Derek Thomas began his session by reading from Revelation 2 and 3 - familiar passages of Scripture where Christ shows care for the churches with encouragement, rebuke, exhortation, and promise, according to each church's need. Reforming the local church must be an ongoing commitment, lest the church compromise the biblical standard. Dr. Thomas appropriately selected five points (get it?) that must be included in reforming the church:
1. Commitment to the gospel, the clear message that our justification (right standing) before God is by faith alone in Christ alone. The gospel can be summarized in the five solas: sola fide (faith alone), sola gratia (grace alone), solus Christus (Christ alone), sola Scriptura (Scripture alone), and soli Deo gloria (to the glory of God alone). Any other message contains a damning component of works. If we introduce the idea that we are believers by something we do, we are lost. The most important question to be asked is "How is a man saved from his sins?"
2. Commitment to the preaching of the Word, a commitment to the expository teaching through the Bible as it was given by God, allowing the Word to interpret itself. The pastor/teacher has the responsibility of making the Word of God clear to his hearers.
3. Commitment to worship. God is to be worshiped according to the principles he laid down: preach the Bible, read the Bible, sing the Bible, pray the Bible, and see the Bible in the sacraments. In short, the whole worship service should be Bible-centered.
4. Commitment to the church. The importance of the community of the body of Christ should be stressed, not individualism.
5. Commitment to piety - a right attitude toward God. How does our theology impact our heart and the way we live our lives? There is no "preaching" more powerful than a zeal for God, when He is our all in all, even to death, if necessary.
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