Dieses Kapitel gehört sicherlich zu den stärksten des Buches, da Marks Driscoll als Mitbegründer von Acts29 und Mars Hill Church, sowie als Autor von Vintage Church, viel Erfahrung auf diesem Gebiet hat und zusammen mit Mark Dever (9 Merkmale einer gesunden Gemeinde) sicher einer der führenden Denker auf diesem Gebiet ist.
The local church is a community of regenerated believers who confess Jesus Christ as Lord. In obedience to Scripture they organize under qualified leadership, gather regularly for preaching and worship, observe the biblical sacraments of baptism and Communion, are unified by the Spirit, are disciplined for holiness, and scatter to fulfull the Great Commandment and the Great Comission as missionaries to the world for God’s glory and their joy.
[Doctrine : What Christians Should Believe, Crossway 2010, S.307]
Diese Defintion steht am Anfang des Kapitel und im weiteren arbeitet er die einzelnen Aspekte heraus. Die einzelnen Ämter in der Kirche (Älteste/Pastoren, Diakon, Gemeinde Mitglied) werden erklärt und ihre Aufgaben aufgezeigt. Auch der Abschnitt ist sehr ausgewogen und herrausfordernd geschrieben. Zum Schluss gibt er 10 Gründe warum man einer Gemeinde beitreten sollte. Hier nur der Erste:
1) Salvation means forgiveness and new life in the community of the Spirit on mission with Jesus. Salvation is not merely a personal relationship with Jesus that allows us to go to heaven we die. It is also a communal relationship with the church to live on mission for Jesus’ kingdom in this life. And the kingdom begins its reign in the church.
[Doctrine : What Christians Should Believe, Crossway 2010, S.333]
We are to preach the Word of God, the good news of what God has donw, not merely good spiritual advice for better living (1 Thess 2:13; 1 Pet 1:12, 23-25; 2 Pet 1:19-21). It has the power to save and bring people to maturity (1 Thess 1:5). The power of preaching does not come with clever stories or rhetorical devices but with the power of the Spirit (1 Cor 1:17-2:7; 2 Cor 1:12; 2:17; 4:2; 1 Thess 2:5) and the answer to prayer (Eph 6:18-20; Col 4:3). Preaching brings faith for hearers (1 Cor 2:4-5) and is spiritual food to nourish people (1 Pet 2:2).
[Doctrine : What Christians Should Believe, Crossway 2010, S.323]
When speaking of the church, it is helpful to distinguish between the universal and the local church. The universal church is all God’s people in all times and places. Someone becomes a member of the universal church by virtue of being a Christian. Local churches are smaller gatherings of the universal church where Chritians assemble as God’s people. In fact, the word for church in the Greek New Testament (ekklesia) means “gathering,” “meeting,” or “assembly.”
[Doctrine : What Christians Should Believe, Crossway 2010, S.307]
In his magnificient high priestly prayer (John 17:15-18), Jesus prayed that we would become neither syncretistic liberals who sin by going too far into culture and act worldly nor separatistic fundamentalists who sin by not going far enough into culture and acting pharisaically.
[Doctrine : What Christians Should Believe, Crossway 2010, S.314]
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