The Church: The Gospel Made Visible

by Mark Dever

a particularly solid grasp of those truths which distinguish his own congregation from others

he should be an example of care and concern for the congr...

James, Peter, Paul, and Luke also referred to the office of elder in the church, and each of them apparently presumed a plurality of elders per congregation.

Therefore, the direct evidence in the New Testament indicates that the common and even expected practice was to have a plurality of elders in each local congregation.

First, some men in the New Testament, like Timothy or Titus, moved from place to place yet served as elders.

Second, some men were financially supported for full-time work with the flock,57 while other men simultaneously remained in their vocations and performed their work as elders.

Third, Paul wrote to Timothy alone with instructions for the Ephesian church, even though the book of Acts clearly points to a plurality of elders in the Ephesian church.

Finally, Jesus addressed his letters to the seven churches in Revelation 2–3 to the "angel" or "messenger" (singular) of each of these churches.

common practice of setting aside at least one individual from among the elders potentially from outside the congregation's community, supporting that individual, and giving him the primary teaching

responsibility in the church. Nevertheless, the preacher, or pastor, is fundamentally one of the elders of his congregation.

The congregation's responsibility, they would say, is only and always to submit to them.58 This position is called elder rule.

The final responsibility of the congregation does not contradict or undermine the elders' general leadership, but it provides an opportunity to confirm it when it is right and to constrain it when it is in error. This position is called elder led.

In the New Testament, the church is also to exercise discipline because an expectation of holiness remains on God's people. "As obedient children, do not conform to the evil desires you had when you lived in ignorance. But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do; for it is written, 'Be holy, because I am holy.'"

Discipline is inextricably bound up with the church Jesus envisioned. But that discipline should not occur alone. Rather, it should occur as one part of a larger commitment by the entire church to pray and work for one another's formation in Christ. A rejection of such fashioning must be met by the lamentable rejection from the community which is defined by it.

The crime was heinous and public, and the church's response needed to be equally public and decisive.

As long as the church allowed him to remain in membership, it affirmed this claim and simultaneously provided the world with a deeply distorted picture of what a Christian is.

Church discipline done correctly might bring a sinner to repentance, but it will always faithfully represent the gospel to the surrounding community.

The church's purpose lies at the heart of its nature, attributes, and marks and right practices of membership, polity, and discipline serve those purposes.

The proper ends for a local congregation's life and actions are the worship of God, the edification of the church, and the evangelization of the world.

God's Word should direct a church's corporate worship.

"Read the Bible, preach the Bible, pray that Bible, sing the Bible and see the Bible."

Christians are commanded to read the Bible when assembled for worship.

But God's Word must not only be read; it must also be explained and applied.

The duty of singing God's praises is enjoined upon Christians by both example and command.

Another element of gathered Christian worship is prayer.

Reading and preaching God's Word, singing his praises, and praying to him are the required elements in the weekly gathering of Christians.

the Scriptures sufficiently reveal everything God's people need for salvation, perfect trust, and perfect obedience.

"the regulative principle."

God has revealed what basic components of worship are acceptable to him. Left to themselves humans do not worship God as they should, not even those who are blessed by him.

In short, recognizing the regulative principle amounts to recognizing the sufficiency of Scripture applied to assembled worship.15 In the language of the Reformation, it amounts to sola scriptura

The time and place for assembled Christian worship are not clearly prescribed in the New Testament.

First, Christ was raised on a Sunday.

Second, the risen Christ first met the disciples on a Sunday.

Third, the pattern of the first Christians in the New Testament points toward Sunday as the weekly time for a worship gathering, even though Sunday w...

Fourth, this pattern was quickly enshrined in language with references to Sun...

Finally, Christians throughout history have deemed it appropriate to give the firstfruits of the week to God

Theology lived out in responsible action and obedience is worshipping God.

Worship of God is the supreme end of the Christian church, whether considered locally or universally, or in the individual lives of its members.

the church's vertical purpose to worship God mandates its horizontal purpose: working to evangelize the lost and edify the church.

it is the God-ordained means his Spirit uses to proclaim the saving gospel, to illustrate the gospel, and to confirm the gospel.

The purpose of the church, in part, is to encourage individual Christians in their faith and relationship with Christ.

The whole congregation's life together should aim at corporate edification,

The fellowship of believers in a congregation should be a partnership in laboring for mutual edification and for faithfulness in evangelism.

Another purpose of the local congregation is to bring God's Word to those outside the church.

Their lives should be known by non-Christian friends, neighbors, and colleagues. Their witness should be improved as all these outsiders constantly observe their conduct.

Jesus' command to go "to the ends of the earth" reminds believers that Christ is Lord over all, that he loves all, and that he will call all to account on the great day. Therefore, Christians today have a responsibility to take the gospel around the world. That responsibility lies not just with individual Christians but with congregations. Christians together can pool wisdom, experience, financial support, prayers, and callings and direct them all to the common purpose of making God's name great among the nations.

Witnessing the glory of God proclaimed around the globe in the hearts of all his people should be an end and purpose for every local church.

The church ultimately exists for the glory of God.

No lesser matters are at stake in the church than the promulgation of God's glory throughout his creation.

the activities of the collective and institutional local church should be viewed distinctly from the activities of the church's individual members as they disperse to fulfill their various roles in life.