Grace Abounding

My brother Nathan Matías wrote a helpful review of the book What Is A Healthy Church Member? and sent it to students at Cambridge University (UK) from where he graduated. The author of the book, Thabiti Anyabwile, used to be an elder at the church, Capitol Hill Baptist Church, that let our church plant meet there for free our first 5 months. I include this book review by him for your benefit.

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Greetings from Cambridge UK! One of my roles is to serve students in their Christian lives. With each new group of students, I am privileged to see wonderful developments in each studentʼs thinking, personality and character. I sometimes get to walk with them through the classic choices about career and relationships, and I also follow some of their first steps after school.

Pressure to make choices about career and lifestyle builds up with each day closer to graduation. Even though most UK graduatesʼ first job is only a stopgap, choices about where and what and whom can loom ominously, convincing us that they are the biggest, most important decisions we face.

These questions do not disappear after school. The teachings of Jesus and the apostles make it clear that “Iʼll make sure I find a good church wherever I go” fails to respond fully to the remarkable work of Christ and the Holy Spirit in our lives. But what should the church-related part of a Christianʼs lifestyle actually look like? Is there some “career path” equivalent or “lifelong learning” programme for the aims we can have in our Christian life?

The growing Christian lifestyle in community is the core topic of What is a Healthy Church Member, by Thabiti Anyabwile, former assistant pastor at Capitol Hill Baptist in Washington DC, now a pastor in the Grand Cayman Islands. It is also a book given me by my brother Jonathan. Ten years ago, he urged me, “Nathan, you are Christʼs, and should above all aspire and train to serve Him in community through His church.” Of the books he has given me toward that purpose, this is the most practical and comprehensive. At 120 pages, it is also probably the shortest.

Anyabwileʼs listing of characteristics uses scripture to fill in areas derived from practical church life:

• How should we listen to sermons?
• What should characterise our Bible reading? Our purchase of Christian books?
• What role should the gospel play in the practical, daily life of a Christian? (three wonderful chapters on this)
• What kind of committment is necessary for us to be a church pleasing to God?
• What is church discipline, and how can we joyfully take up our responsibility for each otherʼs Christian life?
• What does it mean to be a disciple of Christ within the church community?
• What is a healthy attitude toward Christian leadership? How do we follow leadership as well as work together as a common body?
• How do we as the Church act in service to the invisible God through prayer?

This book is applicable for all kinds of church participants. In one chapter Anyabwile asks, “Are you genuinely converted?” Nothing is more tragic than someone who erroneously believes he or she is a Christian. In the same chapter, he also gives practical advice for experienced Christians, on gospel-focused living which helps others encounter true Christianity.

I love this book for the same reason I like Baxter’s sermon “How to spend the day with God”. It has a concise, well-structured format, which is perfect for reading on the bus or with a friend. Anyabwile doesnʼt pad the book with sermon illustrations; nor does he lose readers within a dense forest of bewildering theological arguments. Each chapter opens with an issue drawn from practical church life. Then, after setting out the argument, the chapters address common questions. Using one or two paragraphs per issue, Anyabwile presents the main areas to consider, explaining top scriptures for each issue. After the brief conclusion, readers are given questions for further reflection, followed by a great bibliography.

Clear, concise instructions from Scripture can be rigid and uncompassionate. This book however is saturated with Anyabwileʼs love for the church and experience with God. The following discussion of church discipline illustrates the loving nature of this book:

“DONʼT FORGET TO REJOICE!
It may be easy to think of church discipline only in terms of the grief and sorrow that accompany sin and the loss of a brother or sister. And such grief has its place (Matt. 5:4, 1 Cor. 5:2). But the entire process of discipline, from the formative work of the Word to the corrective work of the church in sometimes
removing an unrepentant member, should be undertaken with hope and the goal of repentance that leads to rejoicing and comfort (2 Cor. 2:6). We are endeavoring to win our brothers and sisters to the truth (James 5:19-20), and when that happens, we are to rejoice along with the courts of heaven.
[.....] Itʼs our delight to see the tracings of Godʼs handiwork displayed in the growth, repentance, and restoration of those who receive the grace of discipline” (p. 81).

If you do read this book, I urge you to read it over time, repeatedly, with someone in your Christian community. Its object is not an idea, but a way of life– and depravity is not easily overcome. Discuss it, with accountability, with your prayer buddy or your partner. I think that discussing it with someone in a different stage of life would be especially valuable. Grace Church of Alexandria gives a copy to every new member (”join now and get a free book”). This book is especially valuable for those expecting a big life change, and for people thinking about church planting.

Any good employee needs knowledge, skills, and experience in multiple areas. The same is true in our walk with God. While Thabiti Anyabwileʼs What is a Healthy Church Member isnʼt a detailed examination of doctrine, social action, or the theology of pet ownership, it provides a wonderful handbook to the big picture of Christian community life and growth.

J. Nathan Matias
Cambridge UK
20 Jan 2010

PS: 9 Marks is a ministry based in Washington DC and founded by Mark Dever (a former assistant pastor of Eden Baptist). Through their website 9marks.org, books, and church resources, they are working to promote these aims:

“We believe the local church is the focal point of God’s plan for displaying his glory to the nations. Our vision is simple: Churches that reflect the character of God.”