Respicio, Kaycee C.

Subject: World Religion

11E (HUMSS) Date: March 13, 2019

THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH

(by: Joe Thorn)

I. Introduction
A. Author:
Joe Thorn is the founding and Lead Pastor of Redeemer Fellowship in St. Charles, Illinois.
He is 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, and has contributed articles to Table talk
Magazine, the ESV Men's Devotion Bible, The ESV Story Bible, and The Mission of God Study.
Thorn loves church history, and he connects gospel truths with the confessions of other faithful
believers. He ties his biblical arguments to references in the Apostles’ Creed, the Heidelberg
Catechism, the 1689 London Baptist Confession, Puritan writers, and Charles Spurgeon. He
doesn’t go overboard with references but does enough to show that his conclusions are in
harmony with faithful Christian tradition.
He wants to explain and widen our mind about the mission of the church and the three
rhythms for fulfilling it. The result is a simple, memorable model for church life and ministry,
grounded in Scripture and aligned with historic practices. Pastors will be equipped to refocus
their ministries, and all Christians to fulfill their purpose: to be and make disciples. His goal is to
promote vide high-quality, thought-provoking books and products that connect truth to your real
needs and challenges.

B. Publication:
The book entitled “The Life of the Church” written by Joe Thorn was published on 2017 by
moody publishers located at 820nNLaSalle boulevard, Chicago, Illinois 60610. Its target
audience are those members of Redeemer Fellowship, who have demonstrated love, faith,
sacrifice, and service in the life of our church.

II. Overview:
In The Life of the Church, Thorn makes the case for a three-legged understanding of
disciple-making, through the table (church fellowship), the pulpit (church assembled), and the
square (church in the city). I appreciated Thorn’s willingness to address topics such as Biblical
hospitality, Scripture incorporated into worship, and how we have conversations with others.
Too often, our category for “church” is limited to a building or an hour on Sunday morning;
whereas we have been called to be a part of the church body through biblical fellowship,
assembly, and mission, at all times and among all people. It talks about how the new community
lives, worships, and goes on mission together that it is essential to understanding how we are to
be disciples who make disciples. To help simplify this complex pursuit, Thorn encourages us to
“think of church life . . . as encompassed in three environments;
 A. The Table The table refers to the fellowship of the church carried out in small gatherings
that emphasize community.
B. The pulpit is the church led by God’s Word when they gather for corporate worship.
C. The square describes how the church should intentionally engage in the culture to make
Christ’s name known.
He concludes, “The more organized and focused a church is in these three environments, the
more fruitful, steady, and healthy it becomes”.
We see that Thorn describes where believers should “look” during corporate worship. Thorn
says we should look up because “worship is about God, not us. Everything in the service should
direct our thoughts upward to our reigning Savior.” We should also look in “to examine your
own heart” and look around at your fellow members to consider how you can encourage them in
following God. All of this is done while looking back with each other to apply how God used
truths from the worship service.
Here you can tell Thorn is no ivory tower theologian. He’s a pastoral theologian who has
labored over concepts to help everyday Christians apply what he’s arguing. He explains how he
developed his interpretation, but he also shows why others hold different views
As Thorn walks the reader from subject to subject, he explains each step with Scripture. He
does this not just by proof-texting his propositions, but by connecting biblical themes.
Thorn helps us remember that what God is doing in the church is rooted in what he’s doing in
history. This is vital, since too many assume the doctrine of the church can be determined by
“whatever works.” Surely there are cultural contextualization’s of biblical principles, but God
cares about what happens in, to, and with his flock. Thorn brings this to light throughout the
book.
Thorn has a way of making deep truths accessible without compromising precision or clarity.
His definitions throughout the books make grand concepts seem simple but not simplistic. He
“put the cookies on the bottom shelf,” as Howard Hendricks used to say. This affects our society
because, it can

III. Summary:
A church begins with the gospel and is defined by its essential marks. But what should a
church do? Jesus made it clear for us: a church should make disciples (Matt. 28:19–20). Book
Three is about how a church does that. Thorn writes, “Disciples are made when the people of God
following the Son of God are instructed and transformed by the Word of God. Discipleship requires
the church”. From there, the book breaks into three parts: The Table (church fellowship), the Pulpit
(church assembled), and the Square (church in the city).
In the first section of the book, Thorn talks about the church as a community. It is no secret
that most of our culture believes the church is the building, which the Bible tells us it is the people.
Thorn addresses our need for the community of faith and how it strengthens us as we walk with
Jesus. Thorn talks about the need for the church to meet in small groups whether in a home or
another location where believers can read the word and pray together. Finally, in this section Thorn
addresses hospitality. Many people think hospitality is letting people into their home, which there
is nothing wrong with that. Thorn says hospitality is allowing people into your life at great costs
to you. This little chapter on hospitality is much needed in the church today because many people
have no idea what Biblical hospitality is.
The next section of the book deals with the pulpit, which is a no-brainer for most believers.
Thorn says a church is to worship God together. Yes, we can worship God alone, but a true believer
seeks community with fellow believers and worships God together as a family. As we worship,
we are to worship God in spirit and in truth based on the written of Word of God. Speaking of the
Word, that is what the church is to be proclaiming. Thorn mentions about the Liturgy which many
churches don't know what it is. A good liturgy, according to Joe, takes the Christian from guilt to
praise. To make the Christian see the ruin of their sin and the grace that God has given them in
Christ. According to Him, there is no Biblical grounds for a liturgy, but he can testify to the benefits
it can bring.
The final section of the book deals with the church being sent out into the world. The
church is not a retreat for the saved. Though many churches have made it that way, but it is where
we receive our marching orders from the Savior. Thorn encourages his readers that we must
participate in the culture around us. Whether it is a neighborhood watch program or a soccer team.
We must be engaged with the culture in various ways. We are also to be in conversations with the
culture, that means evangelize. Share Jesus using words, which is something Thorn stressed on.
Finally, He addresses multiplication which means being involved and interested in churches
beyond your walls. Being involved in church planting and church revitalization.

As a pastor who loves God, loves his church, and is committed to Scripture, Joe Thorn
succeeds in helping us think carefully about the bride of Christ. You may not agree with every
conclusion he makes, but this book will prod you to open your Bible, wrestle with its teaching,
and grow—not just in doctrine, but devotion.

IV. Discussion:
A church is not what most people think it is. As explained in the character of a church the Greek
word in The New Testament from which we derived the word “Church” is “ekklesia”, meaning
“assembly”. The term can be used to describe any kind of assembly. But when applied to a local
church, it denotes something unique. A local church is an assembly of believers in Jesus who are
united together by a common confession, are gathered in one localized body, are ruled by scripture,
and work together for the mission given to them by their Lord.
A. HOW WILL THE CHURCH LIVE?
WHAT MUST THE CHURCH DO?
For a united group of Christians to be a healthy church like that modeled in the New Testament, it
must possess five essential characteristics: Scripture must be rightly preached; the ordinance must
be rightly administered; leadership must be formed by and function in accordance with scripture;
Disciplined must be carried out with grace; and the mission of the church must be shared and
embraced by all.
 The church can do many things but, there is one primary responsibility given to the church
by our Lord: To make disciples. Many churches seek to do the work and trusted to them by Jesus
through the careful implementation of programs and teaching supported by well-developed
systems for assimilation. Others opt for a more “organic” approach to disciple making; offering
less structure and cultivating a more relationship-based culture. Some churches view discipleship
as primarily, if not exclusively, a matter of instruction and indoctrination, and thus neglect the
need for relationships and working together. Other churches neglect doctrine while offering
ministry services in aimed only at practical matters.
And other to rightly understand how the church goes about making disciples, I believe it is
helpful to start with a big picture; move to the level of principle, and then establish practices and
rhythms that are easily translatable to other contexts.
Disciples are not fans of Jesus. They are not hobbyists, students or even experts on the
Savior. They are worshippers and followers, and this means they are necessarily theologians.
Despite what many excellent resources on theology suggest, theology is not simply the
study of God. It includes the study of God as He is revealed in the Bible, but theology is incomplete
if it is not both experienced and expressed.
Theology is the knowledge of God articulated. It is not meant to be personal in its scope,
but communal. Theology should not be private, but public. The source of all theology is Scripture,
but the purpose of theology is to make God known to all. Theology, therefore, should lead to
worshiping God in spirit and truth.
As a principle, disciples are made when the people of God following the Son of God are
instructed and transformed by the Word of God. Apart from the ministry of Word among the
people of God, disciples cannot be made. To put it plainly, discipleship requires the church. Our
hyper-individualistic culture offers customizable experiences that do not necessitate community.
With the proliferation of Christian podcasts, conferences, books and live-streaming worship
events, many believers have come to see local congregations as supplemental to the life of faith,
rather than critical to it.
It is the church that is made up of disciples of Jesus Christ, and it is the church that carries
out the mission to continually make more disciples. The life of a disciple is inseparable from the
local church. If we see this and believe this, we are then forced to address the issue of how.
B. HOW DOES IT WORK?
Most church growth experts today push the need for systems that help the church run
efficiently, and programs to empower those systems. While systems and programs are helpful,
they are not enough. He has found that it is helpful to think of church life, the context in which
disciples are made, as encompassed in three environments. In this part we can see how disciples
are made in these three essential environments and why each is vital and how they function. I
appreciate his devotional style and personal openness, as well as his ability to condense a lot of
thought into few words. It shows the lifeblood of the church, not only what the church does, but
also what it should be doing.
 There is a life on the church because our mission is to lead people to become fully devoted
followers of Christ that is how we are able to make a difference, and it is the driving force behind
everything we do. Because wherever you are in life, you matter, and you have a purpose.
Being “little” in God’s world is not something to be resented but accepted joyfully. The
smaller we are, the greater the gifts of God love becomes.
The Church is rooted in the truth of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ and God’s vision
for mankind as communicated through scripture. It represents the kingdom of Jesus Christ as He
established it here on earth; restored in glory for mankind with the same gifts, ordinances, structure
and faith. The Church serves humbly as a gateway through which God’s spirit can be shared with
the world. It is a spiritual home for people across the globe and a conduit for God’s blessings and
miracles. Church is more than just entertainment, having a large number of people attending
services or hearing messages of empowerment from the pulpit that makes one feel good. Church
is the lifeline of the society. Church is a unique place that should instill change in people’s lives.
We can always apply all the steps that mentioned in this book in our life for us to know more
about the church and how it functions and for us to understand each situation in our daily lives,
and to open our mind why they existed, especially, how our spiritual body will be saved.

V. Recommendation:
As with Thorn's book this is beneficial for teaching and preaching as they are for devotional
and discipling purposes. The pace of the book is slow, every detail was well explained I really like
and appreciate how he open his thoughts and feelings about this book. It helps you widen your
view and knowledge from the unknown. It is designed for diverse readership. It avoids theological
jargon and uses clear terms to keep readers tracking and engaged. Ideal for evangelism and
discipleship, this book can be read within an hour and is organized simply for retention. Biblical,
balanced, and historically informed, it is useful unknown. It for Sunday school, one-to-one reading,
ministry training, and personal study.
This book is a straightforward, no-pulled-punches examination of the church. Perhaps you
believe the wisdom in this book is too idealistic for your context. But, as Thorn believes, and I as
well, Christ is building his church. The gates of hell will not prevail against it. The “Of the Church”
series is an excellent study for small groups, church leadership teams, pastors, and Christians alike.

I highly recommend this book to anyone with a desire to love their church more, has a desire to
church plant, or who wants other to grow. I found this book to be small in size, but large in content.
This will beneficial to your own, and your church growth. This book is an easy read and smoothly
transitions from chapter to chapter, each with focused touch on important topics within the body
of Christ