Dear brothers and sisters, if you were introducing HBC to someone, what would you say? Of course, different people may describe HBC from different perspectives. As for me, I would say this: HBC is a church that bears the marks of a healthy church. Why? Because HBC demonstrates one of the most prominent and foundational marks of a healthy church: expositional preaching.
Mark Dever, in his book Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, says that “the first mark of a healthy church is expositional preaching.” It also emphasises that this is not only the first mark, but “far and away the most important,” because when expositional preaching is rightly practiced, the other marks should follow. Without it, even if the other eight marks appeared to be present, they would be there only by accident. The remaining marks are biblical theology, a biblical understanding of the gospel, biblical repentance and conversion, biblical church membership, biblical church discipline, biblical discipleship and growth, and biblical church leadership.
Thanks be to God! Expositional preaching is exactly the ministry of God’s Word that HBC’s English and Chinese Sunday pulpits have faithfully upheld and practised with conviction and growing depth. Because HBC values expositional preaching, it is no accident that the other marks of a healthy church are also evident. A careful look at HBC today shows that these marks are present to varying degrees.
However, brothers and sisters, this doesn’t mean HBC is already a perfectly healthy church. We cannot be so proud, because we still have room for improvement. We can only say that HBC is a church with the marks of a healthy church, or HBC has the potential to become a healthy church. Therefore, we should humbly say, like Paul: “Not that I have already obtained this, or am already perfect, but I press on to make it my own.” (Philippians 3:12). Why should we become a healthy church? Because becoming a healthy church is God’s will (Ephesians 4:11-13), a healthy church benefits others (Ephesians 4:14-16), glorifies God (Ephesians 4:20-24), and fulfills the Great Commission (Matthew 28:18-20).
Brothers and sisters, how can we help HBC move beyond merely having the potential to be a healthy church and truly become one? First, we must pray faithfully for the church’s ministry of expositional preaching, since the other marks of a healthy church are gradually built upon it. Second, we should pray for ourselves and for one another, asking God to move our hearts so that we may humbly and repentantly pursue becoming healthy church members. The primary mark of such a member is being an “expositional listener.” Therefore, let us ask God to guard our hearts and minds, turn us away from messages driven by stories or entertainment rather than Scripture, and help us listen only to text-driven expositional preaching.
As stated in the book, What is a Healthy Church Member? (Thabiti Anyabwile), an expositional listener cultivates a thirst for God’s word, can set aside self-centred thoughts and intentions, focus on God’s will and follow Him. An expositional listener can use the pure gospel they hear to protect themselves from their corrupt sinful nature and achieve spiritual renewal. Of course, those who are reborn can overcome self-centeredness through the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and the power of the Gospel, and they will remain humble and obedient before God and others, considering others better than themselves, no longer judging others with their own thoughts and intentions, no longer judging one another, and no longer using their own thoughts and intentions to judge God’s church as good or bad, and therefore whether to stay or leave. Moreover, an expositional listener can inspire faithful pastors to continue expositional preaching, boldly proclaiming the gospel, leading sinners to repentance and faith and call Jesus is the Saviour, for faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ (Romans 10:17).
Therefore, brothers and sisters, let us lay aside every weight and sin which clings so closely, and looking to our Lord Jesus Christ (Hebrews 12:1-2), and let us run with endurance to become a healthy church member with the mark of expositional listening, and to please God. And also, a group of healthy church members can faithfully devote to God’s church with hearts belonging to God’s church and loving God’s church, so that God’s church of HBC will not only be a church with the marks of a healthy church, but in the near future, truly become a healthy church to glorify God, and bring God’s peace and joy to everyone in HBC!
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