For Christ & His Church

  This is a reflection on the book How to Build a Healthy Church by Mark Dever and Paul Alexander. The book is broadly divided into four parts. Parts 1 and 2 discuss gathering the church and when the church gathers , respectively. Parts 3 and 4 focus on gathering elders and when the elders gather . This book has both challenged and convinced me to pastor a church differently from the way I have done in the past. At the same time, I have also raised several questions as I reflected on certain sections. Reflection on Chapter 1: The Four P’s In Chapter 1, the four P’s: preaching, prayer, personal discipling, and patience, are all good and convincing. But two of the P’s stood out to me because these are the ones I missed in my past ministry. They challenge my approach to ministry and help me refine my practice in accordance with the Bible. The first P: the authors say, “Members need to know that spiritual maturity is not simply about their quiet times, but about their love for o...

              This reflection is based on the book  Reverberation  by Jonathan Leeman. In Part 1, Leeman explores how the Word of God invites and divides, acts, frees, and gathers. Many thoughts came to mind while reading this section, but I have selected only a few to share. This reflection also continues into Parts 2 and 3 of the book. Part 2 focuses on the sermon, which exposes, announces, and confronts. Part 3 talks about the reverberation of the Word through the church's songs, prayers, and ultimately, its witness to the world.  In Chapter 1, God’s Word Divides and Invites, the author’s insight helps me understand Scripture and God’s heart more deeply. He explains that God’s Word divides Christians from non-Christians. Jesus Christ, through His Word, invites us to divide! Based on this truth, the author challenges me with this thought: Since God’s Word...

  In this book, Mark Dever presents a clear and scriptural understanding of church leadership and structure. He explains the biblical roles of deacons and elders, highlighting their distinct responsibilities within the church. The author also gives a vivid explanation of congregational authority and the importance of church membership. Each chapter builds on the New Testament model of how a local church should function. This book has helped me see a fuller picture of biblical church polity. It challenged and clarified my understanding of leadership, congregational authority, and the importance of church membership. In the book, Mark Dever presents Pastor Gray’s insights on the aspects of the deacons’ ministry in Acts 6. First, deacons are called to care for the physical needs of the church, such as distributing food and helping the poor. Second, their role promotes unity in the church by addressing needs fairly. Third, deacons support the ministry of the Word by freeing pastors...

This reflection paper is based on Mark Dever’s What Is a Healthy Church? Mark Dever’s book is divided into three parts: Part 1 defines what a church is and why health matters. Part 2 outlines three essential marks of a healthy church. Part 3 presents six important marks that support and strengthen church health. The book has challenged and encouraged me both personally and pastorally. As an aspiring pastor of a healthy church, I found Dever’s book to be both biblically sound and deeply practical. Each chapter helped me evaluate my past ministry and gave me a clearer vision for building a church that reflects God’s character and glory. This paper highlights a few key lessons that stood out to me and how they apply to my future ministry. There are many Christians who claim to be believers but are not committed to any local church. I have encountered many of them in my pastoral ministry. Some even have their names in our church membership book, but never attend services or take part in...