Elijah Abanto’s Reviews > The Church: The Gospel Made Visible > Status Update

Chapter 9.

Chapter Eight | “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. … Christian disciples scatter and represent Christ powerfully and in ways the Bible does not call the institutional church to act.”

Chapter Seven | “The church ultimately exists for the glory of God. Whether pursuing missions or evangelism; edifying one another through prayer and Bible study; encouraging growth in holiness; or assembling for public praise, prayer, and instruction, this one purpose prevails.”

Chapter Six | “Church discipline should be practiced in order to bring sinners to repentance, a warning to other church members, health to the whole congregation, a distinct corporate witness to the world, and, ultimately, glory to God, as his people display his character of holy love.”

Finished with Chapter 5 on the Polity of the Church.

Chapter 3 | “The church is generated by the right preaching of the Word. The church is distinguished and contained by the right administration of baptism and the Lord’s supper. And the latter presumes and implies the practice of church discipline.”

Chapter 2 | “The church must be a reflection of God‘s unity, holiness, immensity, eternality, and truthfulness.”

“Churches which preach the gospel are true churches; churches which do not are not. Churches that preach the gospel but possess a biblically deficient form of polity can be considered “true,” but “irregular,” not organized according to the rule of his Word. The role of good pastors is then to move their congregations toward increasing conformity to God’s Word, even if such work is slow.”