The Essential Qualities of a Strong Church(3)

The Bible teaches that every believer needs to belong to a strong, Bible teaching church. As we've considered that thought over the past few weeks we've considered these marks of church strength: expository preaching, solid doctrine, and biblical understandings of the gospel and of salvation. Here is another indicator of church health: a careful understanding of joining and belonging, in other words, of church membership. Let me explain why membership in the local church is clear in the New Testament, necessary for the church and the saints. (Again, my thoughts and content have been, in part, influenced by the teachings of Nine Marks Ministry.)