train yourself to link what you learn in the New Testament to the Old Testament. Ask yourself how the Old Testament fits together with the revelation of the New Testament. Study the books of prophecy in the Old Testament. Commit yourselves to upholding the doctrinal integrity of your church. Know the difference between beliefs that are essential to biblical Christianity and beliefs that are nonessential. Avoid strife and contention over things that are not essential to the gospel.