As long as quick numerical growth remains the primary indicator of church health, the truth will be compromised. Instead, churches must once again begin measuring success not in terms of numbers but in terms of fidelity to the Scriptures.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes that true success in a church should be measured by adherence to Scripture rather than an increase in numbers.
Mark Dever argues that the prevailing focus on numerical growth within churches can lead to compromising the fundamental truths of the faith. He suggests that instead of measuring church success by the number of attendees or conversions, churches should evaluate their health based on how faithfully they adhere to the teachings of Scripture, thus prioritizing spiritual integrity over mere statistics.
In practice
During a sermon discussing church values, a pastor might quote this to emphasize the importance of spiritual integrity.
A healthy church is not a church that's perfect and without sin. It has not figured everything out. Rather, it's a church that continually strives to take God's side in the battle against the ungodly desires and deceits of the world, our flesh, and the devil. It's a church that continually seeks to conform itself to God's Word.
We do not fail in our evangelism if we faithfully tell the gospel to someone who is not subsequently converted; we fail only if we do not faithfully tell the gospel at all.
LSD is just a tool to turn us into what we are supposed to be.
We beseech [God] to pardon our national and other transgressions.
Selfishness is not living your life as you wish to live it. Selfishness is wanting others to live their lives as you wish them to.
Waiting is still an occupation. It is having nothing to wait for that is terrible.
This awful concept of underclass is really horrifying. You're not lower class, you are excluded - outside.
I used to believe in God. The Christian one, that is (There are a few thousand to choose from. But I was born in a country where the dominant religion was Christianity so I believed in that one. Isn't it weird how that always happens?). Luckily I was also interested in science and nature. And reason and logic. And honesty and truth. And equality and fairness. By the age of eight I was an atheist.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.