2020 Life Together
GUEST SPEAKER: Jonathan Leeman
Jonathan Leeman is the editorial director for 9Marks. After doing undergraduate and graduate degrees in political science, Jonathan began his career in journalism where he worked as an editor for an international economics magazine in Washington, D. C. Since his call to ministry, Jonathan has earned a master of divinity and a Ph.D. in theology and worked as an interim pastor.
Today he edits the 9Marks series of books as well as the 9Marks Journal. He has written for a number of publications and is the author or editor of a number books.
Jonathan lives with his wife and four daughters in a suburb of Washington, DC and serves as an elder at Cheverly Baptist Church. He teaches for a number of seminaries, including The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the Reformed Theological Seminary.
Life Together…
1) Why Your Church Is More Important to Your Christianity than You Probably Think!
What is a church? Why should we join them? It's easy for Christians to downplay the importance of the church. We think the most important thing is "getting saved," while everything else is optional. But this talk will consider how the gospel creates churches, and why we must be members of them.
2) How Church Membership Is a Job.
It's easy to view church membership like joining any other club. You pay your dues and get the benefits. But in the Bible, church membership is a job. It requires you to show up, to know and be known, and to build up others in the faith.
3) Why Church Discipline Is Loving.
We don't typically think of church discipline as a loving thing. But the Bible tells us the Lord disciplines the ones he loves. This talk will consider what church discipline is, how it works, and what role every member has. But it will also challenge us to not think we are more loving than God.