In the tradition of Preaching The Cross, this book features the collected transcripts of the messages given at the 2008 Together for the Gospel conference. Each speaker focused his sermon on the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ and what his death means in terms of both doctrine and application. Although the variety of writing styles occasionally disrupts the continuity of the book, the overall message is coherent and their unified proclamation of the Gospel remains clear. 

Pastoral work is partly defensive – defending the sheep against wolves in sheep’s clothing. Building the church has always involved the sword along with the trowel. Contention and contradiction is a necessary part of preaching, as all faithful pastors know. While some may love such fights, we intend to love the gospel. It is because of that love—not a mere love of fighting and contending itself—that we are willing to contend for these matters. [12]

To tell the church to focus primarily on repairing passing structures in a fallen world—a world under the curse of God—would not only cause churches discouragement through the frustration of building sand castles at low tide, but it would, even more horrendously, distract us from the work of bringing God eternally glory by preaching the gospel and seeing people converted and eternally reconciled to God. [102]

The fruit of the Spirit, the transformation of our mind, comes from being a Christian, but it does not effect our salvation. I’m concerned that if we confuse this issue, we might begin to call “Christians” those who have simply tacked fruit on fruitless fruit trees. [107] 

Most Christians in America only think of the gospel as saving them individually, and thus completely neglect the functional congregation-centeredness that is supposed to mark our discipleship…The idea is that church is simply one more means that Christians may choose to use in order to grow spiritually if they find it helpful, like their choice of music, a Bible study, a devotional book, or a conference…The idea that they should be fundamentally committed to one congregation and submitted to the leadership there is a foreign to them as eating locusts and wild honey would be to most of us. It’s not even so much that they oppose the idea; it’s just that they simply have never even considered it. [114]

The gospel of Jesus Christ is not about connecting with the questions the non-Christian has; it is about communicating the answer God has given. [120] 

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What is the church? How are God’s people supposed to live, work, and worship together? This book, which is an adaptation of his earlier Nine Marks of a Healthy Church, provides an accessible introduction to the key components and issues that must define the people of God. As Dever acknowledges, this list is not meant to be comprehensive but merely to highlight areas of modern-day deficiency among most churches. A worthwhile read, with much to consider.

You and all the members of your church, Christian, are finally responsible before God for what your church becomes, not your pastor and other leaders—you. [16]

The church finds its life as it listens to the Word of God. It finds its purpose as it lives out and displays the Word of god. The church’s job is to listen and then to echo. That’s it. The primary challenge churches face today is not figuring out how to be ‘relevant’ or ‘strategic’ or ‘sensitive’ or even ‘deliberate.’ It’s figuring out how to be faithful—how to listen, how to trust and obey. [55]

If our minds have been shaped by what the Bible teaches about God and how He works, as well as by what it teaches about the gospel and what sinful human beings ultimately need, then a right understanding of evangelism will generally follow. We will attempt to spur on evangelism principally through teaching and meditating on the gospel itself, not through learning methods for sharing it. [90]

One sign that a church may not have a biblical understanding of conversion and evangelism is that its membership is markedly larger than its attendance. Such a church should stop and ask why its evangelism produces such a larger number of members it never sees yet who feel secure in their salvation. What did we tell them that discipleship in Christ means? What did we teach them about God, sin, and the world? [90]

Many churches today are sick. We mistake selfish gain for spiritual growth. We mistake mere emotion for true worship. We treasure worldly acceptance rather than divine approval, an approval which is generally given to a life that is incurring worldly opposition. Regardless of their statistical profiles, too many churches today seem unconcerned about the very biblical marks that should distinguish a vital, growing church. [122] 

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A compilation of messages delivered at a Together for the Gospel conference, this book addresses the notion of preaching from the perspective of several men who have been called to the preaching ministry. Filled with practical advice and timely exhortation concerning the proclamation of the Word, this book is easily recommended to anyone who stands behind a pulpit, or for any who would seek to better understand what preaching should be and what preaching should do.

Why does the Postal Service exist? What do we pay mailmen to do? Do we pay them to write letters to us and put them in our mailboxes? No. We pay them to deliver faithfully the message of someone else. The mailman has been entrusted with other people’s messages to us. The same is true with ministers and their ministries. We are not to invent the message but to faithfully deliver God’s message to his people. That is our calling, which means that we are called as ministers only insofar as we present God’s message to his people. It is God who owns the church, and it is by his Word that he creates his people. [19]

True ministers of Christ are happy to be despised, if, by their being despised, somehow the gospel is displayed. [28] 

Prosperity isn’t always wrong, but prosperity is always dangerous. It can be disorienting to the Christian, perhaps especially to the minister. We must live lives that show there are things that are worth even more than this world’s prosperity. [30]

Pastors should be examples. We serve Christ as ministers of his Word, which should be accompanied by a life that acts as a sounding board to ratify and verify our teaching and strongly push it out even farther. [32]

Suspecting authority is the very heart of the fall. Satan essentially convinced our first parents that God could not tell us “no” and love us at the same time. The first sin was born when Eve accepted the lie that a denial of desire cannot flow from good, loving, and correct care. [33] 

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Do churches need structure and leadership? Quite so, as Dever explains. Dever aptly reviews the roles of deacons, elders, congregationalism, and church membership is this brief, but highly informative book. Without miring in nuance, he highlights the key biblical understandings of each of these roles and their function within God’s structuring of His church. Dever writes with skillful precision and has crafted an extremely useful resource for those seeking to glorify God according to His design.

God intends to display His glory though the local church today, as Christians live together in patience, forgiveness, justice, mercy and love. We reflect God’s own character by the character of our congregation’s life. Therefore, every aspect of the church’s life is worth our careful consideration. [1-2]

The role of the elders is fundamentally to lead God’s people by teaching God’s Word. This teaching must be by the public handling of God’s Word and also by the exemplary lives they lead. [25]

Membership in a local church is not saving, but it is a reflection of salvation. And if there is no reflection, how are we to know about the salvation claimed? [53]

Uninvolved “members” confuse both real members and non-Christians about what it means to be a Christian. And we “active” members do the voluntarily “inactive” members no service when we allow them to remain members of the church; for membership is the church’s corporate endorsement of a person’s salvation. We need to understand this: membership in a church is that church’s corporate testimony to the individual member’s salvation. Yet how can a congregation honestly testify that someone invisible to it is faithfully running the race? [59]

True holiness will include discipline. And true unity will be only around Christ—and the diversity of the church will give evidence to this. True love will go deeper than sentiment, beyond natural bounds. It will go out to the stranger for Christ’s sake. This is how God’s glory is displayed in the church. This is the only way a church will truly prosper. [67] 

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