An essential component in communing with God is spending time in prayer. Jesus gave these instructions on prayer in Matthew 6:5-13:

5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners [d]so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.  7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

9 “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread.
12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]

Each week, we come together as a community for a time of guided prayer via Zoom. If you would like to join us, please complete the form below. Weekly prayer times are Tuesdays beginning at 5:30 pm CST and are led by an SSBC team member. Zoom information is emailed after registration and our prayer time is livestreamed via our Facebook group.

Here at SSBC, we value community; not just an online community, but locally as well! Our organization is designed to be a supplement, and not a replacement for local fellowship. If you are not currently connected with a local church, we encourage you to get connected!  If you are looking for a place of corporate worship and fellowship in your area, you can start by checking the following databases:

9 Marks Church Search Database

Acts 29 Church Search Database

Please note that a church’s appearance in either of the aforementioned databases should not be viewed as an endorsement by SSBC. Please be prayerful and discerning when visiting any church.

As you seek out a place to fellowship, here are 9 important principles that you can utilize as a guideline to find a solid church.  This list is not exhaustive, but it can certainly be helpful in guiding you to a healthy, biblical church.

1. Expositional Preaching

   Expositional preaching (otherwise known as expository preaching) is the investigation of a particular passage of Scripture whereby the pastor carefully explains the meaning of a passage and then applies it to the members of the congregation. The point of a sermon, then, takes the point of a particular passage. This is in opposition to the topical preaching showcased in the majority of evangelical churches, where Bible passages are woven together to support a pre-existing point.

2. Biblical Theology

   This emphasizes not only how we are taught but also what we are taught. In a sense this should follow naturally from expository preaching because the careful exposition of a passage should lead to sound theology. The majority of poor theology arises from a lack of careful Biblical exposition. Where there is poor exposition, we should expect to eventually find poor theology.

3. Biblical Understanding of the Good News

   There needs to be a proper understanding and necessary emphasis on the full gospel. Where many contemporary churches teach that Jesus wants to meet our felt needs and give us a healthier self-image, that is not the gospel. The gospel message is that we are sinners who have rebelled against our Creator. But Jesus took the curse that was rightfully ours and all that remains is for us to have faith in Him so God may credit Christ’s righteousness to our account. When we de-emphasize sin and damnation to make the presentation more friendly and less offensive we cease declaring the full gospel.

4. Biblical Understanding of Conversion

   When we have a Biblical understanding of the gospel, we must then also have a proper understanding of conversion. Conversion is a new birth from death to life and is a work of God. It is not merely a change of attitude or a change of affection, but a change of nature. Conversion does not need to be an exciting, emotional experience, but does need to produce fruit to be judged a true conversion.

5. Biblical Understanding of Evangelism

   The way we evangelize speaks volumes about how we understand conversion (and further, what we understand about the good news). If we believe that people are essentially good and are seeking Jesus, we evangelize using half truths and tend to elicit false conversions. When we present a watered-down gospel, we end up with a watered-down church. We need to be faithful to present the full gospel, the good news with the bad, and leave the results to God.

6. Biblical Understanding of Membership

   Church membership is a privilege and a responsibility and needs to be regarded as such. People should only be members if they are dedicated to the church – in attendance, prayer, service and giving. To allow people to become and remain members for sentimental or other unbiblical reasons makes light of membership and may even be dangerous.

7. Biblical Church Discipline

   Discipline guides church membership. The church has the responsibility to judge the life and teaching of the membership since they can negatively impact the church’s witness of the gospel. Leadership need to be firm in discipline as this is an expression of love to the congregation.

8. Promotion of Church Discipleship And Growth

   We need to recover true discipleship – discipleship that causes Christians to live lives of increasing holiness. The emphasis on growth needs to be directed at holiness rather than membership. True discipleship producing strong, committed Christians will present a clear witness to the world.

9. Biblical Understanding of Leadership

   Until recent times, almost all Protestants agreed that in church government there should be a plurality of elders (which means that there should be an office of elder and not merely one or more pastors in positions of leadership). This is a Biblical and practical model that has fallen out of favor in modern times.

References:

1. http://www.challies.com/articles/9-marks-of-a-healthy-church

Do you love good, theologically sound books? We certainly do! Check out these awesome recommended books:

• 50 Crucial Questions (John Piper & Wayne Grudem)
• Adorned: Living Out the Beauty of the Gospel Together (Nancy DeMoss Wolgemuth)
• Alive in Him: How Being Embraced by the Love of Christ Changes Everything (Gloria Furman)
• Biblical Doctrine: A Systematic Summary of Bible Truth (John MacArthur and Richard Mayhue)
• Discipling: How to Help Others Follow Jesus (Mark Dever)
• Gospel Fluency (Jeff Vanderstelt)
• Habits of Grace (David Mathis)
• How to Understand and Apply the New Testament: Twelve Steps From Exegesis to Theology
• Let Me Be a Woman (Elisabeth Elliot)
• Missional Motherhood: The Everyday Ministry of Motherhood in the Grand Plan of God (Gloria Furman)
• None Like Him (Jen Wilkin)
• Note to Self (Joe Thorn)
• On Being Black and Reformed (Anthony J. Carter)
• Practical Theology for Women: How Knowing God Makes a Difference in our Daily Lives. (Wendy Horger Alsup)
• Praying the Bible (Donald S. Whitney)
• Prosperity? Seeking the True Gospel (Mbugua, Maura, Mbewe, Grudem, Piper)
• Recovering Biblical Manhood & Womanhood: A Response to Evangelical Feminism (John Piper & Wayne Grudem)
• Romans For You 1-7 and Romans For You 8-16 (Timothy Keller)
• Spiritual Disciplines (Donald S. Whitney)
• The "Crucial Questions" Series (Ligonier Ministries) Click HERE for direct link to all 25 FREE books!
• The Attributes of God (A.W. Pink)
• The Prodigal God (Timothy Keller)
• The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions
• When I Don't Desire God (John Piper)
• Women of the Word (Jen Wilkin)