Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    Only $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Character of the Church: The Marks of God's Obedient People
    Character of the Church: The Marks of God's Obedient People
    Character of the Church: The Marks of God's Obedient People
    Audiobook2 hours

    Character of the Church: The Marks of God's Obedient People

    Written by Joe Thorn

    Narrated by Jim Denison

    4.5/5

    ()

    Switch to ebook

    About this audiobook

    The second in Joe Thorn's three-book series on the confession, nature, and expression of the Church,The Character of the Church explores what the church is fundamentally like.Useful for training in membership classes, discipleship groups, and elder boards-and even for devotional reading-The Character of the Church is at once theological, practical, and experiential. Readers will not simply be informed, but led to a deeper appreciation of the church of God.For a local church to actually be a church, certain marks are essential. A church that follows the apostles' pattern is one where: ·The word of God is faithfully preached ·The sacraments are rightly administered ·Leadership is biblically formed and functioning ·Discipline is practiced with grace ·The mission of the church is shared by allDrawing from Scripture, theology, and church history, Joe Thorn expounds each of these in detail, yet leading readers to clear understanding. A book for laymen, The Character of the Church helps Christians know plainly what makes a church a church, and how to conduct themselves accordingly.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherChristianAudio.com
    Release dateMar 7, 2017
    ISBN9781633899285
    Author

    Joe Thorn

    Joe Thorn (MDiv, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is the founding and lead pastor of Redeemer Fellowship in St. Charles, Illinois. He is an active blogger at JoeThorn.net, a contributor to The Story ESV Bible and The Mission of God Study Bible, and the author of Note to Self: The Discipline of Preaching to Yourself and Experiencing the Trinity: The Grace of God for the People of God. He and his wife, Jen, have four children.

    More audiobooks from Joe Thorn

    Related to Character of the Church

    Related audiobooks

    Christianity For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • Article

      AGENTS OF Change

      Apr 13, 2020

      What on earth is a Reformational church? The Reformational church is God’s agent of constant change from glory to glory, conforming to the image of His Son. That’s why we are straightening and aligning the church to what Jesus intended in the first p

      4 min read

    • Article

      Stumbling Blocks That Delay Church Transformation Part 5

      May 20, 2022

      In my previous writings I have pointed out that institutionalised Christianity is fading away. Organised religious systems are sucking the life of Christ out of believers. In many cases, believers are busy with the church programme, but not with God.

      2 min read

    • Article

      A New Day Of Pentecost

      Jul 21, 2023

      A New Day Of Pentecost
      2 min read

    • Article

      Ask Val

      Jun 16, 2023

      Ask Val
      2 min read

    • Article

      Why Study Church History?

      Jun 15, 2020

      Why Study Church History?
      3 min read

    • Article

      A New Day Of Pentecost Part Lll

      Feb 10, 2023

      Over the last few issues of JOY, I have been sharing insights about the day of Pentecost in the Bible (Acts 2). To fully appreciate the context of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on this day, we must first look at the events that took place before

      2 min read

    • Article

      A New Day Of Pentecost

      Dec 29, 2023

      My ongoing study of the book of Acts brought me to an important development of the pattern of the New Testament – the establishment of the ministry of evangelism. The Holy Spirit is redefining the day of Pentecost and restoring the priestly ministry,

      2 min read

    • Article

      Breaking Christian Traditions

      Jun 12, 2020

      We are starting to open up our country after many weeks of lockdown that saw citizens confined to their houses. The Christian Church suffered a huge setback during this time, as Christians across the world could not attend services or cell groups, co

      1 min read

    • Article

      At Fellowship Church, Faith Knows No Creed Or Color

      Jul 19, 2021

      The Church for the Fellowship of All Peoples, founded in 1944, transcends barriers of race, color, and creed, uniting instead in a shared humanity.

      4 min read

    • Article

      THE WAR FOR OUR YOUTH Why creation still matters

      Dec 30, 2019

      We’re being told by public education systems, universities, media, some parents, and unfortunately many church leaders, that parts of the Bible are not relevant anymore and that we need to reinvent God’s word. So, with this situation, in order to und

      3 min read

    • Article

      God Is Always In Control

      May 20, 2019

      God Is Always In Control
      3 min read

    • Article

      Living With Purpose

      Sep 7, 2021

      Living With Purpose
      3 min read

    • Article

      Evangelism Dispelling The Pharisee Spirit

      Feb 9, 2024

      During the transition from the Old into the New Testament, there were various internal challenges that the early Church faced. Acts 15:1-22 highlights how false brethren sought to operate and impose mixed doctrines onto the Gentiles – believing that

      2 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Character of the Church

    4.5/5

    10 ratings2 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

    • 5/5
      I enjoyed listening to this audio. This one is a must for all Christians who wants to grow and mature the church.
    • 4/5
      The Character of the Church by Joe Thorn is the second book in Thorn’s trilogy on the church. The marketing copy says each book can be read in an hour. I didn’t test that claim, but they are short and easily read. Thorn avoids theological jargon and explains everything in everyday language, so the series is great for new and mature believers alike. The Character of the Church addresses the question of what makes a church. What are the defining elements of a biblically-sound church?When I hear longtime believers rave about “cool, relevant” churches and see people drawn to churches with productions rivaling broadway, I think this book isn’t just for new believers. There are essential elements that make a Christian church. We need to all remember and be concerned with those elements first and foremost. Thorn writes:What makes for a true and healthy church can be boiled down to five essentials: (1) the right preaching of Scripture, (2) the proper administration of the ordinances, (3) the development of biblical leadership, (4) the gracious implementation of church discipline, and (5) a clear focus on the mission that Jesus gave the church.The Character of the Church is structured around those five essentials. Thorn carefully explains what each means and looks like in a healthy church. Some of the finer details around these topics can be controversial. Thorn’s approach is never heavy-handed. However, he doesn’t back away from difficult topics. He delivers clear answers backed by scripture. Granted, he is Baptist and his explanations are from a Baptist perspective. For example, not everyone will agree with his explanation of why he doesn’t practice infant baptism or why he practices immersion.“Fencing the table” is another example of a difficult topic that I think is explained really well in the section on the Lord’s supper. A family member recently asked me about this, which made me realize a lot of people don’t understand the warning that is given before the Lord’s Supper. In fact, I don’t know that I’ve ever seen it explained before now. Thorn writes:“Fencing the table is protecting people from partaking of the Lord’s Supper in an unworthy manner. This includes receiving it as an unbeliever, an unrepentant believer, and a member of the church currently under restrictive church discipline… Fencing the table is done primarily through public exhortation and warning.”This concept comes from 1 Corinthians, and the book goes on to give an example of what an elder or pastor may say before delivering the elements of the Lord’s Supper.I greatly appreciate the chapters on biblical leadership and church discipline as well. I don’t think I have seen those two topics explained this clearly and concisely anywhere else. Overall, I think this series and The Character of the Church, in particular, is a great resource for believers. I think Baptist churches would do well to use these books in new members and new believers classes.The Character of the Church is published by Moody Publishers and For the Church. You can pick up a copy here: Amazon. If you haven’t heard Joe Thorn and Jimmy Fowler’s podcast Doctrine and Devotion, you should check that out as well.